The Dark Tide is a suspense-filled thriller written by Alex Gross. The story begins with explosions in Grand Central Station, which widow the protagonist, Karen. As she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her husband, she is shocked to find out that he was living a double life, one that has now put her and her children in danger. 

Motivated by fear, Karen starts to search for the truth. She connects with local detective Ty Hauck after an investigation into a hit and run death leads him to Charles, Karen's husband. They team up looking for answers, and uncover alarming information that puts both their lives in danger

The pain and confusion felt by Karen is mirrored in Detective Hauck but for different reasons. Karen is seeking answers involving the loss of her husband, and the detective is trying to deal with guilt over the death of one of his daughters; she was killed when the family car rolled over her He was in a hurry and didn't put the car in park correctly. The hit-and-run brought back all his feeling of guilt and grief. Their shared pain leads to a deeply emotional bond.

A solid plot and fast paced action makes it nearly impossible to put the book down. The characters are strong and well defined, even the minor characters are compelling. Unexpected twists takes the reader on an intense and at times terrifying ride to the truth. Once or twice the author will give the reader an important reveal but Gross is tricky; the information is relevant but it leads to unforeseen conclusions.

Gross's ability to grab the reader on the very first page and continue the momentum without skipping a beat is impressive. I hope there will be many more novels from this gifted writer.

Gross has co-authored five bestsellers with James Patterson. The Dark Tide is his second solo book; his first, The Blue Zone, quickly hit the New York Times bestsellers list.