Code In The Grain

by Kirk Voclain

At 3:33 a.m., a photographer wakes in his darkroom to the sting of fixer and a text that says, “Bring your camera. Come alone.” The message pulls him into his own fiction. The only way out is a single image that hides a code inside digital noise. The target expects Reed Sawyer. They do not expect the author.

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 BCOX.

By morning the file has a name that is not his. The metadata says The Architect. The laptop wakes and begins to type on its own.

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?

54 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2025

About the author

Kirk Voclain is a South Louisiana novelist and long-time professional photographer based in Houma. For more than forty years he has photographed high school seniors, real estate, and commercial clients while teaching working pros.

Kirk does for a living what most call a hobby (photography), and he does for a hobby what most call a living (writing).

His debut thriller, Double Exposure, blends art and espionage: a camera, a confident stride, and doors start opening. His romance, Boots and Stilettos, leans into character, setting, and heart. Different shelves, same goal: authentic stories that move fast and land true.

“If a lens can find the truth, a lie cannot hide for long.”

Say hello here on Goodreads, or visit kirkvoclain.com.