The Lost Ones (A Quinn Colson Novel Book 2) By Ace Atkins

Fans of Justified and James Lee Burke will love Mississippi lawman Quinn Colson in thisEdgar Award Nominee for Best Novelfrom the author of The Ranger

When Army Ranger Quinn Colson, the new sheriff of Tibbehah County, is called out to investigate a child abuse case, what he finds is a horrifying scene of neglect, thirteen empty cribs, and a shoe box full of money. Janet and Ramon Torres seem to have skipped townbut Colsons sure theyll come back for the cash.

Meanwhile, Colsons sister has returnedclean and sober for good, she says. His friend Boom has been drinking himself into oblivion and picking fights at the local bar. And his old flame is pregnant. But Colson cant focus on his personal problems. He and Deputy Lillie Virgil are convinced that Janet and Ramon have a taste for guns, drugs, and human trafficking. Soon Colson and Virgil find a link between the fugitive couple and a drug cartel that controls most of the Texas border, taking their investigation far beyond the rough hills of northeast Mississippi The Lost Ones (A Quinn Colson Novel Book 2)

Free download Ï E-book, or Kindle E-pub ì Ace Atkins

Having discovered this series by Ace Atkins, I really enjoyed this second book, getting to know Quinn Colson and the other characters better.
There is a quite heart breaking sub story, where we learn about Quinn's and Caddy's childhoods, and these parts of the book almost had me in tears a stark contrast to the main story of dark deeds done by deliciously nasty villains.
Something of a cliff hanger ending is leading on to the next installment perfectly, and I am now eager to get started on book three. Harlequin kimani romance One reviewer said he liked this but it wasn't as well written as Lee Child. I feel the opposite. I find Lee Child just a tiny bit embarrassing, whereas Atkins' writing is right on the button. It is paired down and crisp, unemotional except for the occasional overtone of humour which is great in a thriller, where the danger is in overblown verbiage and hyperbole. Whereas most thrillers/mysteries show their artifice a little bit, and you are always mentally apologising for this character being too ultra tough, that one being impossibly moral and goody goody, there is a sense here of real people and situations: less Child and Robert Crais, John Sandford or Raphael Dogg. The book moves at pace, but not so fast that there isn't time for place and texture, as well as some nice brush stroke characterisations. I will definitely be reading anything else Atkins cares to offer. Harlequin kimani romance There are many books to choose from in this genre. The flawed hero, damaged by his past, struggling to be a good man in a wicked, violent world.
However, there are not so many writers with Atkins' skills.
He knows how to build characters, slowly, carefully, and in three dimensions. And he knows how to pace a story.
You see Ace Atkins on the cover and you know you're in safe hands. Harlequin kimani romance

Quinn Colson, Ace Atkins' newest character who debuted in The Ranger, returns in The Lost Ones. Quinn, a former Ranger, is now the sheriff of Tibbehah County, Mississippi, where he finds himself knee deep in two cases a child abuse/baby selling racket and a gun running ring that may or may not be connected. Still ably supported by his experienced and hard case Chief Deputy, Lillie Virgil, Quinn is driven to find eleven missing children after the beating death of a young infant. Along the way, news of an incursion of a Mexican cartel looking for guns in his county leads Quinn to suspect an old friend, Donnie Varner, who has spent time on both sides of the law.

Colson may be a tough as nails former military man but he is also a sensitive conflicted man of ethics who believes in his responsibility to clean up his county from rampant corruption while doing the right thing, sort of a modern version of Buford Pusser. Quinn maintains a balancing act of serving the corrupt local government leaders while preserving his independence and integrity. There are hints in this novel of future sparks regarding the death of Quinn's beloved Uncle Hamp, a former sheriff in his own right, and a powerful county leader.

Atkins provides some needed backstory in this outing of Quinn's youth and a traumatic event that affected not only his life but also that of his wayward sister, Caddy. Indeed, relationships both successful and failures play a significant role in The Lost Ones as Quinn is forced to revisit his past in an effort to deal with his family. Relationships between Quinn and Donnie, Donnie and a dangerous new addition in his life, Quinn and a hot (or cold) blooded FBI agent, Quinn and his sister, Quinn and his former army buddy, the one armed Boom, and of course, Quinn and Lillie are all subject to the reader's dissection. Included are relationships of several of our key players with young children marking the dichotomy between innocence and deadly violence.

Atkins has a knack for portraying the culture and characters of the deep South. His descriptive prose, gripping suspense, and implied violence are a pleasure to read. His dialogue continues to be spot on and believable as are his characters and their motivations. The pacing of this effort was less frenetic that in The Ranger with the real action not engaging until well into the last third of the narrative but the suspense and palpable danger kept this reader engaged with the characters throughout. I recommend The Lost Ones and Quinn Colson for those readers who enjoy strong independent men of virtue who are not afraid to do what must be done to ensure a way of life in which they truly believe. Harlequin kimani romance If you haven't already read any Ace Atkins books, particularly the Quinn Colson series then you've been missing a treat and I recommend you put that right straight away. If you like your crime set in small America in the deep south then it doesn't come any better. Folsom is an ex Ranger who has returned home after several tours and is trying to settle into his new role as sheriff. The books is populated with an array of colourful characters both bad and good. Colson has his work cut out trying to get to grips with petty local crime in addition to child smuggling, gun running and drug cartels from Mexico. All handled in laid back style with a nice slice of humour. Loved it. Not to mention the fact it is superbly written. Harlequin kimani romance I first came across Ace Atkins in his follow ups to Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series, and was impressed with the way he got Parker’s voice pretty much to a T. After a journey through everything James Lee Burke has ever written, it’s refreshing to find the man with his own voice and as much of a feel for north Mississippi as Burke has for south Louisiana and western Montana. Don’t get me wrong nothing and no one can touch JLB, who I believe is a master of modern literature, not just crime. Atkins doesn’t have Burke’s lyrical quality and his evocation of landscape isn’t anything to touch him, but it’s a genuine voice, a great rhythm and elegantly economical characterisation. Definitely worth working your way through them all. Harlequin kimani romance I'm an avid reader, especially for well written books with well plotted story lines, believable characters, and actual 'This is how real people speak' colloquial dialogue. My personal preferences have been the late El 'Dutch' Leonard, starting with his great westerns that twisted the take on good and bad, and breathed real life in the dust swirls of the American Southwest from books or stories like Hombre, Valdez is Coming, The Tonto Woman, 3:10 to Yuma, through his characters Hollywood used to give us Get Shorty and Justified. Then there's John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee, Bob Crais' Elvis Cole & Joe Pike, to Michael Connolly's Lincoln Lawyer and Bosch, and the late, great Robert B.Parker's Spenser series. These I mention because that's the kind of writing talent pool I think Ace Atkin is in. He's swimming in the heats with with the big dogs and going for the proverbial gold The Lost Ones is book three in his Quinn Colson series, and my third book of his in a row. In fact, I tossed a book by another big name, popular author aside in favor of this one. Why? Simple. It's better reading. There's plenty of action, some new bad guys and problems for Colson and Lillie to worry about, a female Fed agent paying a little lip service, and Donnie Varner, a likable bad guy you can't help but hope makes it after a run in with some than a little nasty Mexican Cartel folks.There's to the story, of course, too, on Quinn Colson's and his trubled sister's up bringing, and some truly great dialogue that is quickly becoming an Atkin's trademark. Just ordered Book #4 in the series and another of his one off books to see how he fares outside of small town Mississippi. Judging from the first three books I'm pretty sure I have some good reading time ahead of me. Finally this, read them in their series. Harlequin kimani romance Quinn Colson is back. The former Ranger is now sheriff of a small Mississippi town. He stepped up after the death of his uncle, and now wears the badge.

In THE LOST ONES, Sheriff Colson has his hands full. Family first. His sister Caddy is back in town. She's had it rough. Drugs. Exotic dancing. A single mother. Only thing is, she doesn't take care of her own kid. Their mother, Jean, does. At least, she didn't take care of her own kid. Being back, she swears she's turned her life around. She is not going to walk away, not going to leave her son again. Problem is, Colson don't believe a word of it.The kid deserves , deserves better. If they don't get things straight, Colson's hand may be forced.

An abused baby is brought to the hospital. Near death, the broken bones, and cracked skull are life threatening. Colson and his loyal deputy, Lillie, are trying to get to the bottom of it all. What they have is a couple who adopt a bunch of Mexican kids. With over ten in their place, they learn abuse is the norm. They make a living selling off the kids they adopted. The rotten couple is on the run, and have the young kids with them. There are additional rumors about what happens to the children. Physical abuse isn't the only horror the kids suffer.

Additionally, ATF is in town. Someone is running guns. Lots of guns. A contact in town is pushing stolen military weapons to a Mexican gang to fuel a cartel war south of the border. The joint investigation uncovers clues that leave both the ATF and the sheriff's department playing cards close to the chest.

Everything comes to an explosive head when an ATF informant points the finger. Outmanned, and outgunned, Sheriff Colson, Lillie, and the other deputies have their work cut out for them!

Badass Ranger Quinn Colson is a cross between Jack Reacher and Walt Longmire. The mix is a perfect blend. The novel covers a lot of ground, giving plenty of background, and character development. The series is shaping up nicely! With THE RANGER, Ace Atkins piqued my curiosity. With THE LOST ONES, he sold me, I am a fan!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy Harlequin kimani romance