Ash Dark as Night * Gary Phillips * Harry Ingram #2

In the immediate aftermath of the devastating 1965 Watts riots in Los Angeles, a Black crime-scene photographer turned private eye is hired to find a missing art student, pulling him into a dangerous web of radical political groups, police corruption, and high-society secrets.

The Story: Written by prominent crime fiction writer, comic book author, and Los Angeles native Gary Phillips, this critically acclaimed 2024 historical noir delivers a gritty, atmospheric, and deeply resonant dive into a city on the brink of structural change. The narrative completely steps away from the clean, predictable setups of standard mysteries. Instead, Phillips constructs a substantial, street-level mystery that masterfully pairs a complex cold-case investigation with an authentic, hard-hitting commentary on race, media bias, and institutional corruption in mid-century America.

The plot follows Harry Ingram, a veteran Korean War photographer who has transitioned his skills into working as a process server and unlicensed private investigator in Los Angeles. The city is still smoldering from the Watts rebellion when Harry is approached by an old acquaintance to find a missing young woman named Linda. Linda is a talented Black art student who was last seen moving within integrated, bohemian art circles and high-stakes activist groups, making her sudden disappearance a major point of concern for her family.

The situation takes a deadly turn when Harry’s search leads him straight into a murder scene, making him an immediate target for rogue elements within the LAPD and shady real estate developers desperate to keep their corrupt land-acquisition schemes buried. Left without traditional legal support lines, Harry must navigate a treacherous landscape of hidden gambling dens, radical underground cells, and affluent Hollywood parties. To survive and uncover the truth, he uses his camera and his wits to document a conspiracy that threatens to set the city ablaze all over again. This page-turning historical thriller marks a brilliant continuation of a standout series.

Perfect For: Devotees of traditional, atmospheric private eye fiction, hard-boiled historical noir, and diverse crime thrillers like the works of Walter Mosley, Raymond Chandler, or Chester Himes; readers following Harry Ingram's journey through Southern California history; and book clubs exploring social justice and urban history in crime fiction.

Published 2024 by Soho Crime. 

Fiction / Mystery & Thriller / Hard-Boiled Noir / African American Crime Fiction / Historical Mysteries / Private Investigator Whodunits / Southern California Noir