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Lewis Cole #2
Black Tide
Investigating a suspicious oil spill by his seacoast home, Lewis Cole stumbles upon the corpse of a murder victim and teams up with mob rep Felix Tinios in order to uncover the truth, a search that brings him up against the local underworld.
400 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1995
859 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Brendan DuBois
188 books348 followersBrendan DuBois of New Hampshire is the award-winning author of twenty novels and more than 150 short stories. His novel, "Resurrection Day," won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternative History Novel of the Year.
In addition to his thrillers, Brendan DuBois is the author of the Lewis Cole mystery series.
He is currently working on a number of writing projects with New York Times bestselling author James Patterson,
He is also a one-time "Jeopardy!" gameshow champion, and a co-winner of the trivia gameshow "The Chase."
His short fiction has appeared in Playboy, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Analog, and numerous other magazines and anthologies including “The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century,” published in 2000 by Houghton-Mifflin. Another one of his short stories appeared in in "The Year's Best Science Fiction 22nd Annual Collection" (St. Martin's Griffin, 2005) edited by Gardner Dozois
His short stories have twice won him the Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and have also earned him three Edgar Allan Poe Award nominations from the Mystery Writers of America. Visit his website at www.BrendanDuBois.com.
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In addition to his thrillers, Brendan DuBois is the author of the Lewis Cole mystery series.
He is currently working on a number of writing projects with New York Times bestselling author James Patterson,
He is also a one-time "Jeopardy!" gameshow champion, and a co-winner of the trivia gameshow "The Chase."
His short fiction has appeared in Playboy, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Analog, and numerous other magazines and anthologies including “The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century,” published in 2000 by Houghton-Mifflin. Another one of his short stories appeared in in "The Year's Best Science Fiction 22nd Annual Collection" (St. Martin's Griffin, 2005) edited by Gardner Dozois
His short stories have twice won him the Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and have also earned him three Edgar Allan Poe Award nominations from the Mystery Writers of America. Visit his website at www.BrendanDuBois.com.
Show less
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 12, 2025
There is no word (that I know of) in the English language that describes the feeling of joy, satisfaction, and excitement that one feels when one discovers a new favorite author. I’m sure there is probably one in German or Greek or Pashtu, but nothing adequately comes to mind in English. I have tried to think of some, but most of my ideas sound dumb. Auteuroticism (combining the French word for author, “auteur”, and “eroticism”) sounds too much like “auto-erotic”, which brings to mind the “asphyxiation” element, which brings to mind strangling, which brings to mind death. Not what I was going for...
Anyway, if there was a word for it, I would be using it to describe the happiness I feel in discovering Brendan Dubois. I have read three of his books in the past two months, and I have loved all of them. He writes a mystery series involving his crime-solving protagonist, Lewis Cole, set in the idyllic beach town of Tyler Beach, New Hampshire. Like most mystery series set in idyllic locations, the idyll belies the seaminess and darkness that lurks beneath the surface. And, like most mystery series protagonists, Cole has a tragic past from which he is figuratively and literally unable to escape.
See, Cole writes a column for a magazine that nobody reads, and yet he manages to make enough money doing it to survive comfortably. The reason nobody reads the magazine is because it is owned and operated by the U.S. government, and Cole’s job is bogus.
Not that he doesn’t enjoy writing an occasional column for a monthly magazine that nobody reads, but he doesn’t need the job. It’s part of a deal he made with the U.S. government when, as a research analyst for the Department of Defense, he and six other DOD co-workers stumbled upon a black ops site in Nevada where the U.S. was illegally testing a new biowarfare weapon. Cole was the only one who miraculously survived. The deal was that he would remain silent about what happened, and the government would let him live. Hanging over him always, however, is the knowledge that, if he says or does anything to reveal the truth, the government will quite simply kill him and make it look like an accident. Or they will simply “disappear” him in the night.
Of course, on top of all this, the exposure to the bio-weapon makes him more susceptible to strange tumors and growths that he must monitor and have surgically removed from time to time. So far, the tumors are benign, but the government scientists tell him that it is only a matter of time before his body will be unable to control the growths. In other words, his past is literally killing him.
In “Black Tide”, the second book in the Cole series (the third one that I have read), Cole sees something floating in the water at a nearby public beach. He swims out to retrieve it, only to find that it is the body of a scuba diver. The body is missing its head and hands. Police quickly rule out shark attack and immediately chalk it up to fowl play, most likely mob or drug-related.
It is about this same time that Cole discovers that his friend, Felix, is himself mixed up in a situation involving the Boston mob and three priceless Whistler paintings that were stolen from a local art museum five years ago.
An oil tanker has also sunk in nearby waters, turning the local beaches into black pools of spilled oil, hence the title.
Somehow, over the course of the novel, Cole discovers that all three events are related.
Dubois is very good at creating an intricately woven, convoluted plot that twists and turns in pleasantly unexpected ways.
He is also very good at balancing the straightforward murder mystery with the more tragic human drama of Cole’s strange situation. Cole is a man stuck in a world and a life that he didn’t choose, but he makes the best of it, for his own sake and for the sake of the new friends he has grown to love.
The best part of this series is that there are nine more books that I haven’t read yet, and Dubois is still writing them.
Anyway, if there was a word for it, I would be using it to describe the happiness I feel in discovering Brendan Dubois. I have read three of his books in the past two months, and I have loved all of them. He writes a mystery series involving his crime-solving protagonist, Lewis Cole, set in the idyllic beach town of Tyler Beach, New Hampshire. Like most mystery series set in idyllic locations, the idyll belies the seaminess and darkness that lurks beneath the surface. And, like most mystery series protagonists, Cole has a tragic past from which he is figuratively and literally unable to escape.
See, Cole writes a column for a magazine that nobody reads, and yet he manages to make enough money doing it to survive comfortably. The reason nobody reads the magazine is because it is owned and operated by the U.S. government, and Cole’s job is bogus.
Not that he doesn’t enjoy writing an occasional column for a monthly magazine that nobody reads, but he doesn’t need the job. It’s part of a deal he made with the U.S. government when, as a research analyst for the Department of Defense, he and six other DOD co-workers stumbled upon a black ops site in Nevada where the U.S. was illegally testing a new biowarfare weapon. Cole was the only one who miraculously survived. The deal was that he would remain silent about what happened, and the government would let him live. Hanging over him always, however, is the knowledge that, if he says or does anything to reveal the truth, the government will quite simply kill him and make it look like an accident. Or they will simply “disappear” him in the night.
Of course, on top of all this, the exposure to the bio-weapon makes him more susceptible to strange tumors and growths that he must monitor and have surgically removed from time to time. So far, the tumors are benign, but the government scientists tell him that it is only a matter of time before his body will be unable to control the growths. In other words, his past is literally killing him.
In “Black Tide”, the second book in the Cole series (the third one that I have read), Cole sees something floating in the water at a nearby public beach. He swims out to retrieve it, only to find that it is the body of a scuba diver. The body is missing its head and hands. Police quickly rule out shark attack and immediately chalk it up to fowl play, most likely mob or drug-related.
It is about this same time that Cole discovers that his friend, Felix, is himself mixed up in a situation involving the Boston mob and three priceless Whistler paintings that were stolen from a local art museum five years ago.
An oil tanker has also sunk in nearby waters, turning the local beaches into black pools of spilled oil, hence the title.
Somehow, over the course of the novel, Cole discovers that all three events are related.
Dubois is very good at creating an intricately woven, convoluted plot that twists and turns in pleasantly unexpected ways.
He is also very good at balancing the straightforward murder mystery with the more tragic human drama of Cole’s strange situation. Cole is a man stuck in a world and a life that he didn’t choose, but he makes the best of it, for his own sake and for the sake of the new friends he has grown to love.
The best part of this series is that there are nine more books that I haven’t read yet, and Dubois is still writing them.
April 11, 2015
Book #2 about Lewis Cole, who lives in a seaside resort town in New Hampshire. Lewis is trying to track down the person responsible for an oil spill when his friend Felix enlists his assistance to thwart threats on Felix's life to reveal the location of a mob safe house. Lewis is given enough information to track down what is stored there. Good mystery, building tension, and we gain further insights into Lewis, his demons, and his friends.
July 9, 2024
I’m still intrigued by this series, but I didn’t love the 2nd installment as much as the first. I did love the setting—all favorite places of mine, like Portsmouth and Hampton Beach, NH, and the coast of Maine—but the story dragged. Too much brooding, not enough action.
March 26, 2016
Once I read one, I had to read them all.
January 26, 2019
This book seriously dragged in the middle portions but really put its tenterhooks into me during the beginning and ending portions. It has great pacing and believable situations and characters in those favored spots. Mr. DuBois doesn't mind a high body count to both drive the narrative and surprise the reader. Were it not for the middling middle with its lengthy expositions and protagonist's thought plumbing, this book would have received a four star rating from me.
Having not read much in this genre I do not claim anything but my enjoyment of this novel. My main non-professional critique is the protagonist's FBI background not inuring him to killing and death. He loses credibility as a character because of it. Secondarily, his friend the Boston ex-hitman comes across as a chameleon in emotions and one never gets the sense that a man so ill defined after a career such as he's had really would exist.
Perhaps exhibiting the first instance, in print, of a Macintosh/Apple cult and fetish (page 51), the reader of today who "adulted" in the 1990s will love the descriptions of computer tech as it existed in 1995. Oh, and you'll Google "Winslow Homer" as well.
If you like Carl Hiassen, give this book a read.
Having not read much in this genre I do not claim anything but my enjoyment of this novel. My main non-professional critique is the protagonist's FBI background not inuring him to killing and death. He loses credibility as a character because of it. Secondarily, his friend the Boston ex-hitman comes across as a chameleon in emotions and one never gets the sense that a man so ill defined after a career such as he's had really would exist.
Perhaps exhibiting the first instance, in print, of a Macintosh/Apple cult and fetish (page 51), the reader of today who "adulted" in the 1990s will love the descriptions of computer tech as it existed in 1995. Oh, and you'll Google "Winslow Homer" as well.
If you like Carl Hiassen, give this book a read.
September 8, 2008
BLACK TIDE - VG
DuBois, Brendan - 2nd in Lewis Cole series
Lewis Cole plans a relaxing end to his summer in New Hampshire, but corpses washing up on the beach and millions of dollars worth of stolen artwork disrupt his plans.
The story was a bit redundant in places but still very readable. I'll keep reading DuBois.
DuBois, Brendan - 2nd in Lewis Cole series
Lewis Cole plans a relaxing end to his summer in New Hampshire, but corpses washing up on the beach and millions of dollars worth of stolen artwork disrupt his plans.
The story was a bit redundant in places but still very readable. I'll keep reading DuBois.
September 4, 2019
7.5/10
I enjoyed the first installment in the Lewis Cole series, Dead Sand, but book two was hard to put down. Black Tide does exactly what a book in this genre should do, create well-fleshed out characters and a compelling, twisty and improbable mystery with contrivances you don't mind because it's so engaging. DuBois focusses on the most compelling parts of his character in this installment, namely his friendship with crook Felix Tinios and spends less time on his frustrating flirtations with fellow journalist Paula Quinn and his convoluted DoD past. DuBois never seems to rise to the level of great literature like fellow New England based crime author Dennis Lehane often does, but in Black Tide he never ceases to entertain, making it a worthwhile genre read.
I enjoyed the first installment in the Lewis Cole series, Dead Sand, but book two was hard to put down. Black Tide does exactly what a book in this genre should do, create well-fleshed out characters and a compelling, twisty and improbable mystery with contrivances you don't mind because it's so engaging. DuBois focusses on the most compelling parts of his character in this installment, namely his friendship with crook Felix Tinios and spends less time on his frustrating flirtations with fellow journalist Paula Quinn and his convoluted DoD past. DuBois never seems to rise to the level of great literature like fellow New England based crime author Dennis Lehane often does, but in Black Tide he never ceases to entertain, making it a worthwhile genre read.
May 23, 2023
Book 2 in the Lewis Cole Mysteries and we continue to learn a bit more about his background.
While he was in the hospital there was a massive oil spill – and as time goes by the media will focus on something else. Lewis is ticked and wants the owner to be held responsible, but he is hiding behind scene. At the same time, Felix (mob connected friend) calls to request his help – stolen painting are used as a barging chip. Every turn gives a different answer and makes things look more complicated.
Once again, a great installment – some parts reminded me of the art heist in Boston 1990. And I love the lack of technology, dialing up with a modem was definitely a flashback for me.
While he was in the hospital there was a massive oil spill – and as time goes by the media will focus on something else. Lewis is ticked and wants the owner to be held responsible, but he is hiding behind scene. At the same time, Felix (mob connected friend) calls to request his help – stolen painting are used as a barging chip. Every turn gives a different answer and makes things look more complicated.
Once again, a great installment – some parts reminded me of the art heist in Boston 1990. And I love the lack of technology, dialing up with a modem was definitely a flashback for me.
July 7, 2018
Brendan DuBois writes books with interesting plots, however, he felt the need to use fake names for his locations in a small state like New Hampshire. His town of Tyler is obviously Hampton and Porter is Portsmouth; it was very disconcerting to anyone from New England to have such obvious locations mis-named. When a state only has 18 miles of seashore, it is unrealistic to resort to such tactics.
Having said that, the storyline itself was interesting enough that I read the book in one sitting - and will be going back for the rest of the series.
Having said that, the storyline itself was interesting enough that I read the book in one sitting - and will be going back for the rest of the series.
January 16, 2024
Black Tide (Lewis Cole Book 2), my second read from author Brendan DuBois. A 481-page mystery, a well-written, entertaining & enjoyable read. I'll read more from this author. I own 7 other books by this author & after reading this one they've just moved to the top my TBR list. “I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I look forward to reading Shattered Shell (Lewis Cole Book 3) next. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
May 23, 2023
Four stars for the storyline and three stars for the execution. The storyline investigation is interesting and well thought out. The characters are also fleshed out well. The book loses momentum because there just seems to be too much filler with an over abundance of descriptive prose. The core of the story gets a bit obscured because of the wordiness and the book tends to drag. I like the series, but I would like it more if the focus stayed more on the action of the investigation.
June 8, 2023
What a great book, lots of action and a great story lines, who stole the painting, who's after Felix. Lewis Cole is a former DOD agent who now works as a journalist at Shoreline Magazine. Lewis is on his deck complaining to himself about the smell due to the oil spill. He sees some in the water and runs out to save him. What he saves is not what he expects, and this leads him to solve many crimes.
November 20, 2025
After a lackluster start in the first book (to say the least), this was a big improvement. The story was more ordered and compelling and the characters became much less sexual and much more likable. I actually enjoyed this novel enough to give the third book in the series a try. It’s still difficult to do knowing what a lowly degenerate the author actually turned out to be…
January 17, 2023
An oil spill threatens the environment and income from the tourist business along the small coastline of New Hampshire. Lewis notices an unusual object bobbing in the surf and goes to investigate it, and ends up deep in a mystery trying to see who is responsible for it all.
May 23, 2023
From beginning to end we are blessed with words that paint pictures in glorious colors, vibrant and explosive. A story filled with tension and danger and characters set perfectly within the pages of this superbly written adventure. Highly Recommended.
August 19, 2023
not for me
So sorry for the low score. I struggled with this one, too much thinking about feelings the lady reporter the lady detective and Lewis himself nearly gave up , struggle through unfortunately this author is not for me
So sorry for the low score. I struggled with this one, too much thinking about feelings the lady reporter the lady detective and Lewis himself nearly gave up , struggle through unfortunately this author is not for me
May 4, 2017
Brilliant !!
Just love the way you are immersed into the places and people that inhabit this book.
A great read. Now for the next one !!
Just love the way you are immersed into the places and people that inhabit this book.
A great read. Now for the next one !!
June 9, 2018
(1.5)
This was a quick, ok read but the plot was nothing special and the characters were forgettable.
This was a quick, ok read but the plot was nothing special and the characters were forgettable.
September 7, 2018
Such a fun series!!
April 10, 2019
Mistakes
So many misspelled words and inserted words.not needed. Poor proofing. Otherwise good story. I like this author. I will follow this author.
So many misspelled words and inserted words.not needed. Poor proofing. Otherwise good story. I like this author. I will follow this author.
Read
June 4, 2020Very poor writing skills. Full of typos, missing words, poor spelling, etc. One of his first books. I am on his third book now, to see if it gets better. He sure does need a proofreader!
October 9, 2020
A GOOD plot & GREAT characters, but it wandered around a little too much. Well worth reading.
December 6, 2020
Good writer!
July 15, 2023
Once again, Brendan trie to solve a mystery. This time it’s a murder victim and teaming up with someone from the mob. Suspenseful, intriguing and non stop action. Absolutely fantastic.
Read
November 19, 2023 Boring
Too much unnecessary detail. I don't need to know if the person had big ears. Or if he had buttons on his shirt. Of course he had buttons you said he was wearing a shirt.
Too much unnecessary detail. I don't need to know if the person had big ears. Or if he had buttons on his shirt. Of course he had buttons you said he was wearing a shirt.
April 24, 2024
Well done!
Love the caricatures. Well written. Definitely a great second novel. Convoluted tale that kept you involved.
Go read the book!
Love the caricatures. Well written. Definitely a great second novel. Convoluted tale that kept you involved.
Go read the book!
June 22, 2024
Too much of the old fashioned masculine view infusing a pretty good read
March 15, 2017
Lewis gets in some real tight spots.
May 18, 2023
I received an ARC from "Severn Publishing" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
In this the 2nd book in the series, Lewis has returned from the hospital after having a tumor removed. His picturesque view has been spoiled by the discharge of oil in the ocean due to a tanker caught on the Isle of Shoals. Lewis makes a plan that he will make the person responsible for it pay. Later Lewis is looking out from his house and spots an item floating in the ocean. He heads from his house and travels to the beach where he goes out in the water and retrieves a body. When he gets the body to shore he discovers that the victim has been mutilated.
After this event Lewis is contacted by Felix asking for his help. As a result, Lewis starts looking in to a robbery where 3 paintings were stolen from a museum in Manchester, N.H. He learns that Felix has been receiving mail which asked him to provide information regarding where a location for a safe house was.
Lewis later learns that the mutilated body and the owner of the tanker are connected. Follow along as Lewis begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together and in the end has to avoid danger. Learn how Lewis put the robbery of the paintings and who specific was the buyer.
The ending summarizes the answers well and will having you want to read the next book in the series.
In this the 2nd book in the series, Lewis has returned from the hospital after having a tumor removed. His picturesque view has been spoiled by the discharge of oil in the ocean due to a tanker caught on the Isle of Shoals. Lewis makes a plan that he will make the person responsible for it pay. Later Lewis is looking out from his house and spots an item floating in the ocean. He heads from his house and travels to the beach where he goes out in the water and retrieves a body. When he gets the body to shore he discovers that the victim has been mutilated.
After this event Lewis is contacted by Felix asking for his help. As a result, Lewis starts looking in to a robbery where 3 paintings were stolen from a museum in Manchester, N.H. He learns that Felix has been receiving mail which asked him to provide information regarding where a location for a safe house was.
Lewis later learns that the mutilated body and the owner of the tanker are connected. Follow along as Lewis begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together and in the end has to avoid danger. Learn how Lewis put the robbery of the paintings and who specific was the buyer.
The ending summarizes the answers well and will having you want to read the next book in the series.
May 23, 2023
Action-packed Lewis Cole thriller.
Black Tide the second Lewis Cole story starts off with Lewis getting involved in a recovery operation at Tyler Beach and the action and intrigue doesn’t let up until the final page. While quite a bit about Lewis’s past was disclosed in Dead Sand, Black Tide exposes more of what Lewis is capable of and his ability to borrow information from his former employer to solve a puzzle that is seemingly unrelated to his latest research project regarding the stole paintings. After reading Dead Sand I wondered how the next stories in this series the initial offering might surpass it, now I know. If Black Tide is any indication of what is yet to come for this series, readers are going to be in for an interesting ride. I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher and chose to provide my review.
Black Tide the second Lewis Cole story starts off with Lewis getting involved in a recovery operation at Tyler Beach and the action and intrigue doesn’t let up until the final page. While quite a bit about Lewis’s past was disclosed in Dead Sand, Black Tide exposes more of what Lewis is capable of and his ability to borrow information from his former employer to solve a puzzle that is seemingly unrelated to his latest research project regarding the stole paintings. After reading Dead Sand I wondered how the next stories in this series the initial offering might surpass it, now I know. If Black Tide is any indication of what is yet to come for this series, readers are going to be in for an interesting ride. I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher and chose to provide my review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews