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rohnstrong's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tamisriram's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
southern_belle_books_'s review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.75
Books like this can go either way for me, so I'm really happy that I liked this one.
I thought that the plot was engaging and interesting. And I really liked Quinn and Lillie as main characters.
I think that I will continue the series eventually because I want to know what happens after the mild cliffhanger at the end.
Of you want to read a modern dya western, definitely pick up this book!
I thought that the plot was engaging and interesting. And I really liked Quinn and Lillie as main characters.
I think that I will continue the series eventually because I want to know what happens after the mild cliffhanger at the end.
Of you want to read a modern dya western, definitely pick up this book!
gaylebn's review
5.0
I wasn't familiar with the author until I heard him on John Grisham's podcast. It sounded like he writes just the kind of fiction I like to read, and I selected this as my first Ace Atkins book to read. And I loved it. Fast enough paced that I didn't lose interest and detailed enough I could imagine the people and places. Plus an interesting story that wasn't a cookie-cutter mystery/action story. I've already purchased the next book in the Quinn Colson series and it's near the top of my TBR list.
stevem0214's review against another edition
4.0
A good book I thought and may be a good series. It dragged a little in the middle and the ending was just a smidge unbelievable...but hey! It's fiction!! I'll try at least another in the series and see how it goes.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
When his uncle, the county sheriff, eats a gun, Quinn Colson comes home to Tibbehah County, Mississippi, for the funeral. Turns out his home town is a cesspool and the chief turds are Johnny Stagg, a county official, and Gowrie, a meth-dealing white supremicist. Will Colson be able to clean up his home town?
I've read a couple of Ace Atkins' Spenser books and liked them quite a bit. Some guy has been telling me for years how good they are. He was right yet again.
The words are different but the song sounds familiar. Guy comes back to his home town, finds out the shitbags have taken over, and runs the bad guys out of town. Ace Atkins takes a staple of the western genre and shapes it into something all his own. Fortunately, Atkins makes hay with it.
Quinn Colson comes home and finds himself out of the loop, an outsider in his own back yard. The bad guys have a foothold and most of the town is ready to roll over for them. Quinn and his trusted circle of allies have an uphill battle ahead of them in the form of crooked politicians, crooked judges, crooked cops, and meth dealing white supremicists.
For a book with all of those volatile ingredients simmering in the stew pot, The Ranger is a surprisingly slow burner. It takes a while for all the pins to get set up. While things are simmering, Atkins explores small town life in the south, painting a bleak picture of what things are like in small towns once the money starts drying up. Quinn deals with his mother, his sister, and his old flame.
The ending was everything I hoped it would be, a southern fried version of the fight at the OK Corral. While it stood well on its own, it left me wanting more of Quinn Colson dealing with shitheels in his home town. I don't really have anything bad to say about The Ranger. Quinn was capable without being a super hero and the supporting cast Atkins has crafted has a few books in it easily.
The Ranger was a fun thriller and a fascinating look at life in rural Mississippi. I guess I'm in for the whole series now. Four out of five stars.
I've read a couple of Ace Atkins' Spenser books and liked them quite a bit. Some guy has been telling me for years how good they are. He was right yet again.
The words are different but the song sounds familiar. Guy comes back to his home town, finds out the shitbags have taken over, and runs the bad guys out of town. Ace Atkins takes a staple of the western genre and shapes it into something all his own. Fortunately, Atkins makes hay with it.
Quinn Colson comes home and finds himself out of the loop, an outsider in his own back yard. The bad guys have a foothold and most of the town is ready to roll over for them. Quinn and his trusted circle of allies have an uphill battle ahead of them in the form of crooked politicians, crooked judges, crooked cops, and meth dealing white supremicists.
For a book with all of those volatile ingredients simmering in the stew pot, The Ranger is a surprisingly slow burner. It takes a while for all the pins to get set up. While things are simmering, Atkins explores small town life in the south, painting a bleak picture of what things are like in small towns once the money starts drying up. Quinn deals with his mother, his sister, and his old flame.
The ending was everything I hoped it would be, a southern fried version of the fight at the OK Corral. While it stood well on its own, it left me wanting more of Quinn Colson dealing with shitheels in his home town. I don't really have anything bad to say about The Ranger. Quinn was capable without being a super hero and the supporting cast Atkins has crafted has a few books in it easily.
The Ranger was a fun thriller and a fascinating look at life in rural Mississippi. I guess I'm in for the whole series now. Four out of five stars.
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
4.0
Ace Atkins' protagonist, Quinn Colson, is in the mold of [a:Elmore Leonard's|12940|Elmore Leonard|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1240015224p2/12940.jpg] Raylan Givens, [a:Lee Child's|5091|Lee Child|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1377708686p2/5091.jpg] Jack Reacher, and [a:Craig Johnson's|63607|Craig Johnson|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1349965600p2/63607.jpg] Walt Longmire. If none of those literary references work for you, the plot of this novel is very reminiscent of this: 
But this simplistic plot -- a soldier returning home to find his idyllic hometown corrupted while he was away -- is pushed to a new level by the author's ability to write realistic, interesting characters. Nothing about Colson, or the supporting cast around him, is one-dimensional. There are layers to each of the characters, both the protagonists and the antagonists, and moral shades of gray for both as well. This depth and shading made what I thought to be a simple page-turning action-revenge into something much more interesting and memorable.
The highest compliment I can give this book is that as soon as I finished it, I bought the second in the series, [b:The Lost Ones|13336621|The Lost Ones (Quinn Colson, #2)|Ace Atkins|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348917420s/13336621.jpg|18544817], and started reading it that same night.
But this simplistic plot -- a soldier returning home to find his idyllic hometown corrupted while he was away -- is pushed to a new level by the author's ability to write realistic, interesting characters. Nothing about Colson, or the supporting cast around him, is one-dimensional. There are layers to each of the characters, both the protagonists and the antagonists, and moral shades of gray for both as well. This depth and shading made what I thought to be a simple page-turning action-revenge into something much more interesting and memorable.
The highest compliment I can give this book is that as soon as I finished it, I bought the second in the series, [b:The Lost Ones|13336621|The Lost Ones (Quinn Colson, #2)|Ace Atkins|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348917420s/13336621.jpg|18544817], and started reading it that same night.
jshel10's review against another edition
5.0
Not sure why it took me so long to get to this one, but this is about as good of a mystery as I've read in a couple years. Great characters, tremendous sense of place and really sharp dialogue, all worked into a really smart plot. Absolutely recommended and can't wait to start The Lost Ones now.
cgcang's review against another edition
3.0
My feelings are a tad mixed.
The Ranger is a nice enough book, the writing was nice from start to end, the characters were solid and mostly likeable, the dialogue was pretty well written. However the book was too long, paced too slowly and the plot turned out a bit thin. The story never really gripped me and however much I liked the writing, I ended up reading the book with the sole purpose of finishing it. It just wasn't exciting enough. Not because it was bad, but maybe because it wasn't good enough in the right places.
The Ranger is a nice enough book, the writing was nice from start to end, the characters were solid and mostly likeable, the dialogue was pretty well written. However the book was too long, paced too slowly and the plot turned out a bit thin. The story never really gripped me and however much I liked the writing, I ended up reading the book with the sole purpose of finishing it. It just wasn't exciting enough. Not because it was bad, but maybe because it wasn't good enough in the right places.