Please help First Light welcome local author Peter Rosch to the store for the book launch of his novel WHAT THE DEAD CAN DO.

The event will begin with an author reception from 6:30–7 p.m., followed by a conversation between Peter and Johnny Compton. Unreserved seats are available on a first come, first served basis. Free RSVPs are also encouraged.

About the book

When a commercial flight crashes, all 184 people on board perish—with the singular exception of a two-year-old boy named Ethan, who’s entrusted to family friends Matthew and Nicole per his late parents’ wishes. From the afterlife, Ethan’s parents, Tag and Amanda, watch helplessly as Nicole’s secret addictions, the family’s financial struggles, and the public’s fascination with their story ignite events that threaten their son’s welfare.  

Soon, Amanda’s grief turns into an insidious obsession: Ethan belongs with her and no one else, and she sets out to reunite with her son by any means possible—including killing Ethan herself. After Amanda learns how to possess the living, only Tag stands in her way. He must protect his child, even if the consequences of his actions mean he may never see his wife or son again.

WHAT THE DEAD CAN DO is a dark, psychological, speculative thriller tinged with horror, destined to keep readers’ minds spinning long after the final page.

About the author

Peter Rosch is the author of What The Dead Can Do, Future Skinny, But I Love You, and My Dead Friend Sarah, and other dark fictions, many born from the addictions he chased while living in New York City. He’s sober now but remains an addict’s addict: he can turn anything fun into a serious problem.

He'll be joined in conversation by Johnny Compton, the Stoker Award–nominated author of Devils Kill Devils.  His debut novel, The Spite House, was released in 2023, and his short stories have appeared in Pseudopod, Strange Horizons, The No Sleep Podcast and several other publications.