Broken trust. The decaying of a family. Relationships dissolved in emotional acid. THINGS ARE AS THEY SHOULD BE and other words to die for is an interconnected Southern gothic noir journey from Reconstruction New Orleans to a present-day landscape of terror. Each story invests the reader in a setting and characters that traverse the fringes of the Louisiana swamps, pool halls in New Orleans, and attics filled with boxes of cherished memories, each tale patinaed with desperation and death. An exploration of greed, vengeance, and generational trauma in tales that center Louisiana and its rich history of the wicked, the haunted, and the unforgiven who refuse to rest. “P.M. Raymond is a bright new star in the world of speculative fiction. Not to be missed.”—S.A. Cosby, author of BLACKTOP WASTELAND 2024 SISTERS IN CRIME ELEANOR TAYLOR BLAND WINNER AND CLAYMORE AWARD FINALIST