Retired Air Force officer and nationally certified Spiritual Director, Larry Patzer, makes a powerful return to the literary stage with The Past Always Comes Back, an electrifying thriller that delivers heart-pounding suspense, unforgettable characters, and a thought-provoking journey into the darkest corners of the human past. Now available across the U.S. in print and digital formats, Patzer’s latest work is already generating early buzz among fans of morally complex action fiction.
When the Past Refuses to Stay Buried
In The Past Always Comes Back, Larry Patzer crafts a high-octane thriller with a deeply layered narrative about reckoning with the ghosts of your former life. Set across three countries and multiple continents, this story begins with an explosion and never slows down. Readers are immediately pulled into a relentless narrative that pushes its characters and audience through shifting identities, moral dilemmas, and psychological warfare.
At the heart of the story are Michael and Ann Johnson, an ordinary couple with an extraordinary past. Michael, a retired Marine with black ops experience, has built a quiet life with Ann, a former social worker seeking peace after a turbulent upbringing. But when a violent act destroys their home, they are forced to flee and ultimately fight. For Michael, it’s a return to his former world of espionage, danger, and calculated violence. For Ann, it’s a journey of transformation from a pacifist into a woman who refuses to be a victim.
A Thriller with Depth
While The Past Always Comes Back delivers all the ingredients of a great international thriller assassins, mercenaries, secret safe houses, and shadowy crime families its true strength lies in its emotional resonance. Themes of revenge, loyalty, morality, trust, and redemption are woven through the plot with skill and nuance. It’s a story about what happens when survival isn’t just physical, but spiritual, emotional, and psychological.
“It’s a thriller that not only entertains; it makes you think,” says Patzer. “There are deep questions here about morality, violence, and what we become when we’re pushed to our limits. At its core, this book is about love and what we’re willing to do to protect it.”
Larry Patzer brings a rare authenticity to his fiction. He spent nearly two decades working with classified intelligence systems. He is also a nationally certified spiritual director and trauma chaplain, giving him unique insight into both human strength and human vulnerability. These dual perspectives technical precision and emotional intelligence give his storytelling unmatched realism.
Patzer’s writing is marked by clean prose, intricate plotting, and characters that are emotionally as well as physically tested. With The Past Always Comes Back, he cements his place as a fresh and formidable voice in the modern thriller genre.
What Makes The Past Always Comes Back Stand Out:
- Realistic combat, strategy, and intelligence operations drawn from the author’s military experience
- Emotionally grounded storytelling that challenges both the protagonists and readers to examine the true cost of survival
- A strong, evolving female lead who redefines resilience without slipping into cliché
- Themes of faith, redemption, and inner conflict are seamlessly interwoven with action and suspense
- Multiple international locations are adding cinematic depth and scope
The Past Always Comes Back is now available in paperback and ebook formats through major online retailers, independent bookstores, and Larry Patzer’s official site. For readers seeking a gripping, intelligent thriller with soul, this is one novel that refuses to be forgotten.