DuBois's suspenseful fifth Lewis Cole mystery, a low-key blend of social issues and history that exposes northern New England's seedy underside, marks a return to form after 2002's disappointing Killer Waves
. The magazine columnist and former government service employee (read secret Defense Department specialist) briefly befriends Jon Ericson, an amateur archeologist with a handheld metal detector who drops by claiming to have proof that his Viking ancestors landed centuries earlier near Cole's beachfront home. When Ericson is found shot at his desk, Cole goes to work to find his killer. This ever-more-complex case involves a myriad of players, including a lesbian police detective, a down-and-out hit man and Ericson's lowlife brother, an ex-con turned antiques dealer. This taut, homespun whodunit takes the reader on an exhilarating ride the length and breadth of New Hampshire, from the university at Durham to the office of a questionable "First People" advocacy group in a rundown waterfront neighborhood, culminating in an unexpectedly chilling conclusion. Agent, Lisa Dawson. (July 8)
FYI:
DuBois has won two Shamus Awards.
