Synopsis:
Fresh from ten years as a U.S. Army Ranger, Quinn Colson finds his hands full as the newly elected sheriff of Tibbehah County, Mississippi. An old buddy running a local gun shop may be in over his head when stolen army rifles start showing up in the hands of a Mexican drug gang.
At the same time, an abused-child case leads Quinn and his tough-as-nails deputy, Lillie Virgil, deep into the heart of a bootleg baby racket and a trail of darkness and death. And when the two cases collide, Quinn and his allies are forced to realize that, though they may be home from the war, they are now in the fight of their lives.
Review: I had not come across this series before, and I am glad I found this one in the monthly Amazon Vine newsletter! This is the second book in the Quinn Colson series (The Ranger, being the first), with a third forthcoming!
You know how you read a book and you picture the characters in your head, and a movie based on the book comes out, and you;re like NO, because the actors don't match the pictures in your head of the characters? Well when I read this book, I had the REVERSE situation! I started reading it and realized the lead character was very much like a person I work with, and others ones I had worked with before, and suddenly the author's vision of the characters was dropped and I was seeing real people in their place. VERY VERY weird! And a first for me! BUT, I take that as a great compliment to Atkins, that his characters are SO lifelike, that they ARE!
As to the story- you gotta love a police procedural set in rural Mississippi! So it's not only a mystery, but a SOUTHERN one! Atkins gets all the nuances of small rural Southern towns in the book, and uses them not only to fuel the plot, but to provide the twists and backstories, that make it unique, yet very realistic. As to being the second book, he gives you enough info about what happened in the first book, that you still want to go read it (important), but don't feel lost without background. There are plots and subplots that take twists and turns, and by halfway, you will say you're gonna read one chapter and suddenly realize you've read 7, and almost finished the book!
This is a great book and I don't want to give much away about it, just that it is really fresh in feel, and the charm of the modern Southern small town really makes it special. I can't recommend this one enough! And sorry, no giveaway today, as the friend, who reminds me of Colson, is getting this one!
About the Author:
Ace Atkins, a former journalist, has written ten previous novels. Most recently, Atkins published The Ranger, the Edgar-nominated first novel in the Quinn Colson series, and was selected by the Robert B. Parker Estate to continue the highly popular Spenser series with Robert B. Parker's Lullaby.
Atkins began his writing career in 1998, at age twenty-eight, when the first of four Nick Travers novels was published. In 2001, he earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination for his investigation into a 1950s murder. That murder inspired his 2006 novel White Shadow, which was followed by three further history-based crime novels--Wicked City, Devil's Garden, and Infamous.
Ace lives on a historic farm outside Oxford, Mississippi with his family.
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I was sent this book, free of charge, for review purposes, from Amazon Vine Review Program. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.
I enjoyed this book and hope it becomes a series. I liked Quinn and Lillie working together . It was really interesting to see the Chief of police lean on his number one deputy to keep him aware of what was expected in dangerous situations. Rarely would a man in a power role call on a female for advise.
ReplyDeleteI liked the characters in the story Caddie , Quinns sister , Boom the veteran that was missing an arm from combat, and even Donnie the veteran that couldn't find himself after leaving the military . There was something about him that just made him likable . Disliked Skagg the toothy politian but he fits right in with guys in Washington real well , nothing but lowlife most of them.
When the circumstances of what makes Caddy tick comes to light I'm sure you will shutter in your shoes. I couldn't figure out why Quinn couldn't guess what made the girl so self destructive. But in the end everything comes together and all is well. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I liked The Ranger a lot and have been trying to keep an eye out for this one!
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