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Quinn Colson #8
The Sinners
In this novel from New York Times -bestselling author Ace Atkins, criminals new and old battle for control of Tibbehah county, and the one man standing in their way is sheriff Quinn Colson.
The Pritchards had never been worth a damn--an evil, greedy family who made their living dealing drugs and committing mayhem. Years ago, Colson's late uncle had put the clan's patriarch in prison, but now he's getting out, with revenge, power, and family business on his mind. To make matters worse, a shady trucking firm with possible ties to the Gulf Coast syndicate has moved into Tibbehah, and they have their own methods of intimidation.
With his longtime deputy Lillie Virgil now working up in Memphis, Colson finds himself having to fall back on some brand-new deputies to help him out, but with Old West-style violence breaking out, and his own wedding on the horizon, this is without a doubt Colson's most trying time as sheriff. Cracks are opening up all over the county, and shadowy figures are crawling out through them--and they're all heading directly for him.
The Pritchards had never been worth a damn--an evil, greedy family who made their living dealing drugs and committing mayhem. Years ago, Colson's late uncle had put the clan's patriarch in prison, but now he's getting out, with revenge, power, and family business on his mind. To make matters worse, a shady trucking firm with possible ties to the Gulf Coast syndicate has moved into Tibbehah, and they have their own methods of intimidation.
With his longtime deputy Lillie Virgil now working up in Memphis, Colson finds himself having to fall back on some brand-new deputies to help him out, but with Old West-style violence breaking out, and his own wedding on the horizon, this is without a doubt Colson's most trying time as sheriff. Cracks are opening up all over the county, and shadowy figures are crawling out through them--and they're all heading directly for him.
448 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2018
602 people are currently reading
1251 people want to read
About the author
Ace Atkins
71 books1,558 followersAce Atkins is the author of twenty-eight books, including eleven Quinn Colson novels, the first two of which, The Ranger and The Lost Ones, were nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel (he has a third Edgar nomination for his short story "Last Fair Deal Gone Down"). He is the author of nine New York Times-bestselling novels in the continuation of Robert B. Parker's Spenser series. Before turning to fiction, he was a correspondent for the St. Petersburg Times and a crime reporter for the Tampa Tribune, and he played defensive end for Auburn University football.
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July 24, 2021
When my husband and I would sit around with our friends recalling stories about Mississippi criminals, we would always preface them with “You just can’t make this shit up.” Well I hope to God that Ace Atkins made up most of his stories in the wonderful The Sinners. Even in North Mississippi I don’t think most of the wide variety of thugs and redneck criminals in the Quin Colson series could exist outside of Mr. Atkins’ fertile mind. At least I hope not, these are some truly awful people. Although I remember one family in Corinth who were amazing in their range.
The major conundrums in Mr. Atkins’ books is which set of sinners is the worst? The woman who answers to the Dixie Mafia, but often sets her own agenda; the trashy pot growers who live to race; their out of control uncle just fresh out of Parchman Penitentiary; the bikers just rebuilding their club; the Memphis crime boss; or the crooked politicians who are also controlled by the Dixie Mafia?
To balance the criminals, Mr. Atkins doesn’t forget that the majority of people in North Mississippi are warm, lovely people; many with ties to the land going back generations.
In the outstanding The Sinners Sheriff Quin Colson of Tibbehah County is about to get married; one of his closest friends and former deputies, Lillie Virgil, has moved to Memphis and become a U.S. Marshal; his other very close friend, Boom Kimbrough, has gone back to trucking with near disastrous results. Colson also has a gruesome murder to investigate. .
Add to this mix the Dixie Mafia attempting to control just about everything in north Mississippi. Well, they soon enough find out they can’t control Miss Fannie Hathcock, owner of Vienna, a gentleman’s club. Fannie and everyone else also find out ain’t nobody can control Heath Pritchard, newly released from Parchman and determined to take control of his numbskull nephews and their incredible pot growing operation.
The Dixie Mafia, which is actually an existing loose confederation of southern criminals, has their nasty tentacles into drugs, stolen goods ad human trafficking. They make several mistakes in Tibbehah county, but they aren’t the sort to forgive and forget which gives us the set-up for the next book.
Not every plot line revolves around Colson-or at least not yet, nor does he take center stage; but the former U.S. Army Ranger is the heart of Tibbehah County as he does his best to protect its citizens.
The Sinners is action packed with richly drawn characters. Reading this book is like riding shot-gun with a Pritchard boy during one of his races. The language is rough as usual, but the writing is still as smooth as a soft-serve ice cream cone.
Atkins, is a phenomenal story teller in the rich southern way-you must be born to it. Born to it, but still able to make use of his birthright. He will no doubt be doing readings in bookstores; he should instead be sitting on a front porch with bourbon or beer, a hound or two and a bunch of people. Maybe he should be doing a reading around the fire after a day at deer camp. Best of all he should be doing a reading at a catfish fry thrown by a North Mississippi sheriff.
I would give The Sinners the proverbial sixth star for the mention of MBN and the shout out to The Roosevelt Hotel and Sazeracs. I will drink a well made Sazerac on release day. PS I too had a catfish fry for my rehearsal dinner.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The major conundrums in Mr. Atkins’ books is which set of sinners is the worst? The woman who answers to the Dixie Mafia, but often sets her own agenda; the trashy pot growers who live to race; their out of control uncle just fresh out of Parchman Penitentiary; the bikers just rebuilding their club; the Memphis crime boss; or the crooked politicians who are also controlled by the Dixie Mafia?
To balance the criminals, Mr. Atkins doesn’t forget that the majority of people in North Mississippi are warm, lovely people; many with ties to the land going back generations.
In the outstanding The Sinners Sheriff Quin Colson of Tibbehah County is about to get married; one of his closest friends and former deputies, Lillie Virgil, has moved to Memphis and become a U.S. Marshal; his other very close friend, Boom Kimbrough, has gone back to trucking with near disastrous results. Colson also has a gruesome murder to investigate. .
Add to this mix the Dixie Mafia attempting to control just about everything in north Mississippi. Well, they soon enough find out they can’t control Miss Fannie Hathcock, owner of Vienna, a gentleman’s club. Fannie and everyone else also find out ain’t nobody can control Heath Pritchard, newly released from Parchman and determined to take control of his numbskull nephews and their incredible pot growing operation.
The Dixie Mafia, which is actually an existing loose confederation of southern criminals, has their nasty tentacles into drugs, stolen goods ad human trafficking. They make several mistakes in Tibbehah county, but they aren’t the sort to forgive and forget which gives us the set-up for the next book.
Not every plot line revolves around Colson-or at least not yet, nor does he take center stage; but the former U.S. Army Ranger is the heart of Tibbehah County as he does his best to protect its citizens.
The Sinners is action packed with richly drawn characters. Reading this book is like riding shot-gun with a Pritchard boy during one of his races. The language is rough as usual, but the writing is still as smooth as a soft-serve ice cream cone.
Atkins, is a phenomenal story teller in the rich southern way-you must be born to it. Born to it, but still able to make use of his birthright. He will no doubt be doing readings in bookstores; he should instead be sitting on a front porch with bourbon or beer, a hound or two and a bunch of people. Maybe he should be doing a reading around the fire after a day at deer camp. Best of all he should be doing a reading at a catfish fry thrown by a North Mississippi sheriff.
I would give The Sinners the proverbial sixth star for the mention of MBN and the shout out to The Roosevelt Hotel and Sazeracs. I will drink a well made Sazerac on release day. PS I too had a catfish fry for my rehearsal dinner.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
August 7, 2018
I received a free advance copy from NetGalley for review.
The Pritchards are just some good ole boys, never meaning no harm. Making their way the only way they know how. That’s just a little bit more than Sheriff Quinn Colson will allow.
Ah, damn it. I think I owe Waylon Jenning’s estate a royalty payment now.
This one starts out way back in the prehistoric days of 1993 with Tibbehah County Sheriff Hamp Beckett finally nailing his nemesis, a hell-raising pot-farmer named Heath Pritchard, with enough weed to send him to prison for a long stretch.
Twenty five years later the nephews of both men have gone into their respective family businesses. Quinn Colson is the sheriff while Tyler and Cody Pritchard grow some of the best pot around, and they use the money to fund their love of dirt-track auto racing. The lady who runs the *ahem* gentlemen’s club, Fannie Hathcock, is also the local representative of the Dixie Mafia, and she suspects the Pritchard boys might be cutting into her profit margin with their higher quality weed.
This is a powder keg getting ready to blow, and the fuse is lit when Heath Pritchard gets out of jail and inserts himself into his nephews’ lives. While Tyler and Cody just want to make enough money to pay for cars and Jack Daniels their uncle thinks that he should be able to resume his place as the stud duck of Tibbehah County with no regard for the law or the criminals currently running the show.
As this is going on Quinn’s best friend, Boom Kimbrough, has taken a job as a long-haul trucker, but he discovers that his company is a critical part of the supply chain hauling all kinds of illegal stuff across the South. As if he doesn’t have enough on his plate, Quinn also has to get ready for his upcoming wedding.
I’ve enjoyed every book of this series, but this is my favorite of them so far. Ace Atkins has built up each character and the setting so that Tibbehah County is its own vivid world now. While each novel has its own self-contained story there’s also been a complex overall arc going on in the background. One of the more interesting aspects is the way that the nature of crime itself is evolving in rural Mississippi over the last ten years. When the series started the ruling redneck kingpin was a good ole boy county politician who engaged in more traditional forms of small town corruption. Now the game has changed with politicians more focused on trying to roll back the clock as cover for far more ambitious schemes then just milking the county’s expense budget. Money seems to be flowing everywhere except to people looking for good jobs, and this includes expansion by organized crime who want to move drugs by the truckload instead of just letting a couple of good ole boys sell a little weed.
I also really like what Atkins did with the Pritchards. He’s sprinkled references to other works in his books like a subtle homage to True Grit into one of his Spenser novels. Here, the Pritchards obviously seem to be inspired by The Dukes of Hazzard TV series.
If this was Atkins winking at the reader and playing this as a jokey reference, it’d just be a gimmick. However, what’s he done with this idea is pretty clever. Bo and Luke Duke were just a couple of redneck Robin Hoods fighting corrupt local officials. However, the Pritchards aren’t running moonshine, they’re growing high end weed, and their enemy isn’t the comical Boss Hogg, it’s an entire murderous criminal syndicate. Similarly, their uncle isn’t a lovable old rascal with a talent for making shine who doles out good advice. Heath is a strutting criminal with poor impulse control who pisses off everyone he deals with by acting like it's still 1993, and that he's the biggest swinging dick around.
In short, the Dukes are the fantasy of the good-hearted Southern boys who like to raise a little hell, and there ain’t no pickle they can’t get out of by driving fast and jumping over the nearest creek. That won't help when facing an organized system that has far more resources and no hesitation about killing off anyone who might cost them a nickel.
Everyone in the book is getting squeezed by the powers that be in some fashion. Frannie has made a fortune for her bosses for years, but the second they think she’s got a problem in her operation they start questioning her capability and start making moves to muscle her out. Boom is just trying to mind his own business while making a honest living, but he finds himself caught up in the schemes of criminals and the demands of law enforcement. Quinn is under pressure from shitbird politicians more concerned about checking the immigration status of anyone who isn't white rather than dealing with the growth of organized crime in their backyard.
That’s the effective theme that Atkins is working with here. It’s the collision of the dream that all a country boy needs to survive is a can of Skoal and his trusty shotgun vs. the cold hard realities of the 21st century, and it makes for a helluva read.
The Pritchards are just some good ole boys, never meaning no harm. Making their way the only way they know how. That’s just a little bit more than Sheriff Quinn Colson will allow.
Ah, damn it. I think I owe Waylon Jenning’s estate a royalty payment now.
This one starts out way back in the prehistoric days of 1993 with Tibbehah County Sheriff Hamp Beckett finally nailing his nemesis, a hell-raising pot-farmer named Heath Pritchard, with enough weed to send him to prison for a long stretch.
Twenty five years later the nephews of both men have gone into their respective family businesses. Quinn Colson is the sheriff while Tyler and Cody Pritchard grow some of the best pot around, and they use the money to fund their love of dirt-track auto racing. The lady who runs the *ahem* gentlemen’s club, Fannie Hathcock, is also the local representative of the Dixie Mafia, and she suspects the Pritchard boys might be cutting into her profit margin with their higher quality weed.
This is a powder keg getting ready to blow, and the fuse is lit when Heath Pritchard gets out of jail and inserts himself into his nephews’ lives. While Tyler and Cody just want to make enough money to pay for cars and Jack Daniels their uncle thinks that he should be able to resume his place as the stud duck of Tibbehah County with no regard for the law or the criminals currently running the show.
As this is going on Quinn’s best friend, Boom Kimbrough, has taken a job as a long-haul trucker, but he discovers that his company is a critical part of the supply chain hauling all kinds of illegal stuff across the South. As if he doesn’t have enough on his plate, Quinn also has to get ready for his upcoming wedding.
I’ve enjoyed every book of this series, but this is my favorite of them so far. Ace Atkins has built up each character and the setting so that Tibbehah County is its own vivid world now. While each novel has its own self-contained story there’s also been a complex overall arc going on in the background. One of the more interesting aspects is the way that the nature of crime itself is evolving in rural Mississippi over the last ten years. When the series started the ruling redneck kingpin was a good ole boy county politician who engaged in more traditional forms of small town corruption. Now the game has changed with politicians more focused on trying to roll back the clock as cover for far more ambitious schemes then just milking the county’s expense budget. Money seems to be flowing everywhere except to people looking for good jobs, and this includes expansion by organized crime who want to move drugs by the truckload instead of just letting a couple of good ole boys sell a little weed.
I also really like what Atkins did with the Pritchards. He’s sprinkled references to other works in his books like a subtle homage to True Grit into one of his Spenser novels. Here, the Pritchards obviously seem to be inspired by The Dukes of Hazzard TV series.
If this was Atkins winking at the reader and playing this as a jokey reference, it’d just be a gimmick. However, what’s he done with this idea is pretty clever. Bo and Luke Duke were just a couple of redneck Robin Hoods fighting corrupt local officials. However, the Pritchards aren’t running moonshine, they’re growing high end weed, and their enemy isn’t the comical Boss Hogg, it’s an entire murderous criminal syndicate. Similarly, their uncle isn’t a lovable old rascal with a talent for making shine who doles out good advice. Heath is a strutting criminal with poor impulse control who pisses off everyone he deals with by acting like it's still 1993, and that he's the biggest swinging dick around.
In short, the Dukes are the fantasy of the good-hearted Southern boys who like to raise a little hell, and there ain’t no pickle they can’t get out of by driving fast and jumping over the nearest creek. That won't help when facing an organized system that has far more resources and no hesitation about killing off anyone who might cost them a nickel.
Everyone in the book is getting squeezed by the powers that be in some fashion. Frannie has made a fortune for her bosses for years, but the second they think she’s got a problem in her operation they start questioning her capability and start making moves to muscle her out. Boom is just trying to mind his own business while making a honest living, but he finds himself caught up in the schemes of criminals and the demands of law enforcement. Quinn is under pressure from shitbird politicians more concerned about checking the immigration status of anyone who isn't white rather than dealing with the growth of organized crime in their backyard.
That’s the effective theme that Atkins is working with here. It’s the collision of the dream that all a country boy needs to survive is a can of Skoal and his trusty shotgun vs. the cold hard realities of the 21st century, and it makes for a helluva read.
August 22, 2019
As the eighth novel in this great series opens, wedding bells are about to ring for Tibbehah County Sheriff Quinn Colson. But before we can get to the nuptials, Quinn will have to deal with various drug runners, sex traffickers, strip club owners, outlaw bikers, and other assorted losers who make being sheriff of this Mississippi county such a pain in the butt.
As the book opens, a degenerate old reprobate named Heath Pritchard has just been released from prison. Years earlier Quinn's uncle, Sheriff Hamp Beckett, had arrested Pritchard for running a major marijuana operation, and Pritchard went off to the pen. In his absence, his two nephews, Cody and Tyler, have taken over the business and brought it into the modern era. They've built an extensive underground marijuana farm under the floor of their barn where it's safely out of the view of law enforcement officials and other curious folks, and they are growing some premium weed.
The boys also love racing cars and imagine themselves as modern-day Dukes of Hazard. One Saturday night they return from a race to discover that their pathetic excuse for an uncle is back at the farm, expecting to take over the operation. Even worse, he's managed to kill a spy who was checking out the operation for the competition. Cody and Tyler barely even know their uncle and they're not about to let him waltz back in and take over the business that they've worked so hard to build. But while they try to figure out what to do with the old man, he gets them caught up in one major disaster after another.
Meanwhile, outsiders are also moving in on Fannie Hathcock, who owns the local strip club. In consequence, she's no happier than the Pritchard boys, and when all these various lowlifes begin scheming and maneuvering to protect their individual interests, it's going to make a lot of work for Quinn Colson at a time when he's supposed to be making more critical decisions about things like hiring a wedding band, helping his mother with floral arrangements, and other such things.
All in all, this is another very fun entry in this series. Atkins has created a distinctive world here that readers have come to know as well as their own neighborhoods, and it's great to see all these familiar characters back in play.
As the book opens, a degenerate old reprobate named Heath Pritchard has just been released from prison. Years earlier Quinn's uncle, Sheriff Hamp Beckett, had arrested Pritchard for running a major marijuana operation, and Pritchard went off to the pen. In his absence, his two nephews, Cody and Tyler, have taken over the business and brought it into the modern era. They've built an extensive underground marijuana farm under the floor of their barn where it's safely out of the view of law enforcement officials and other curious folks, and they are growing some premium weed.
The boys also love racing cars and imagine themselves as modern-day Dukes of Hazard. One Saturday night they return from a race to discover that their pathetic excuse for an uncle is back at the farm, expecting to take over the operation. Even worse, he's managed to kill a spy who was checking out the operation for the competition. Cody and Tyler barely even know their uncle and they're not about to let him waltz back in and take over the business that they've worked so hard to build. But while they try to figure out what to do with the old man, he gets them caught up in one major disaster after another.
Meanwhile, outsiders are also moving in on Fannie Hathcock, who owns the local strip club. In consequence, she's no happier than the Pritchard boys, and when all these various lowlifes begin scheming and maneuvering to protect their individual interests, it's going to make a lot of work for Quinn Colson at a time when he's supposed to be making more critical decisions about things like hiring a wedding band, helping his mother with floral arrangements, and other such things.
All in all, this is another very fun entry in this series. Atkins has created a distinctive world here that readers have come to know as well as their own neighborhoods, and it's great to see all these familiar characters back in play.
December 20, 2018
HOT DAAAYUM!
July 1, 2018
The Sinners by Ace Atkins is number eight in the Quinn Colson series. Atkins' Colson is the former Army Ranger and current sheriff of Tibbehah County, Mississippi. In this novel, Colson is in preparation for his wedding to a character introduced in a previous novel and while doing so, different arms of criminality are snaking through Tibbehah County, sometimes in conflict with each other and later conjoining in the ending to the novel.
The novel opens with a flashback to an incident almost 25 years ago involving Colson's uncle when he was sheriff for the purpose of introducing one of the characters featured in the book.
Atkins brings back previously introduced characters, including Fannie Hathcock, as well as other members of the criminal underworld, even those outside of Tibbehah County.
Atkins also introduces new characters, one in particular, which will lead the reader to be comfortable knowing Atkins is not done with the Colson character.
Atkins is a consistently good storyteller that not only keeps his characters moving forward but also keeps them interesting, which includes his practice of introducing interesting villains. Novels in this series have proven to be reliably enjoyable and looked forward to each year.
Recommended to those that enjoy well-written crime novels, especially involving the South.
This edition was an ARC from Netgalley.
The novel opens with a flashback to an incident almost 25 years ago involving Colson's uncle when he was sheriff for the purpose of introducing one of the characters featured in the book.
Atkins brings back previously introduced characters, including Fannie Hathcock, as well as other members of the criminal underworld, even those outside of Tibbehah County.
Atkins also introduces new characters, one in particular, which will lead the reader to be comfortable knowing Atkins is not done with the Colson character.
Atkins is a consistently good storyteller that not only keeps his characters moving forward but also keeps them interesting, which includes his practice of introducing interesting villains. Novels in this series have proven to be reliably enjoyable and looked forward to each year.
Recommended to those that enjoy well-written crime novels, especially involving the South.
This edition was an ARC from Netgalley.
May 26, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley to read and review.
THE SINNERS by Ace Atkins is the 8th book in the Quinn Colson series where Quinn, the former Ranger, is now again sheriff of Tibbehah Country, Missouri where he grew up, and is investigating the disappearance of a young man who worked for Fannie Hathcock and is now presumed to have met with foul play.
Heath Pritchard is a local criminal recently released from prison after 23 years for a bust by Quinn’s Uncle Hamp back in the day, who returns to the family farm with intentions of taking over the marijuana growing and selling business that his two young nephews Tyler and Cody have turned into a thriving operation, although racing is their first passion that the marijuana business enables them to pursue.
Fannie, who succeeds “good ole’ boy” Johnny Stagg (currently incarcerated), has turned the former “Booby Trap” truck stop/strip joint into a much classier establishment, yet she is forced to take a backseat at the insistence of the Dixie Mafia in order to put two sleazy & questionable characters in charge of her operations.
Boom, Quinn’s lifelong friend is currently driving a semi one-handed due to his artificial limb and is suspicious of what the trailers contain that he’s been hauling, and he informs Quinn of his suspicions.
Quinn starts to put together that several of the events taking place may be related to the Pritchard farm, the trucking operation, and Fannie’s club and staff, including the biker gang she formerly employed, and the likelihood of Dixie Mafia involvement in all of this.
Maggie, the woman Quinn has fallen in love with, has been patient as he works through all that’s required of him in the days leading up to their wedding.
Lilly, Quinn’s former partner, becomes involved when situations require her, as well as an attractive female FBI agent looking into the trucking operation who seems to be attracted to Boom even as she places him in harm’s way.
Will Quinn stay safe long enough to marry Maggie with all that’s taking place, and will Boom be able to provide the evidence needed to bring down the criminal trucking operation without being found out?
Ace Atkins once again comes through with an action packed novel that puts the reader right in the heart of Tibbehah County and the local criminal power struggles taking place that involve Quinn and his family, friends and deputies.
I’m a huge fan of the Quinn Colson books, as well as Atkins’ work on the Robert B. Parker “Spenser” series since Parker’s passing, and am looking forward to all future books in both series.
5 stars.
THE SINNERS by Ace Atkins is the 8th book in the Quinn Colson series where Quinn, the former Ranger, is now again sheriff of Tibbehah Country, Missouri where he grew up, and is investigating the disappearance of a young man who worked for Fannie Hathcock and is now presumed to have met with foul play.
Heath Pritchard is a local criminal recently released from prison after 23 years for a bust by Quinn’s Uncle Hamp back in the day, who returns to the family farm with intentions of taking over the marijuana growing and selling business that his two young nephews Tyler and Cody have turned into a thriving operation, although racing is their first passion that the marijuana business enables them to pursue.
Fannie, who succeeds “good ole’ boy” Johnny Stagg (currently incarcerated), has turned the former “Booby Trap” truck stop/strip joint into a much classier establishment, yet she is forced to take a backseat at the insistence of the Dixie Mafia in order to put two sleazy & questionable characters in charge of her operations.
Boom, Quinn’s lifelong friend is currently driving a semi one-handed due to his artificial limb and is suspicious of what the trailers contain that he’s been hauling, and he informs Quinn of his suspicions.
Quinn starts to put together that several of the events taking place may be related to the Pritchard farm, the trucking operation, and Fannie’s club and staff, including the biker gang she formerly employed, and the likelihood of Dixie Mafia involvement in all of this.
Maggie, the woman Quinn has fallen in love with, has been patient as he works through all that’s required of him in the days leading up to their wedding.
Lilly, Quinn’s former partner, becomes involved when situations require her, as well as an attractive female FBI agent looking into the trucking operation who seems to be attracted to Boom even as she places him in harm’s way.
Will Quinn stay safe long enough to marry Maggie with all that’s taking place, and will Boom be able to provide the evidence needed to bring down the criminal trucking operation without being found out?
Ace Atkins once again comes through with an action packed novel that puts the reader right in the heart of Tibbehah County and the local criminal power struggles taking place that involve Quinn and his family, friends and deputies.
I’m a huge fan of the Quinn Colson books, as well as Atkins’ work on the Robert B. Parker “Spenser” series since Parker’s passing, and am looking forward to all future books in both series.
5 stars.
March 11, 2021
Another good addition to the Quinn Colson series. Two brothers, known for their racing and growing of prime weed, and their old crazy uncle take on the Dixie mafia and Quinn gets caught in the middle. Well written and well plotted story delivers the excitement. Recommended.
June 21, 2018
Thanks to netgalley.com, Ace Atkins and Penguin Group Putnam for the advance ARC copy for my honest review.
Quinn Colson's back, the tougher than nails Sheriff of Tibbehah County, he's ready to battle the Dixie Mafia, the redneck Pritchard's and can't forget his pending wedding. His former right-hand women Lillie Virgil just 99 miles up the road in Memphis, wears a U.S. Marshall badge now and 'The Sinners'
picks up action wise were 'The Fallen' ended.
'The Sinners is one heck of an awesome read, definitely in the running for my favorite read in 2018. Atkin grabs you from the first page reminiscing about Sheriff Hamp Beckett, who happened to be Quinn's uncle and why he wanted to be Sheriff.
So strap yourself down in your favorite spot, then go on a wild ride in a badass brand new Ford pick-up, as your favorite Sheriff turns the county upside down trying find out who killed the Preacher's son, the never ending battle to shutdown the Dixie Mafia, full of twists and turns, vivid characters and let your imagination flow, as Atkins takes you on a realistic, heart pounding read.
With 'the Sinner's', Atkins offers up, yet another multi-layered intertwining storyline, ripped right out of the headlines, he keeps raising the bar with each offering, with new elements added to the mix
and leaves you eagerly waiting for the next Quinn Colson adventure.
How can you not like the Quinn Colson character? He's blue collar, digs old Country and Western music, not the candy ass shit they play these days, he's tough as nails, an ex-Ranger who makes Reacher look like a wimp, protecting troubled Tibbehah County as it's Sheriff, family oriented, thinks of nothing to help friends and Atkins just makes him larger than life with his words.
Atkins is the ultimate master of character development. He breathes life into them good or bad, they play a vitale role in the storylines and aren't just needless distractions to the overall story.
The cool thing with Atkins, even bad guy characters will be written in a way that they play a vital role to the story, with the Sinners, you have Heath, Toby and Cody Pritchard and being a fan of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, enjoyed the racing parts in the story.
Then you have Quinn's mom Jean, his sister Caddy who seems to have her life in order, his nephew little Jason, his dog Hondo, his fiancee Maggie, her son Brandon, Boom and they make the story all that much more better.
Also like that Lillie Virgil's still around, just up the road in Memphis wearing a U.S. Marshal badge now, still larger than life and as badass as ever.
Atkins should be in every reader's book case, he's that good of an author and just feel he deserves more recognition than he gets.
Author Bob Mayer refers to the big known publishing house authors as Airport Authors. Well Ace Atkins would be my favorite airport author, he can out write James Patterson and has a legend smilin' down on him.
Quinn Colson's back, the tougher than nails Sheriff of Tibbehah County, he's ready to battle the Dixie Mafia, the redneck Pritchard's and can't forget his pending wedding. His former right-hand women Lillie Virgil just 99 miles up the road in Memphis, wears a U.S. Marshall badge now and 'The Sinners'
picks up action wise were 'The Fallen' ended.
'The Sinners is one heck of an awesome read, definitely in the running for my favorite read in 2018. Atkin grabs you from the first page reminiscing about Sheriff Hamp Beckett, who happened to be Quinn's uncle and why he wanted to be Sheriff.
So strap yourself down in your favorite spot, then go on a wild ride in a badass brand new Ford pick-up, as your favorite Sheriff turns the county upside down trying find out who killed the Preacher's son, the never ending battle to shutdown the Dixie Mafia, full of twists and turns, vivid characters and let your imagination flow, as Atkins takes you on a realistic, heart pounding read.
With 'the Sinner's', Atkins offers up, yet another multi-layered intertwining storyline, ripped right out of the headlines, he keeps raising the bar with each offering, with new elements added to the mix
and leaves you eagerly waiting for the next Quinn Colson adventure.
How can you not like the Quinn Colson character? He's blue collar, digs old Country and Western music, not the candy ass shit they play these days, he's tough as nails, an ex-Ranger who makes Reacher look like a wimp, protecting troubled Tibbehah County as it's Sheriff, family oriented, thinks of nothing to help friends and Atkins just makes him larger than life with his words.
Atkins is the ultimate master of character development. He breathes life into them good or bad, they play a vitale role in the storylines and aren't just needless distractions to the overall story.
The cool thing with Atkins, even bad guy characters will be written in a way that they play a vital role to the story, with the Sinners, you have Heath, Toby and Cody Pritchard and being a fan of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, enjoyed the racing parts in the story.
Then you have Quinn's mom Jean, his sister Caddy who seems to have her life in order, his nephew little Jason, his dog Hondo, his fiancee Maggie, her son Brandon, Boom and they make the story all that much more better.
Also like that Lillie Virgil's still around, just up the road in Memphis wearing a U.S. Marshal badge now, still larger than life and as badass as ever.
Atkins should be in every reader's book case, he's that good of an author and just feel he deserves more recognition than he gets.
Author Bob Mayer refers to the big known publishing house authors as Airport Authors. Well Ace Atkins would be my favorite airport author, he can out write James Patterson and has a legend smilin' down on him.
July 17, 2018
Pritchards of Jericho
Just the bad ol' boys
Never meanin' no good
Been in trouble with the law
Since the day they was born
Part Dukes of Hazard
Part Breaking Bad
Part Smokey and the Bandit
An ok episodic read. Better if you start from book 1 The Ranger.
So the Pritchard boys Tyler and Cody like to spend their days racing cars, smoking weed, and causing mayhem. Their Uncle Jessie i mean Heath spent the last 25 years in jail and now is home to run the family business, growing the best marijuana in the county. So the that's the Dukes of Hazard part.
The Pritchards grow the best weed in the county cutting in to the profits of Fannie Hathcock and the local mafia aka syndicate. Not to happy the mafia tries to shut the Pritchards down. So that's Breaking Bad.
Boom, Quinn's best man, hauls all kinds of goods for the mafia in his 18 wheeler. The syndicate use a shell corporation to smuggle drugs, guns, and even women. Boom finds out and wants nothing to do with it. He tells Sheriff Quinn and they try to shut it down. So that's Smokey and the Bandit.
An ok summer read. Cody and Tyler Pritchard remind me of Beavis and Butthead high on some good weed. They made me laugh. Not bad but nothing memorable. Won on goodreads giveaway.
"Damn you always smell so good. You mind telling me what you have all over you?"
"Pussy and cash" Fannie said "Few men can resist"
Just the bad ol' boys
Never meanin' no good
Been in trouble with the law
Since the day they was born
Part Dukes of Hazard
Part Breaking Bad
Part Smokey and the Bandit
An ok episodic read. Better if you start from book 1 The Ranger.
So the Pritchard boys Tyler and Cody like to spend their days racing cars, smoking weed, and causing mayhem. Their Uncle Jessie i mean Heath spent the last 25 years in jail and now is home to run the family business, growing the best marijuana in the county. So the that's the Dukes of Hazard part.
The Pritchards grow the best weed in the county cutting in to the profits of Fannie Hathcock and the local mafia aka syndicate. Not to happy the mafia tries to shut the Pritchards down. So that's Breaking Bad.
Boom, Quinn's best man, hauls all kinds of goods for the mafia in his 18 wheeler. The syndicate use a shell corporation to smuggle drugs, guns, and even women. Boom finds out and wants nothing to do with it. He tells Sheriff Quinn and they try to shut it down. So that's Smokey and the Bandit.
An ok summer read. Cody and Tyler Pritchard remind me of Beavis and Butthead high on some good weed. They made me laugh. Not bad but nothing memorable. Won on goodreads giveaway.
"Damn you always smell so good. You mind telling me what you have all over you?"
"Pussy and cash" Fannie said "Few men can resist"
August 18, 2018
Ace Atkins often relies on local color and does so heavily in telling The Sinners, the eighth story of former U.S. Army Ranger Quinn Colson. Colson is supposed to be getting ready for his wedding, but a gruesome discovery in a nearby waterway threatens to derail his plans, if not flat-out get him killed. Evidence points him at the Pritchards, two back-country race car drivers whose main business is selling pot and whose uncle just came home after a long and not very rehabilitative stretch in prison. His friend and best man Boom Kimbrough has uncovered some shenanigans with the trucking company for which he drives. And lurking in the background are brothel owner Fannie Hathcock and her shady connections to a "Dixie Mafia" of organized crime.
Atkins' roots in the South have helped some earlier books establish themselves with their authentic dialogue and atmosphere. But over the past two or three Colson books, he's let his local color setting run amok, dumping load after load of redneck lingo, vulgarity and unsophistication onto every page. The "local color" smothers, suffocates and drowns the tissue-thin Dukes of Hazzard rip-off plot until it falls apart like a cheap paper plate holding too much cobbler. Almost every character is a fount of backwoods -- and backwards -- simile, metaphor and vulgarisms that exhaust the reader and his or her patience long before we get anywhere close to a resolution of this padded and stretched-out narrative.
The Colson series didn't start like this, and Atkins seems to be able to avoid the pitfall in his continuation of Robert B. Parker's Spenser series. So I suppose the real mystery is why these last few books have gone so far overboard. Maybe Atkins feels like he needs to prove his grits-n-gravy bona fides after writing books set in Boston. Maybe he read some fan mail that approved of the style and took it too much to heart -- or maybe some that hated it and he decided to be ornery.
It's hard to say, and I don't really know. I'm starting to suspect that despite his rural Southern roots, Atkins has grown to dislike the region and its people, and is using this overlarded affectation of regional style to highlight that. Or perhaps he feels that they've gotten a little too much of a sympathetic hearing in recent years and figures folks should know what they're really like. A few characters seem to escape the flood and remain sympathetically realistic and free from Atkins' heavy hand of cornpone cussery. But they appear far too little and the relief is far too infrequent to save The Sinners.
Original available here.
Atkins' roots in the South have helped some earlier books establish themselves with their authentic dialogue and atmosphere. But over the past two or three Colson books, he's let his local color setting run amok, dumping load after load of redneck lingo, vulgarity and unsophistication onto every page. The "local color" smothers, suffocates and drowns the tissue-thin Dukes of Hazzard rip-off plot until it falls apart like a cheap paper plate holding too much cobbler. Almost every character is a fount of backwoods -- and backwards -- simile, metaphor and vulgarisms that exhaust the reader and his or her patience long before we get anywhere close to a resolution of this padded and stretched-out narrative.
The Colson series didn't start like this, and Atkins seems to be able to avoid the pitfall in his continuation of Robert B. Parker's Spenser series. So I suppose the real mystery is why these last few books have gone so far overboard. Maybe Atkins feels like he needs to prove his grits-n-gravy bona fides after writing books set in Boston. Maybe he read some fan mail that approved of the style and took it too much to heart -- or maybe some that hated it and he decided to be ornery.
It's hard to say, and I don't really know. I'm starting to suspect that despite his rural Southern roots, Atkins has grown to dislike the region and its people, and is using this overlarded affectation of regional style to highlight that. Or perhaps he feels that they've gotten a little too much of a sympathetic hearing in recent years and figures folks should know what they're really like. A few characters seem to escape the flood and remain sympathetically realistic and free from Atkins' heavy hand of cornpone cussery. But they appear far too little and the relief is far too infrequent to save The Sinners.
Original available here.
June 20, 2019
Reading a Quinn Colson novel is like putting on an old pair of comfortable shoes. A lot of old friends are back, a few new people, and in this one, a bit more excitement perhaps.
As usual, we have a lot of dumb rednecks, including one just out of prison that is the worst, even to his family. He even picked fights with the biker gang and the drug connections. But most of the bad guys weren't 100% bad, and some may have turned out OK in a different town with a different family. But they were all pretty interesting if not totally sane.
The only reason I didn't read this sooner is because it's the last one so far in the series, and I didn't want wait too long for the next one, which I'm looking forward to. Maybe I should start over.
As usual, we have a lot of dumb rednecks, including one just out of prison that is the worst, even to his family. He even picked fights with the biker gang and the drug connections. But most of the bad guys weren't 100% bad, and some may have turned out OK in a different town with a different family. But they were all pretty interesting if not totally sane.
The only reason I didn't read this sooner is because it's the last one so far in the series, and I didn't want wait too long for the next one, which I'm looking forward to. Maybe I should start over.
August 6, 2018
#8 in the Quinn Colson series. This 2018 entry from author Atkins is not an endorsement of rural Mississippi life, with its emphasis on sex for sale, race cars, and drug dealing. It seemed that this entry leaned heavier on a redneck mentality than the prior entries in this series. It was probably the influence of the Pritchards. A amusing bit was the reference to stable genius and the plaint of a marijuana grower about the elf from Alabama going to Washington and stopping attempts to make his occupation legal. Action abounds in this fast reading thriller.
Mississippi's Tibbehah County Sheriff Quinn Colson, a former Army Ranger, is preparing for his wedding, but first he must handle a murder inquiry resulting from a power struggle between rival drug trafficking operations. The Pritchards had never been worth a damn - an evil family who made their living dealing drugs and committing mayhem. Years ago, Colson's late uncle had put the clan's patriarch in prison, but now he's out, with revenge and family business on his mind. Meanwhile, a shady trucking firm with ties to the Gulf Coast syndicate has moved into nearby Tupelo, and they have their own methods of intimidation. Colson looks for help from his best friend, Boom Kimbrough, and former deputy, now U.S. Marshal, Lillie Virgil.
Mississippi's Tibbehah County Sheriff Quinn Colson, a former Army Ranger, is preparing for his wedding, but first he must handle a murder inquiry resulting from a power struggle between rival drug trafficking operations. The Pritchards had never been worth a damn - an evil family who made their living dealing drugs and committing mayhem. Years ago, Colson's late uncle had put the clan's patriarch in prison, but now he's out, with revenge and family business on his mind. Meanwhile, a shady trucking firm with ties to the Gulf Coast syndicate has moved into nearby Tupelo, and they have their own methods of intimidation. Colson looks for help from his best friend, Boom Kimbrough, and former deputy, now U.S. Marshal, Lillie Virgil.
July 25, 2020
Another very good Quinn Colson novel. Well written so much so that I really care about what other characters are up to besides Colson. I like the bad guys in these books. I do hope that they do not drag the Dixie Mafia story on for too long as that sometimes occurs but I think that Ace is a good enough writer not to fall into any potential potholes.
July 9, 2025
Abandoned at 40%. This Southern crime novel was just too dark and slimy for me. I felt dirty just reading about these redneck crime organizations. It just wasn’t for me.
August 9, 2018
Johnny Stagg was bad. His successor, Faye, is evil in four-inch heels. Quinn Colson is a good sheriff, but he was better before his assistant sheriff, Lily, left to work for the feds, and before he got caught up in his wedding. Tibbehah County is still a hotbed for crime and stupidity, and the consistent nature of it all has me worn down as a reader.
September 11, 2018
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
On the one hand, it's easy to argue that with Quinn -- even just one of the seven preceding novels would tell you that. But, it's easy to see where he'd get to thinking that way -- Tibbehah County is a very much poster child for The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same Club. The Sinners is full of nice little moments like this -- quiet, reflective moments with Quinn and Boom, Quinn and Lilly, Quinn and Maggie. While it'd be easy (and understandable) to focus on the storylines featuring the Pritchards or Boom Kimbrough -- the heart of this novel is in these moments. You want to know what Quinn Colson, or this series is about? Focus on these conversations, the quiet in the midst of the storms.
But that doesn't mean we should ignore the storms.
The first story (not in the book, but here) focuses on Boom Kimbrough, Quinn's oldest friend. Unwelcome at his old job keeping the Sheriff Department's vehicles running (among other things), thanks to the county supervisor we met in last year's The Fallen, Boom's moved on to doing some interstate trucking. Convinced (wrongly?) that a black man with one arm isn't going to be hired by anyone else, he's stuck with one particular company. And once he becomes suspicious about the cargo he's sometimes carrying, he's ready to quit -- but despondent and frustrated about what he'll do as an alternative. His boss doesn't want him to leave -- and uses a couple of tough looking employees to convey that to Boom (Boom's not the only one they'll threaten -- Fannie Hathcock is also a target). Clearly, they don't know enough about Boom, and before you know it, Quinn is informed about it all. Which brings in FBI agent, Nat Wilkins (more about her in a second). Things get hairy from there. This is the secondary story -- and gets that kind of space -- but it's really the more interesting of the two major plots, mostly because it's what forces Fannie and the Dixie Mafia toughs to get involved in the other story.
The major plotline involves the anti-Bo and Luke Duke. Tyler and Cody Pritchard are a couple of good ol' boys concerned with racing their stock car, women, and growing/selling the best weed in The South. Things are going fine for them, by and large: they race, they grow and sell, which funds the racing, enabling them to attract women. Sure, they've double-crossed Fannie a bit, but that's really nothing major. Until their Uncle Heath gets out of prison after doing 25 for his part in laying the groundwork of their marijuana growing. Heath, too, is an anti-Duke. He got caught, for one, and he's not in the habit of keeping his nephews out of trouble, in fact, he makes things worse for them and spurs them into bigger and worse crimes than they'd been accustomed to.
Now, long time readers will have done the math here -- Heath did 25 years, Quinn's been around for almost 10, having taken over for . . . that's right, his Uncle, Hamp Beckett. Hamp and Heath apparently were quite the cat and mouse for a while (Hamp perhaps being spurred on by his "Boss Hogg," Johnny Stagg -- I swear I'm done with the Dukes now) until he finally got the goods on Heath and sent him away. That story kicks off this book and is a great way to open. To say that Heath has got a chip on his shoulder toward Hamp and his nephew would be understating things a wee bit.
So we've got Heath dragging his nephews into bigger and badder felonies, making them targets for the Dixie Mafia, who are having troubles with things at Fannie's, and one of their transportation venues is being scrutinized thanks to Boom. Oh, yeah, and Quinn and Maggie are a couple of weeks away from tying the knot and Quinn's mother is becoming a pest about the ceremony and reception. It's set to be a good time in Tibbehah.
This is told with Atkins' typical skill, eye for detail, good timing and atmosphere. It's hard to find something new to comment on. One thing I really appreciated was how clever he had Quinn act when it came to putting the pieces together. We're all accustomed (especially in film or television) for the police to be close to figuring things out, but needing a vital piece of information from an unconscious, unavailable, or non-communicative witness until the last second. By the time the unconscious witness woke up and started providing the clues and identities needed to put anyone away for their crimes, Quinn had already sussed it out and was in the middle of making the necessary moves. One more Hazzard reference, I lied, get over it -- Quinn is very much the anti-Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.
I spent so much time feeling bad for Tyler and Cody -- they aren't characters I'd typically like. There's little to commend them -- they're not that bright, not that talented, not that nice, I can't imagine why any woman would want to spend time with them (not that we have proof that any do), and seem destined to lead quiet little lives of no consequence. But once their uncle forces them into things, I just wanted them to find a way back to their petty little pot farm.
I spent more than a little time worried for Fannie, too. She's as despicable as they come, too, but as characters go, I like having her around. The way she's treated by her superiors shows how tentative her situation is -- and Quinn could be facing someone worse than her or Stagg pretty soon.
Speaking of worries -- I spent most of the novel very concerned about the heath, well-being and longevity of a character that's been around since The Ranger. I don't think for a second that Atkins feels the need to keep any one of these characters alive. Frankly, it's be easy to make the Quinn Colson novels the Tibbehah County Chronicles or the Lilly Virgil novels -- no one is safe, including Quinn. Making it very easy for me to spend a lot of time worried about someone I like. Obviously, I won't tell you how right I was on that front -- but I wasn't wrong.
Naturally, Atkins gets the characters right. You know from the beginning how worthless Heath Pritchard is, how nasty the Dixie Mafia toughs are, how lame the Pritchard boys would be without prodding (lame, but amusing). We meet new federal officer here -- Agent Nat Wilkins. I'm glad that Quinn isn't wholly dependent on the DEA Agent (whose name escapes me for the moment) for outside support anymore. But more than that, I'm glad that Wilkins is who we get to see in this role. She's brash, she's smart, she's fun -- she really isn't like any Law Enforcement type we've met in this series to date. I'm sure we'll see her again, hopefully soon. I'm not saying I need to see her next year, but if I don't see her again by 2020, Atkins can expect me to lead an online riot.
It was good to spend time back in this troubled county, checking in with our old friends and some new ones (I'm really liking Maggie, and hope she sticks around). As much as I enjoyed Atkins', Old Black Magic, I think this is his better work this year. As satisfied as I was with the story, I'm already impatiently waiting for the next installment -- between how much I liked The Sinners and the way that Fannie's last line promised to make the next book a doozy, it can't come soon enough.
---
They sat there in silence for a bit, enjoying the warm breeze, the empty, quite sounds of the hot wind through the trees. He and Boom could be together for a long while without saying a damn word, same as it had been hunting and fishing when they were kids. They didn’t feel the need to fill that silence with: bunch of empty-headed talk.
“This place is a lot different from when you got back," Boom said.
“People in town said for me to burn the house down," Quinn said.
“Took us two days just to clear out your uncle's trash,“ Boom said. “Nothing good in here but some old records and guns.”
“And a suede coat and a bottle of Fine bourbon from Johnny Stagg."
Boom nodded, silent again for a while. Quinn drank his beer watching Hondo, now just a flitting dark speck among the cows as he worked them a little, letting them know who was in charge. Nearly ten years Quinn’d been back and he wasn’t sure he’d made a damn bit of difference.
On the one hand, it's easy to argue that with Quinn -- even just one of the seven preceding novels would tell you that. But, it's easy to see where he'd get to thinking that way -- Tibbehah County is a very much poster child for The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same Club. The Sinners is full of nice little moments like this -- quiet, reflective moments with Quinn and Boom, Quinn and Lilly, Quinn and Maggie. While it'd be easy (and understandable) to focus on the storylines featuring the Pritchards or Boom Kimbrough -- the heart of this novel is in these moments. You want to know what Quinn Colson, or this series is about? Focus on these conversations, the quiet in the midst of the storms.
But that doesn't mean we should ignore the storms.
The first story (not in the book, but here) focuses on Boom Kimbrough, Quinn's oldest friend. Unwelcome at his old job keeping the Sheriff Department's vehicles running (among other things), thanks to the county supervisor we met in last year's The Fallen, Boom's moved on to doing some interstate trucking. Convinced (wrongly?) that a black man with one arm isn't going to be hired by anyone else, he's stuck with one particular company. And once he becomes suspicious about the cargo he's sometimes carrying, he's ready to quit -- but despondent and frustrated about what he'll do as an alternative. His boss doesn't want him to leave -- and uses a couple of tough looking employees to convey that to Boom (Boom's not the only one they'll threaten -- Fannie Hathcock is also a target). Clearly, they don't know enough about Boom, and before you know it, Quinn is informed about it all. Which brings in FBI agent, Nat Wilkins (more about her in a second). Things get hairy from there. This is the secondary story -- and gets that kind of space -- but it's really the more interesting of the two major plots, mostly because it's what forces Fannie and the Dixie Mafia toughs to get involved in the other story.
The major plotline involves the anti-Bo and Luke Duke. Tyler and Cody Pritchard are a couple of good ol' boys concerned with racing their stock car, women, and growing/selling the best weed in The South. Things are going fine for them, by and large: they race, they grow and sell, which funds the racing, enabling them to attract women. Sure, they've double-crossed Fannie a bit, but that's really nothing major. Until their Uncle Heath gets out of prison after doing 25 for his part in laying the groundwork of their marijuana growing. Heath, too, is an anti-Duke. He got caught, for one, and he's not in the habit of keeping his nephews out of trouble, in fact, he makes things worse for them and spurs them into bigger and worse crimes than they'd been accustomed to.
Now, long time readers will have done the math here -- Heath did 25 years, Quinn's been around for almost 10, having taken over for . . . that's right, his Uncle, Hamp Beckett. Hamp and Heath apparently were quite the cat and mouse for a while (Hamp perhaps being spurred on by his "Boss Hogg," Johnny Stagg -- I swear I'm done with the Dukes now) until he finally got the goods on Heath and sent him away. That story kicks off this book and is a great way to open. To say that Heath has got a chip on his shoulder toward Hamp and his nephew would be understating things a wee bit.
So we've got Heath dragging his nephews into bigger and badder felonies, making them targets for the Dixie Mafia, who are having troubles with things at Fannie's, and one of their transportation venues is being scrutinized thanks to Boom. Oh, yeah, and Quinn and Maggie are a couple of weeks away from tying the knot and Quinn's mother is becoming a pest about the ceremony and reception. It's set to be a good time in Tibbehah.
This is told with Atkins' typical skill, eye for detail, good timing and atmosphere. It's hard to find something new to comment on. One thing I really appreciated was how clever he had Quinn act when it came to putting the pieces together. We're all accustomed (especially in film or television) for the police to be close to figuring things out, but needing a vital piece of information from an unconscious, unavailable, or non-communicative witness until the last second. By the time the unconscious witness woke up and started providing the clues and identities needed to put anyone away for their crimes, Quinn had already sussed it out and was in the middle of making the necessary moves. One more Hazzard reference, I lied, get over it -- Quinn is very much the anti-Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.
I spent so much time feeling bad for Tyler and Cody -- they aren't characters I'd typically like. There's little to commend them -- they're not that bright, not that talented, not that nice, I can't imagine why any woman would want to spend time with them (not that we have proof that any do), and seem destined to lead quiet little lives of no consequence. But once their uncle forces them into things, I just wanted them to find a way back to their petty little pot farm.
I spent more than a little time worried for Fannie, too. She's as despicable as they come, too, but as characters go, I like having her around. The way she's treated by her superiors shows how tentative her situation is -- and Quinn could be facing someone worse than her or Stagg pretty soon.
Speaking of worries -- I spent most of the novel very concerned about the heath, well-being and longevity of a character that's been around since The Ranger. I don't think for a second that Atkins feels the need to keep any one of these characters alive. Frankly, it's be easy to make the Quinn Colson novels the Tibbehah County Chronicles or the Lilly Virgil novels -- no one is safe, including Quinn. Making it very easy for me to spend a lot of time worried about someone I like. Obviously, I won't tell you how right I was on that front -- but I wasn't wrong.
Naturally, Atkins gets the characters right. You know from the beginning how worthless Heath Pritchard is, how nasty the Dixie Mafia toughs are, how lame the Pritchard boys would be without prodding (lame, but amusing). We meet new federal officer here -- Agent Nat Wilkins. I'm glad that Quinn isn't wholly dependent on the DEA Agent (whose name escapes me for the moment) for outside support anymore. But more than that, I'm glad that Wilkins is who we get to see in this role. She's brash, she's smart, she's fun -- she really isn't like any Law Enforcement type we've met in this series to date. I'm sure we'll see her again, hopefully soon. I'm not saying I need to see her next year, but if I don't see her again by 2020, Atkins can expect me to lead an online riot.
It was good to spend time back in this troubled county, checking in with our old friends and some new ones (I'm really liking Maggie, and hope she sticks around). As much as I enjoyed Atkins', Old Black Magic, I think this is his better work this year. As satisfied as I was with the story, I'm already impatiently waiting for the next installment -- between how much I liked The Sinners and the way that Fannie's last line promised to make the next book a doozy, it can't come soon enough.
July 22, 2018
THE SINNERS by Ace Atkins is the eighth book in his Quinn Colson series but the first I have read. Set in the north end of Mississippi, this has all the hallmarks of a southern gothic with today’s headlines tossed in for a sweetner. Quinn is the sheriff of Tibbehah Country where a lot of good people live. Too bad there are rats in the walls. The Pritchard boys and their newly released from prison uncle, race cars, grow fine pot and stir the mix for all the local bad men and women.
Fannie Hatcheck, she runs the local strip club along with various drugs for the Dixie Mafia, is feeling horned in on by the Pritchards and the people she nominally works for further up the chain. And there is a trucking company that is transporting a lot more than just frozen foods getting mixed in the stew.
Colton has all that to worry about plus the murder of a young black man who had been working for Fannie, and some outlaw bikers involved in a shooting at the local Walmart.
Oh, and Quinn is about to get married.
Being the eighth in a series, and as this is small town Mississippi we’re talking about, there is a lot of history tied into the story. While Atkins does his best to keep the lessons of the past at a minimum, I did find the lessons a bit more than intrusive so the entire story did drag at times. But, having read other books by Mr. Atkins, specifically his work for the Robert B. Parker estate, I know his work is outstanding.
So, if you are planning to read THE SINNERS, and have read the first seven, jump in and enjoy. Otherwise, head back to THE RANGER, the first in the series and mellow out with a long, compelling, well written series that will take you into the back woods and rivers of this intriguing area of America.
I won this book through GoodReads.
Fannie Hatcheck, she runs the local strip club along with various drugs for the Dixie Mafia, is feeling horned in on by the Pritchards and the people she nominally works for further up the chain. And there is a trucking company that is transporting a lot more than just frozen foods getting mixed in the stew.
Colton has all that to worry about plus the murder of a young black man who had been working for Fannie, and some outlaw bikers involved in a shooting at the local Walmart.
Oh, and Quinn is about to get married.
Being the eighth in a series, and as this is small town Mississippi we’re talking about, there is a lot of history tied into the story. While Atkins does his best to keep the lessons of the past at a minimum, I did find the lessons a bit more than intrusive so the entire story did drag at times. But, having read other books by Mr. Atkins, specifically his work for the Robert B. Parker estate, I know his work is outstanding.
So, if you are planning to read THE SINNERS, and have read the first seven, jump in and enjoy. Otherwise, head back to THE RANGER, the first in the series and mellow out with a long, compelling, well written series that will take you into the back woods and rivers of this intriguing area of America.
I won this book through GoodReads.
August 11, 2018
4.5stars. Former Army Ranger Quinn Colson is sheriff of Tibbehah, Mississippi and he is deep into preparations for his wedding. Someone finds a cut up body in a truck toolbox and the unlucky fellow was the right hand man of Fannie Hathcock, the woman who runs the local strip club. One primary suspect is Heath Pritchard who just got out of prison after serving 23 years. Quinn's uncle put him there when he was sheriff. Heath is full of testosterone and just slap crazy. Heath's nephews, Tyler and Cody, are pot raising stock car racers and Heath wants in on their action.
Meanwhile, Quinn's best friend Boom started working for a trucking company that has him carrying illegal cargo across state lines and that doesn't sit well with Boom. Lillie Virgil is a U.S. Marshall out of Memphis now but she comes when Quinn needs her. The story lines begin to merge.
Much of the tale belongs to the villains. The language is rough and what you would expect from the rednecks involved. Atkins keeps the action flowing. He also sets up the story that will take place in the next book and I intend to have a front row seat!
Meanwhile, Quinn's best friend Boom started working for a trucking company that has him carrying illegal cargo across state lines and that doesn't sit well with Boom. Lillie Virgil is a U.S. Marshall out of Memphis now but she comes when Quinn needs her. The story lines begin to merge.
Much of the tale belongs to the villains. The language is rough and what you would expect from the rednecks involved. Atkins keeps the action flowing. He also sets up the story that will take place in the next book and I intend to have a front row seat!
April 21, 2020
Once again we had a lot of stupid good ole boys running around doing stupid things leaving Quinn to clean things up. I love Boom and I hated how he was drug into things and what happened to him. I'm glad that more locals were done in, but worry about the larger picture, because those that are really running all the bad stuff seem like they are getting ready to ramp things up again.
November 29, 2018
Redneck, dirty ol’ deep-fried southern crooks. Dumb-ass local politicians, a sharp madam with no morals whatsoever, and the last honest sheriff in North Mississippi. What’s not to like? Bring on the next one!
March 3, 2020
I just don't know how some of these people think up the stuff they do.
August 16, 2018
The new Quinn Colson thriller 'The Sinners' finds the series lead back in the driver's seat as the lead character (I thought he played more of a supporting role in the previous book).
The Sheriff of Tibbehah County has a lot on his plate. Besides the day to day business of being the law in his county, there's his pending wedding to Maggie Powers. And that's taking up more time than he would ever have thought he'd have to expend. Beset on all sides by his future bride, his Elvis loving mother and his sister, chasing down the bad guys of the county is a far more preferable option to Quinn.
But there's no easy target there either because he's dealing with Fannie Hathcock who has taken over for Johnny Stagg as the county's resident lead criminal. She runs her fiefdom from the local strip joint and you can bet if there's wrong being done, she's involved somewhere along the line.
Things take an ugly turn when one of her employees turns up dead (and dismembered). Worse yet is that the young man, Ordeen Davis, was a friend of Boom Kimbrough. Quinn's best friend was out on a trucking run and saw Ordeen at one of his stops so Ordeen's death hits him hard. If that wasn't enough, Boom has seemingly been dragged into hauling some illegal merchandise.
Quinn is also dealing with the unexpected return of Heath Pritchard, a true piece of human filth who has spent 23 years locked up after being caught by Quinn's uncle Hamp when he was sheriff. Now Heath is back and looking to regain control of his white trash criminal "empire" that has been run by his nephews. They've turned it into a highly profitable business alongside their car racing exploits and aren't happy with their uncle's return and his assumption that he can step in and take over.
All these disparate story threads come together in the end for a series of explosive confrontations that leaves a path of death and misery in their wake.
I've been a big fan of the Quinn Colson series since reading the first book. I've been a little down on a couple books where it seemed Quinn was sidelined by other characters, but not in this case. 'The Sinners' was a fantastic read that kept the twists and turns coming and didn't skimp on the action. And as things stand when the story is done, it seems even more forces will be arrayed against Quinn in future installments as Mississippi's various criminal elements look to expand upon their beachhead of crime in Tibbehah County.
The Sheriff of Tibbehah County has a lot on his plate. Besides the day to day business of being the law in his county, there's his pending wedding to Maggie Powers. And that's taking up more time than he would ever have thought he'd have to expend. Beset on all sides by his future bride, his Elvis loving mother and his sister, chasing down the bad guys of the county is a far more preferable option to Quinn.
But there's no easy target there either because he's dealing with Fannie Hathcock who has taken over for Johnny Stagg as the county's resident lead criminal. She runs her fiefdom from the local strip joint and you can bet if there's wrong being done, she's involved somewhere along the line.
Things take an ugly turn when one of her employees turns up dead (and dismembered). Worse yet is that the young man, Ordeen Davis, was a friend of Boom Kimbrough. Quinn's best friend was out on a trucking run and saw Ordeen at one of his stops so Ordeen's death hits him hard. If that wasn't enough, Boom has seemingly been dragged into hauling some illegal merchandise.
Quinn is also dealing with the unexpected return of Heath Pritchard, a true piece of human filth who has spent 23 years locked up after being caught by Quinn's uncle Hamp when he was sheriff. Now Heath is back and looking to regain control of his white trash criminal "empire" that has been run by his nephews. They've turned it into a highly profitable business alongside their car racing exploits and aren't happy with their uncle's return and his assumption that he can step in and take over.
All these disparate story threads come together in the end for a series of explosive confrontations that leaves a path of death and misery in their wake.
I've been a big fan of the Quinn Colson series since reading the first book. I've been a little down on a couple books where it seemed Quinn was sidelined by other characters, but not in this case. 'The Sinners' was a fantastic read that kept the twists and turns coming and didn't skimp on the action. And as things stand when the story is done, it seems even more forces will be arrayed against Quinn in future installments as Mississippi's various criminal elements look to expand upon their beachhead of crime in Tibbehah County.
August 13, 2018
The Pritchard clan’s Uncle Heath, fresh out of a lengthy stint at Parchman, is back at the family farm with a plan for revenge. His nephews, Tyler and Cody, have moved the marijuana field underground and business is thriving [and keeping them on the racetrack circuit]. Much to the boys’ consternation, Heath moves in, begins issuing orders, and makes himself right at home.
Fannie Hathcock has taken over the “gentleman’s club” for the now-incarcerated Johnny Stagg. Since she is also doing business with the Dixie Mafia, she’s concerned about the Pritchard boys cutting into the business with their superior weed.
At the same time, long-haul truck driver Boom Kimbrough discovers the company he’s driving for is part of an illegal supply chain running across the south.
That means Quinn Colson, Tibbehah County sheriff like his uncle before him, has a lot to deal with, especially since Lillie’s left the department to join the U.S. Marshall Service. He’s busy investigating the disappearance of Ordeen Davis, the preacher’s wayward son. And, on top of all that, Quinn’s about to walk down the aisle with his lady-love, Maggie Powers.
The gang’s all here, as expected, in this, the eighth Quinn Colson outing. Everyone’s under some sort of pressure; Mississippi hasn’t changed that much, the rednecks are here in all their glory, and the crooked politicians remain a problem for the sheriff.
Filled with action, a passel of good people to counteract the criminal element, and enough twists and turns to keep reader interest high, suspense builds as the pages turn. The southern dialect, though rough, is spot-on as always, but after a while, the offensive expletive becomes particularly odious.
Recommended.
Fannie Hathcock has taken over the “gentleman’s club” for the now-incarcerated Johnny Stagg. Since she is also doing business with the Dixie Mafia, she’s concerned about the Pritchard boys cutting into the business with their superior weed.
At the same time, long-haul truck driver Boom Kimbrough discovers the company he’s driving for is part of an illegal supply chain running across the south.
That means Quinn Colson, Tibbehah County sheriff like his uncle before him, has a lot to deal with, especially since Lillie’s left the department to join the U.S. Marshall Service. He’s busy investigating the disappearance of Ordeen Davis, the preacher’s wayward son. And, on top of all that, Quinn’s about to walk down the aisle with his lady-love, Maggie Powers.
The gang’s all here, as expected, in this, the eighth Quinn Colson outing. Everyone’s under some sort of pressure; Mississippi hasn’t changed that much, the rednecks are here in all their glory, and the crooked politicians remain a problem for the sheriff.
Filled with action, a passel of good people to counteract the criminal element, and enough twists and turns to keep reader interest high, suspense builds as the pages turn. The southern dialect, though rough, is spot-on as always, but after a while, the offensive expletive becomes particularly odious.
Recommended.
December 31, 2018
I just loved this book -- I think I read at least one other Quinn Colson book, but this one was great. A thrilling mystery, lots of really bad bad guys, and some unforgettable characters -- Boom, Quinn's fiancé, Quinn's mother, Fannie, and of course the Pritchards. The story got more and more involved with crime after crime coming to light. Loved it.
April 16, 2021
Eighth book in the series and one of my favorites. Reminds me of book 1 and why I got interested in the series. It's a little meaner and a lot funnier than previous books and all the great supporting characters get their turn.
June 13, 2018
I've been reading Ace Atkins since the Nick Travers novels. It has been a great pleasure watching him grow as a writer, now to the point where he is arguably the best crime novelist on the planet. That is not hyperbole. You can count on Ace Atkins to deliver a novel with hard characters making hard choices. You can count on those characters delivering lines of sterling dialogue. You can count on those characters being so developed you the reader will feel as though you can reach in the pages and touch their skin. You can count on a sense of place developed enough that you will feel as though you are a denizen. With THE SINNERS, Atkins' eighth Quinn Colson novel, we find the writer in a well-established groove. Colson, a former Ranger, now Sheriff in Tibbehah, Mississippi, faces off with the Pritchards, a ne'er-do-well family of drug-dealing lowlifes. There's the two brothers, Tyler and Cody, and, worst of all, their Uncle Heath, just released from prison and with a score to settle with Quinn Colson for some past bad history. Of course, this trio is headed for a collision with Colson that no one will leave unscathed. What makes Atkins' novels so extraordinary is the different balls he manages to juggle along with the main storyline. In THE SINNERS we have Colson's upcoming nuptials and a number of other interesting diversions. I won't spoil all the subplots, but suffice to say every one of them is as interesting as the other. Atkins never disappoints. Slot this one in already as a best-of for 2018.
January 8, 2022
Book Review - While I must recommend first checking out the first book in Author’s Ace Atkins' Quinn Colson series; the eighth book, “The Sinners” is a beautifully written and gripping “Southern” crime thriller that is sure to please. Quinn Colson, an Afghanistan war veteran (Army Ranger) and now sheriff of the incredibly corrupt Tibbehah County in Jericho, Mississippi is the series hero. He is not someone you want to ‘mess’ with! Again, I recommend starting at the beginning with book one entitled, "The Ranger" and then going from there. This review is more for the followers of the series and because it’s one of those books that is so good and entertaining, you can’t wait to tell someone about it. For those looking for more of a home spun spin on Mississippi like legal thriller Author John Grisham's fine works that focuses on ‘his’ version of Mississippi, readers will definitely be disappointed in Atkins’ depiction of Mississippi. His portrayal is much more vicious, perilous, and tragic. His view of rural northern Mississippi is a much more devious corrupt place, especially the town of Jericho, with plenty of highway-side strip clubs, meth labs and a large assortment of truly seedy characters with various crooked agendas getting into every matter of hell. Nonetheless, The Sinners moves along at lightning speed as a couple of pathetic marijuana growers get in way over their idiot heads with some very unsavory bad guys and create a hideous situation in the process. What makes this story shine is Atkins' way of telling the story, which is in a first-person narrative where the characters tell the story in their own way, from drunk racist redneck auto racers to the "Dixie Mafia" and even Sheriff Colson himself. Atkins’ writing is incredible! Reading this story felt like it was being told simultaneously by several people without losing its storyline and plot along the way. I must confess, I picked up this book because of its title “The Sinners”, thinking Atkins may have gently wove in some religion into the storyline, but boy was I wrong – about the religion part that is, because I’m not sure who all ‘The Sinners’ really are in this book; but there sure are a lot of them. Check out the Quinn Colson series by Author Ace Atkins…it’s as good if not better than any other crime thriller series out ther
May 30, 2018
Gritty police procedural set in what one character calls "the ass-crack of America," rural northern Mississippi. Colorful regional language and a variety of oddball characters give this book a strong sense of place, but the plot is unremarkable, which I consider a pretty important aspect of a detective novel. Enjoyable and fast read nonetheless.
May 29, 2018
Another great thriller in the Quinn Colson series by Ace Atkins! I felt it started a bit slow but then took off with lots of action - can't wait for the next one! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.
August 8, 2018
First, I enjoy Ace Atkins, both his fiction and non-fiction. I think I’ve read all his published books and have enjoyed the Quinn Colson series especially. But The Sinners is a disappointment.
No spoilers follow, just a few opinions about the book: the plot is thin and ,well, empty of any mystery or suspense. More like a report on the bumbling criminal activities of some very stupid bad guys. Quinn is mostly a hapless observer ,a bench player hoping the coach puts him in the game.. .
. The biker gang is aptly named The Born Losers...the other outlaws, while dangerous I guess, just don’t hold interest, they’re shallow, cretinous...Lillie Virgil makes little more than a cameo appearance, unfortunately. She is the most interesting, best developed character in the series after Colson..
.the dialogue goes a little over the top at times ( the giraffe reference for one ).
I couldn’t recommend this book but look forward to the next. I feel that The Sinners is the exception, etc.
No spoilers follow, just a few opinions about the book: the plot is thin and ,well, empty of any mystery or suspense. More like a report on the bumbling criminal activities of some very stupid bad guys. Quinn is mostly a hapless observer ,a bench player hoping the coach puts him in the game.. .
. The biker gang is aptly named The Born Losers...the other outlaws, while dangerous I guess, just don’t hold interest, they’re shallow, cretinous...Lillie Virgil makes little more than a cameo appearance, unfortunately. She is the most interesting, best developed character in the series after Colson..
.the dialogue goes a little over the top at times ( the giraffe reference for one ).
I couldn’t recommend this book but look forward to the next. I feel that The Sinners is the exception, etc.
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