The past forever affects the future, often in very direct ways.

The past forever affects the future, often in very direct ways. Norman’s entire novel, My Darling Detective, is founded on events of the past that propel the plot in the present.

Nora’s initial act of attacking the Capa photograph, Death on a Leipzig Balcony, is the summation of her frustrated inability to change or wipe out the past which haunts her. In turn, Martha and Jacob want to understand the reason for Nora's bizarre action.

The police investigation into the incident reveals Nora’s one-time association with murderer Robert Emil. The murders Emil committed remain a cold case, now reopened by Martha, Fields, and Hodgdon. The past here directly makes a difference in the present because justice has never been served. The investigation results in Emil’s questioning and a later shootout with the...