Past Without Pictures

by Jonathan Ames

Genres: Hard-Boiled; Mystery

Synopsis

An LAPD detective travels to coastal Alabama to investigate the death of the father she never knew in this straight-shooting, no-nonsense noir from the author of You Were Never Really Here.

Maria Cole’s life has never been a walk in the park. Raised in foster care and with a history of abuse, her journey to the force was winding and loaded with heartache. When the LAPD detective is involved in a tragic shooting and, soon after, learns that her estranged ex-con father has been murdered, she finds her past surging back in a double-bout of grief.

There is an estate to settle, and investigating her dad’s untimely death presents the opportunity to get out of LA for a bit, so Maria travels to his rural home in coastal Alabama and starts asking questions. But the tight-lipped locals don’t take kindly to inquisitive outsiders, and she’ll have to tangle with corrupt small-town officials, bigoted cops, and home-grown criminal conspiracies to get answers. In the process, she uncovers shocking revelations about her father’s life—and her own.

Gripping, tightly-plotted, and action-packed, A Past Without Pictures is a twisty noir narrative that condenses its sprawling scope into a forcefully fast-paced novella.

Release date: September 8, 2026

Publisher: The Mysterious Press

Print pages: 176