She Treads Softly: Killer Waves

Friday, September 1, 2023

Killer Waves

Killer Waves by Brendan DuBois
9/5/23; 292 pages
Severn River Publishing
Lewis Cole #4

Killer Waves by Brendan DuBois is a highly recommended mystery. Originally published 4/26/2014, this is a re-release and the fourth in the eleven book series.

Lewis Cole wakes up early to watch the Space shuttle Endeavour fly over his house in Tyler Beach, New Hampshire, when he notices red and blue flashing lights in the state park. He walks over to see what is happening and sees a dead man in a car in the parking lot and two officers waiting for the state police. The state police don't show up, but three cars pull up with obviously some branch of federal agents inside. Later Cole has a visit from them which eventually results in Cole being forced to assist in their investigation. They claim to be from the DEA and are looking into drug smuggling. Cole reluctantly uncovers more information than the agents expected.

This is an even paced mystery with an interesting plot. While I haven't read any other novels in the series, that presented no real problem. All the characters are unique, however, as can be the case in a series, not are all fully developed here. This won't hamper your enjoyment of Killer Waves. After starting reading and not knowing my copy was a re-release of a previously published novel, I quickly picked up clues. The first clue is the Endeavour. The second will be small town papers being printed. There are several others that pop-up while reading.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Severn House Publishing via Edelweiss.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.