Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

It's winter in Tyler Beach, New Hampshire. The tourists have all gone home, and the hotels they stayed in are empty. And vulnerable. So somebody starts burning them down. As always when nastiness breaks out in Tyler Beach, former Defense Department hot shot (read ex-spook) Lewis Cole feels duty-bound to involve himself. Involvement ratchets up considerably when Lewis receives a phone call from close friend Diane Woods, the town's lone female detective, famous for unflappability. Not so this night, because she's also the lover of Kara Miles, who's just been raped. Diane makes a strong bid for Lewis's expertise. Which means that catching an arsonist goes on the back burner, so to speak, replaced by the more urgent need to catch a rapist. Where to start? What special kind of low-life are they looking for? These two questions become knottier when Lewis faces the chilling fact that Kara's account of the rape is not only vague but intentionally confusing. Who is she protecting? Lewis turns for help to the slick, mob-connected Felix Tenios, a scalawag, it's true, but one who has earned Lewis's trust (Black Tide, 1995, etc.). Together, they knock on doors, stumble on a corpse, and manage to get themselves arrested for murder. In the end, though, they catch Tyler Beach's rapist'who, of course, is criminally connected to Tyler Beach's arsonist. Dubois will ramble from time to time, but he plots respectably. And there are enough sides to his hero to hold your interest.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Lewis Cole, a former government spy with a shadowy past, has retired to Tyler Beach, New Hampshire, to write and watch the ocean. Then Paula Quinn, a reporter, and Diane Woods, a detective, ask Cole and his friend Felix Tinio to help solve a rape case and rash of arsons. This first mystery starts a bit slowly but builds quickly and generates plenty of suspense. Dubois keeps readers guessing with a skillfully designed plot full of twists, and his vivid descriptions of the seashore in winter provide strong atmosphere and nicely complement the gloomy moral landscape. Another plus is the character of Felix Tinio--a terrific sidekick with just the right mix of friendliness, toughness, and black humor, sort of like Travis McGee's pal Meyer with an attitude. Recommend this too-little-known series to fans of crime New England style. --John Rowen

Publishers Weekly
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It's been five years since Dead Sand, the last mystery to feature defense department spook turned slick magazine writer Lewis Cole. This new one was worth waiting for: DuBois tells a strong, poignant story, meanwhile creating an exceptionally vivid picture of a New England coastal town held in winter's grip. Cole, given a free oceanside house in Tyler Beach, N.H., and a large pension after surviving a biotech disaster (he still checks his scars for swelling every morning in the shower), is a columnist for Boston's Shoreline magazine. But he hasn't given up his sleuthing ways, and here he's digging into two crime storiesÄthe arson fires that are destroying closed motels in Tyler Beach, and the brutal rape of the young woman who is the lover of Cole's best friend, lesbian police detective Diane Woods. DuBois brings his characters to life gradually with a carefully chosen mixture of light and shadowÄgiving even secondary players (such as Felix Tinios, a graduate of the North Boston crime scene who lists his occupation as "security consultant" and provides Cole with major backup) full credibility. Equally important is his obvious love for the setting. When DuBois describes Cole emerging from his snowed-in house during a blackout and observing the stars gleaming in the frozen sky, readers will know he's been thereÄand he puts them deeply into the scene as well. Agent, Jed Mattes. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved