Code In The Grain

At 3:33 a.m., a New Orleans photographer wakes in his darkroom to the sting of fixer and a text that says, “Bring your camera. Come alone.”

The message drags him into the world of his own spy novel, a compact New Orleans noir technothriller where the only escape is a single image that hides a code inside digital noise. This is a short photography thriller that can be read in one sitting and lives inside the Double Exposure universe, yet stands on its own.

The target expects Reed Sawyer. They do not expect the author, writing the story in real time with his life on the line.

New Orleans sets the stage. A rain slick garage by the Superdome. An SUV, two men, one woman, and a camera with one chance to live. Make the shot, bury the message in the grain, and deliver it to the villain.

This is a compact, mind bending thriller where photography does more than capture truth, it manipulates it. Fans of clean, cinematic writing, New Orleans noir, and the Double Exposure universe will feel right at home. The final question lingers long after you close the book. Who is writing whom?

This is a very short story. The print version is only 18 pages. The rest of the book is samples of my other works.