A Past Without Pictures
A Maria Cole Thriller
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected 8 Oct 2026
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- 49,00 kr
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- Pre-Order
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- 49,00 kr
Publisher Description
<p>Maria once experienced things no child should have to. Now an LAPD homicide detective, she's learned to survive on her own wits - and never to trust anyone.
Then, on leave after a tragic shooting, she receives a call. Her estranged ex-con father has been killed, and she must travel to coastal Alabama to settle his affairs.
But when she gets to the lush southern beach town he has made home, the local police evade her questions. She knows something doesn't add up, and that she must get to the truth alone. To do so means following the dark trajectory of her own painful, long-buried past - even if it leads her to places that may be the death of her.</p>
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ames follows his Doll trilogy with a spare but potent novella. The morning after newly minted LAPD detective Maria Cole kills a burglary suspect, she wakes to a call from an Alabama number informing her that her estranged ex-con father, Billy Cole, has been shot to death. She arrives in the beach town of Fair Port to welcome news from slimy police chief Karl: Billy's killer has been captured. The next day, the suspect is found dead in his cell. Maria is unconvinced by Karl's story about Billy's murder, though, and adds a murder investigation to her list of chores in settling her father's meager estate. As she reminisces on the few good moments in a childhood that left her feeling isolated, angry, and alone, Maria notices a strange entry in Billy's calendar that puts her on the trail of someone named "Charb." Eventually, she follows the clues to Fair Port's biggest power brokers, and the bare-bones tale morphs into a hyperviolent revenge thriller. Ames's disaffected style infuses the proceedings with a deep sadness that elevates it from bog-standard crime fiction to something headier and more emotionally wounding. This will enchant both the author's existing fans and thriller readers looking for something off the beaten path.
