perednia's review against another edition
Another well-written entry in the compelling Quinn Colson series. This tale of a small town in the deep South, where memories last long and the past still matters, is a gem.
shelleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
This is the fourth installment of Ace Atkin's crime fiction series featuring former Army Ranger Quinn Colson, now Sheriff of Tebbehah County in rural northeast Mississippi.
The Forsaken begins a few short months after the tornado that devastated the county as Quinn and his deputy, Lillie, are faced with possible charges for the dramatic confrontation in [b:The Broken Places|16158573|The Broken Places (Quinn Colson, #3)|Ace Atkins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356077506s/16158573.jpg|21998989] that left a corrupt sheriff and his deputy from another county dead, and over $200,000 in cash from a decades old armoured car robbery missing.
It's no surprise that Johnny Stagg is behind the investigation into the shooting but his motive is. It seems Stagg's past is about to catch up with him and, needing Colson on his side for this particular battle, he has concocted an elaborate scheme to ensure Quinn's support.
Doing his best to ignore Stagg's machinations, which isn't doing his chances for re-election as Sheriff any good, Colson is drawn into investigating a decades old cold case involving the rape and murder of a young girl, and the subsequent lynching of the black man accused of committing the crime. Finding evidence that the man was innocent, Colson is determined to identify the men and bring the members of the lynching party to justice.
The narrative moves between the past and the present, and once again, Colson's professional and personal life become tangled when he learns that both his uncle, the former town Sheriff, and his absentee father, were most likely involved in the crime.
As I have come to expect, the dialogue is genuine, the humour quick and there is enough action to keep things interesting. The rural setting is well drawn and the details authentic. The characters are terrifically well drawn, often deeply flawed but interesting and nuanced.
Though The Forsaken could conceivably be read as a stand alone, I wouldn't recommend it as familiarity with the primary characters and their history adds depth to the story. I continue to enjoy this gritty series and I'm looking forward to reading [b:The Redeemers|23398911|The Redeemers (Quinn Colson, #5)|Ace Atkins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417982173s/23398911.jpg|42955420].
martyfried's review against another edition
4.0
A solid 4+ stars. I'd give it 5 stars for enjoyment, but I can't in good conscience rate the book in the same class as the great 5 star books, a personal rule I may rethink one day.
Anyhow, this is my 4th Quinn Colson book (and the 4th in the series - what a coincidence). I recommend reading them in order, as it is somewhat of a continuing story.
As others have pointed out, this is a lot like the TV series Justified, which I liked a lot. Entertaining, crazy bad guys, a smart/crazy/idiotic bad guy that seems to keep on top even as he seems to be sinking, etc.
This one was perhaps the best so far, to me. Shows what happens when vigilante justice is allowed to go on unpunished; the innocent may suffer, the less guilty suffer more than the guilty, and the wound it causes can fester for many years. The story is told in a combination of present and past stories, each explaining the other until they come together in the end.
Anyhow, this is my 4th Quinn Colson book (and the 4th in the series - what a coincidence). I recommend reading them in order, as it is somewhat of a continuing story.
As others have pointed out, this is a lot like the TV series Justified, which I liked a lot. Entertaining, crazy bad guys, a smart/crazy/idiotic bad guy that seems to keep on top even as he seems to be sinking, etc.
This one was perhaps the best so far, to me. Shows what happens when vigilante justice is allowed to go on unpunished; the innocent may suffer, the less guilty suffer more than the guilty, and the wound it causes can fester for many years. The story is told in a combination of present and past stories, each explaining the other until they come together in the end.
sunny76's review against another edition
4.0
A great read. There is more family history for Quinn in this book than the previous Quinn novels. But the subject of this book is very thought provoking. What would you do, if you saw a heinous crime committed? What if you saw from a distance and didn't know the perpetrators or if you were there up close and personally knew everyone there? Small town culture on display...
serenityyou's review
2.0
This is my first read of anything by Ace Atkins and I had really high hopes for it. But after just 9 chapters in, I give up. I think I have only not read 3 books till the end in my whole life. But I just couldn't get into this.
I loved the first chapter but then it went to pot. I kept getting all the characters mixed up and didn't really know what was going on. It maybe because this is the 4th book in the series and this is only book I have read. It just seemed slow and boring and dragging things out to much. Most of what I read (apart from the first chapter) doesn't seem to have anything to do with the blurb on the back of the book. It was like I was reading a completely different book. I kept on reading but the story didn't improve so I gave up.
I loved the first chapter but then it went to pot. I kept getting all the characters mixed up and didn't really know what was going on. It maybe because this is the 4th book in the series and this is only book I have read. It just seemed slow and boring and dragging things out to much. Most of what I read (apart from the first chapter) doesn't seem to have anything to do with the blurb on the back of the book. It was like I was reading a completely different book. I kept on reading but the story didn't improve so I gave up.
jakewritesbooks's review
4.0
I’ve discovered the pattern in Ace Atkins’ Quinn Colson series, this being book four: person from the past comes back to Tibbehah County, a lot of staring and some incidents happen and then it all leads up to a big bang. If these books weren’t so well-written, I’d probably be done with them but Ace Atkins keeps finding ways to make his world an interesting and readable one.
It helps that Quinn Colson, while being a tough guy Army Ranger sheriff, is also allowed to be human. He’s not the world’s greatest detective. He can’t always bring down the bad guys. He doesn’t take the law into his own hands. He’s a cipher to the world and the reader to a degree but Atkins does a great job of fusing his character with the poor, corrupt county he polices.
This one draws heavily on the blast-from-the-past angle and while the biker gang stuff didn’t do much for me, we got a good look at Quinn’s past through the case he’s investigating. It impacts his entire family in ways that set up real consequences for future tales.
I also enjoyed that Quinn’s nemesis Johnny Stagg hired a right hand man who’s ex-military and essentially Quinn’s mirror image. Watching those two figure each other out with large doses of both empathy and suspicion was fun.
The centerpiece of the mystery is a black person who was lynched and while his murder is not described in great detail, it could be traumatizing for some to read so be mindful.
Otherwise, if you like the series, this is another fine entry.
It helps that Quinn Colson, while being a tough guy Army Ranger sheriff, is also allowed to be human. He’s not the world’s greatest detective. He can’t always bring down the bad guys. He doesn’t take the law into his own hands. He’s a cipher to the world and the reader to a degree but Atkins does a great job of fusing his character with the poor, corrupt county he polices.
This one draws heavily on the blast-from-the-past angle and while the biker gang stuff didn’t do much for me, we got a good look at Quinn’s past through the case he’s investigating. It impacts his entire family in ways that set up real consequences for future tales.
I also enjoyed that Quinn’s nemesis Johnny Stagg hired a right hand man who’s ex-military and essentially Quinn’s mirror image. Watching those two figure each other out with large doses of both empathy and suspicion was fun.
The centerpiece of the mystery is a black person who was lynched and while his murder is not described in great detail, it could be traumatizing for some to read so be mindful.
Otherwise, if you like the series, this is another fine entry.
trenton_ross's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
plantbirdwoman's review
4.0
Continuing with the Mississippi theme in my summer reading, I turned to Ace Atkins' Southern noir series featuring former Army Ranger, now county sheriff, Quinn Colson.
Colson is the sheriff of fictional Tibbehah County in Northeast Mississippi, a place somewhere near Tupelo, birthplace of King Elvis. He heads a seven person police force, aided by his chief deputy, Lillie Virgil. From the county seat of Jericho, they do battle with the forces of evil in Tibbehah County, which seems to be a hotbed of sin and moral turpitude, not to mention political corruption.
Jericho and Tibbehah County are still recovering from a recent killer tornado that came close to leveling the town, but progress is being made, and, in some cases, the new Jericho being built is a great improvement over the old destroyed town.
Much of that improvement has come through the efforts of Johnny Stagg, District Supervisor and local businessman and, not incidentally, redneck crime lord. Stagg is behind much of that aforementioned sin, moral turpitude, and political corruption. But it can't be denied that he has aided in the rebuilding of the town.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Colson and Deputy Virgil are being investigated because of a big shootout that occurred at the end of the last book. (It does pay to read these books in order.) Colson's enemies see this as a chance to either get him out of office or to control him while he's in office, and there's another election coming up. It's all politics, but that doesn't make it any more palatable.
Into this frothy mix of disaster recovery and political intrigue comes news that a very bad guy, leader of a motorcycle club that created havoc in the town thirty years before, is about to be released from federal prison after serving his time. This is especially bad news for Johnny Stagg who sees the man as a mortal enemy and fears that when he returns to town he will try to take over from the current redneck crime lord.
Thirty years before, in 1977, something terrible happened in Jericho. Two young teenage girls were abducted along a county road. One was raped and both of them were shot. The younger of the two died. Law enforcement did not catch the man who did it, but shortly afterward, a black man, a stranger in town who had been living rough in the nearby national forest, was taken up by vigilantes, beaten and lynched. He was unknown. His name was never discovered. The vigilantes had convicted him of the abduction, rape, and murder. Later, the surviving victim saw the man who had actually committed the crime in town. The vigilantes had murdered an innocent man.
At the time of these crimes, the sheriff's office only did a half-hearted investigation, but now, the whole thing has been brought to light again because the surviving victim has talked to Sheriff Colson. He and Deputy Virgil are determined to get to the bottom of these very cold cases.
Johnny Stagg has become one of the most interesting characters in this series. He runs a "family restaurant" with a notorious strip club and truck stop located out back. He's trying to build up a drug pipeline, working with some of the Memphis mafia, and he has his fingers in every pie being baked in Tibbehah County. He's a sleazebag and a small town manipulator, masquerading as just another "good ole boy." He keeps looking for the key that will allow him to lock up control of the sheriff and his staff. If he can find it, he will have a totally free hand in building his crime empire.
Locking up Quinn Colson won't be easy though. He lives by the code he learned as an Army Ranger. He is the epitome of incorruptibility and morality. He has a lot of frustrations with the nuances of police work, but fortunately his excellent deputy has his back there. They make a good team.
Ace Atkins writes very knowledgeably about the area where these stories are set. It's an area I know well and I can attest that the language used by his characters and the opinions and attitudes expressed here are spot on. It all makes for a very noirish mix and an entertaining summer read.
Colson is the sheriff of fictional Tibbehah County in Northeast Mississippi, a place somewhere near Tupelo, birthplace of King Elvis. He heads a seven person police force, aided by his chief deputy, Lillie Virgil. From the county seat of Jericho, they do battle with the forces of evil in Tibbehah County, which seems to be a hotbed of sin and moral turpitude, not to mention political corruption.
Jericho and Tibbehah County are still recovering from a recent killer tornado that came close to leveling the town, but progress is being made, and, in some cases, the new Jericho being built is a great improvement over the old destroyed town.
Much of that improvement has come through the efforts of Johnny Stagg, District Supervisor and local businessman and, not incidentally, redneck crime lord. Stagg is behind much of that aforementioned sin, moral turpitude, and political corruption. But it can't be denied that he has aided in the rebuilding of the town.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Colson and Deputy Virgil are being investigated because of a big shootout that occurred at the end of the last book. (It does pay to read these books in order.) Colson's enemies see this as a chance to either get him out of office or to control him while he's in office, and there's another election coming up. It's all politics, but that doesn't make it any more palatable.
Into this frothy mix of disaster recovery and political intrigue comes news that a very bad guy, leader of a motorcycle club that created havoc in the town thirty years before, is about to be released from federal prison after serving his time. This is especially bad news for Johnny Stagg who sees the man as a mortal enemy and fears that when he returns to town he will try to take over from the current redneck crime lord.
Thirty years before, in 1977, something terrible happened in Jericho. Two young teenage girls were abducted along a county road. One was raped and both of them were shot. The younger of the two died. Law enforcement did not catch the man who did it, but shortly afterward, a black man, a stranger in town who had been living rough in the nearby national forest, was taken up by vigilantes, beaten and lynched. He was unknown. His name was never discovered. The vigilantes had convicted him of the abduction, rape, and murder. Later, the surviving victim saw the man who had actually committed the crime in town. The vigilantes had murdered an innocent man.
At the time of these crimes, the sheriff's office only did a half-hearted investigation, but now, the whole thing has been brought to light again because the surviving victim has talked to Sheriff Colson. He and Deputy Virgil are determined to get to the bottom of these very cold cases.
Johnny Stagg has become one of the most interesting characters in this series. He runs a "family restaurant" with a notorious strip club and truck stop located out back. He's trying to build up a drug pipeline, working with some of the Memphis mafia, and he has his fingers in every pie being baked in Tibbehah County. He's a sleazebag and a small town manipulator, masquerading as just another "good ole boy." He keeps looking for the key that will allow him to lock up control of the sheriff and his staff. If he can find it, he will have a totally free hand in building his crime empire.
Locking up Quinn Colson won't be easy though. He lives by the code he learned as an Army Ranger. He is the epitome of incorruptibility and morality. He has a lot of frustrations with the nuances of police work, but fortunately his excellent deputy has his back there. They make a good team.
Ace Atkins writes very knowledgeably about the area where these stories are set. It's an area I know well and I can attest that the language used by his characters and the opinions and attitudes expressed here are spot on. It all makes for a very noirish mix and an entertaining summer read.
joikeen's review against another edition
4.0
Another excellent installment in the Quinn Colson series. On to #5.
vkemp's review against another edition
4.0
Quinn Colson may lose his job as Sheriff of Tibbehah County, MS. Quinn and his chief deputy, Lillie Virgil are being investigated by the State Attorney General for the murder of the corrupt police chief in Jericho (which happened in the previous book). They are being framed by Johnny Staggs, the Dixie Mafia crime boss who runs Jericho. Quinn and Lillie are asked to investigate the rape and murder of two girls that happened 37 years ago which resulted in the lynching of an unknown African-American man. Who was responsible for the lynching? Staggs wants Quinn's cooperation to keep Chains LeDoux out of Jericho when he gets out of prison; Quinn wants justice. The resulting clash will implode Tibbeheh County.