While investigating a series of arson fires on the New Hampshire coast, Lewis Cole learns that a friend has been murdered, and he suspects that the mysterious arsonist may have committed this crime as well. Former Defense Department spook turned slick magazine writer Lewis Cole is back and better than ever in this third outing by Brendan DuBois. In Shattered Shell the author paints a vivid picture of a New England coastal town held in winter's grip. Cole, given a free ocean-side house in Tyler Beach, New Hampshire, and a large pension (as the only survivor of a biotech disaster), is ostensibly a columnist for Boston's Shoreline magazine. It's the cover he uses to dig into two crime stories--the rash of arson fires that are destroying closed motels in Tyler Beach and the brutal rape of the lesbian lover of Cole's best friend, police detective Diane Woods. DuBois brings his characters to life gradually, giving even secondary players (such as Felix Tinios, who provides Cole with some major backup) full credibility. Equally important is the author's obvious love for the setting. When he describes Cole emerging from his snowed-in house during a blackout and observing the stars gleaming in the frozen sky, we know he's been there--and it puts us deeply into the scene as well. Other Cole books include Black Tide and Dead Sand . --Dick Adler 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 towns 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 rapistwho, 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. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.