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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First in the Quinn Colson thriller series and revolving around an Army Ranger home on leave for the first time in ten years.
In 2012, The Ranger was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel.
My Take
This is a dang depressing story, what with the betrayals and poor lives of almost everyone, although Atkins has created some interesting characters.
That Anna Lee and her reactions to Quinn are almost as conflicting as Johnny Stagg’s persona. I don’t think Atkins could quite decide how to play him. Oh, he’s a scumbag all right, but then there’s that twist at the end that simply doesn’t make sense. As for Hamp...dang, it's hard to reconcile his reality with the incredible man Quinn remembers. As for Mom...oh, yeah baby, I do like a woman who sticks up for what's right! Although, I am curious as to how Quinn’s mom pays her bills. As for Deputy Lillie Virgil, her, I love! She's doing what she believes is right and doesn't back down, from anything, lol. Oh jeez, I almost forgot Boom! I LOVE that man. He will always have your back!!
It's a third person point-of-view from Quinn’s perspective, which makes it easy for Atkins to provide a back history on the town through his memories, to set up the betrayals, to get an idea of Quinn's character and his principles, and man, is this boy ever conflicted. We know what he'll decide, but Atkins is doing a great job of keeping me guessing and hoping.
I am definitely confused about that “deal” Hamp had with Stagg, and it never does get cleared up for me. There were also a few interesting bits of foreshadowing. I’m thinking of that frontage road, of Campo's and Stagg's plans for the future, if Caddy really does step up, and how the people in town will react to the changes.
The primary storyline is Quinn investigating his uncle’s “suicide”, discovering the mess of corruption lying everywhere with meth at the heart of it. A secondary story that adds some human interest (and gets us into the main meth production facility) is Lena looking for the father of her baby.
Corruption isn't the only mess, as it seems Quinn has quite the, um, reputation for stirring things up. I'm looking forward to The Lost Ones, if only for all that heroic action.
The Story
It’s a shocker when Quinn comes home for his uncle’s funeral. There’s almost nothing recognizable about the place, trashed to hell-and-gone and logged out. Forests full of good hunting, just gone.
Worse, everywhere he looks (and the longer he looks), the more corruption he finds amongst people he thought were friends. It's no wonder Quinn hasn't been home for the past ten years.
Well, Quinn isn't a Ranger for nothing, and he'll go AWOL before he leaves his family and home struggling with the graft and violence.
The Characters
Platoon Sergeant Quinn Colson is on leave from his Army Ranger platoon where he’s based at Fort Benning. Jean Colson is Mom, and she’s looking after Caddy’s mixed-race son, Jason, and the reason she fought with Hamp. Caddy is the sister who ran off, drugging, working a pole at Dixie Belles these days. His daddy, Jason Colson, had been a stunt man who worked a number of Hollywood movies. Jerry Colson is Jason’s middle brother who makes a good living as a long-haul driver. Van Colson is the ne'er-do-well youngest.
Boom Kimbrough is an old friend who lost an arm in Iraq and now has issues. He’d been coaching football at the high school before he got sent over.
Jericho, Tibbehah County, Mississippi
Hampton Beckett, Quinn’s uncle and Jean’s brother, had been the sheriff and had served in Korea. Hondo is his uncle’s dog. Mary is the waitress from the Fillin’ Station diner whom Hamp had been seeing.
The Tibbehah County Sheriff’s Department
Deputy Lillie Virgil is zealous about investigating. Wesley Ruth is acting sheriff and another old friend of Quinn’s. He wife, Meg, left him. Other deputies include Leonard McMinn and George. Mae is the night dispatcher. Chuck Tuttle is the fire marshal.
Dr. Luke Stevens is an old friend who married the girl, Anna Lee Amsden, who ditched Quinn. Purvis Reeves is the judge. The Southern Star is the first bar to set up in the formerly dry Jericho. Sam Bishop has been the keeper of land records for the county for over thirty years.
The Three Wise Men — Mr. Jim (Third Army); Judge Blanton (he saw action in Korea as a Marine and had mentored Hamp); and, Luther Varner, the owner of Varner’s Quick Mart and a sharpshooting Marine from Vietnam days — frequently meet up to drink coffee and bourbon. Javier owns the El Dorado Mexican Restaurant.
Johnny Stagg is the poster child for white trash who crawled their way up. He’s everywhere: on the board of supervisors, the hospital board, and is promising to redevelop Jericho. He owns a titty bar called the Booby Trap. Brother Davis is a shill of a pastor. Mr. Lamar is an expensive attorney from Memphis. Bobby Campo is the big dog in Memphis with lots of money and influence who’s been in and out of prison.
Mr Daniels’ land is where…
…a gang led by Gowrie is running meth, Gowrie preaches about white pride and needing to train for the end times. Daddy Gowrie is a pervert and not too bright. Jessup, Tim “Hogzilla”, and Jody, a.k.a., Charley Booth, are some of his “boys”. Pete “Ditto” Francis is a nice kid who just wants to survive.
Lena is sixteen, pregnant, and looking for Jody. Jill “Jasmine” Bullard has a daughter, Beccalynn, and is the Reverend Bullard’s daughter. She and Kayla are young hookers working the truck stop. Connie Price is Jett’s mother. Jett had been friends with Keith Shackleford, both into drinking and drugs. Latecia Young had been Keith’s girlfriend for a short while, and now she’s working hard. Peanut is a friend of Latecia’s. Miss Williams is a cashier at a grocery store; she used to change Quinn’s diapers. Betty Jo “Miz Mize” Mize is the owner, publisher, managing editor, and lead reporter for the Tibbehah County Monitor and has a love for dirty jokes. Ruth Ann’s is a favorite diner at Fort Benning.
The Cover and Title
The cover is silhouettes in deep brown against an explosive yellow sky, deep orange fragments bursting out in a spray. Quinn stands with his back to us, looking on at the havoc he’s caused. An info blurb in white outlined in black is at the very top. Below that is the author’s name in a Deco-style font in deep brown with a yellow outline. At the bottom is the title in the same sky yellow with the series information below that in white.
The title is the protagonist, The Ranger.
In 2012, The Ranger was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel.
My Take
This is a dang depressing story, what with the betrayals and poor lives of almost everyone, although Atkins has created some interesting characters.
That Anna Lee and her reactions to Quinn are almost as conflicting as Johnny Stagg’s persona. I don’t think Atkins could quite decide how to play him. Oh, he’s a scumbag all right, but then there’s that twist at the end that simply doesn’t make sense. As for Hamp...dang, it's hard to reconcile his reality with the incredible man Quinn remembers. As for Mom...oh, yeah baby, I do like a woman who sticks up for what's right! Although, I am curious as to how Quinn’s mom pays her bills. As for Deputy Lillie Virgil, her, I love! She's doing what she believes is right and doesn't back down, from anything, lol. Oh jeez, I almost forgot Boom! I LOVE that man. He will always have your back!!
It's a third person point-of-view from Quinn’s perspective, which makes it easy for Atkins to provide a back history on the town through his memories, to set up the betrayals, to get an idea of Quinn's character and his principles, and man, is this boy ever conflicted. We know what he'll decide, but Atkins is doing a great job of keeping me guessing and hoping.
I am definitely confused about that “deal” Hamp had with Stagg, and it never does get cleared up for me. There were also a few interesting bits of foreshadowing. I’m thinking of that frontage road, of Campo's and Stagg's plans for the future, if Caddy really does step up, and how the people in town will react to the changes.
The primary storyline is Quinn investigating his uncle’s “suicide”, discovering the mess of corruption lying everywhere with meth at the heart of it. A secondary story that adds some human interest (and gets us into the main meth production facility) is Lena looking for the father of her baby.
Corruption isn't the only mess, as it seems Quinn has quite the, um, reputation for stirring things up. I'm looking forward to The Lost Ones, if only for all that heroic action.
The Story
It’s a shocker when Quinn comes home for his uncle’s funeral. There’s almost nothing recognizable about the place, trashed to hell-and-gone and logged out. Forests full of good hunting, just gone.
Worse, everywhere he looks (and the longer he looks), the more corruption he finds amongst people he thought were friends. It's no wonder Quinn hasn't been home for the past ten years.
Well, Quinn isn't a Ranger for nothing, and he'll go AWOL before he leaves his family and home struggling with the graft and violence.
The Characters
Platoon Sergeant Quinn Colson is on leave from his Army Ranger platoon where he’s based at Fort Benning. Jean Colson is Mom, and she’s looking after Caddy’s mixed-race son, Jason, and the reason she fought with Hamp. Caddy is the sister who ran off, drugging, working a pole at Dixie Belles these days. His daddy, Jason Colson, had been a stunt man who worked a number of Hollywood movies. Jerry Colson is Jason’s middle brother who makes a good living as a long-haul driver. Van Colson is the ne'er-do-well youngest.
Boom Kimbrough is an old friend who lost an arm in Iraq and now has issues. He’d been coaching football at the high school before he got sent over.
Jericho, Tibbehah County, Mississippi
Hampton Beckett, Quinn’s uncle and Jean’s brother, had been the sheriff and had served in Korea. Hondo is his uncle’s dog. Mary is the waitress from the Fillin’ Station diner whom Hamp had been seeing.
The Tibbehah County Sheriff’s Department
Deputy Lillie Virgil is zealous about investigating. Wesley Ruth is acting sheriff and another old friend of Quinn’s. He wife, Meg, left him. Other deputies include Leonard McMinn and George. Mae is the night dispatcher. Chuck Tuttle is the fire marshal.
Dr. Luke Stevens is an old friend who married the girl, Anna Lee Amsden, who ditched Quinn. Purvis Reeves is the judge. The Southern Star is the first bar to set up in the formerly dry Jericho. Sam Bishop has been the keeper of land records for the county for over thirty years.
The Three Wise Men — Mr. Jim (Third Army); Judge Blanton (he saw action in Korea as a Marine and had mentored Hamp); and, Luther Varner, the owner of Varner’s Quick Mart and a sharpshooting Marine from Vietnam days — frequently meet up to drink coffee and bourbon. Javier owns the El Dorado Mexican Restaurant.
Johnny Stagg is the poster child for white trash who crawled their way up. He’s everywhere: on the board of supervisors, the hospital board, and is promising to redevelop Jericho. He owns a titty bar called the Booby Trap. Brother Davis is a shill of a pastor. Mr. Lamar is an expensive attorney from Memphis. Bobby Campo is the big dog in Memphis with lots of money and influence who’s been in and out of prison.
Mr Daniels’ land is where…
…a gang led by Gowrie is running meth, Gowrie preaches about white pride and needing to train for the end times. Daddy Gowrie is a pervert and not too bright. Jessup, Tim “Hogzilla”, and Jody, a.k.a., Charley Booth, are some of his “boys”. Pete “Ditto” Francis is a nice kid who just wants to survive.
Lena is sixteen, pregnant, and looking for Jody. Jill “Jasmine” Bullard has a daughter, Beccalynn, and is the Reverend Bullard’s daughter. She and Kayla are young hookers working the truck stop. Connie Price is Jett’s mother. Jett had been friends with Keith Shackleford, both into drinking and drugs. Latecia Young had been Keith’s girlfriend for a short while, and now she’s working hard. Peanut is a friend of Latecia’s. Miss Williams is a cashier at a grocery store; she used to change Quinn’s diapers. Betty Jo “Miz Mize” Mize is the owner, publisher, managing editor, and lead reporter for the Tibbehah County Monitor and has a love for dirty jokes. Ruth Ann’s is a favorite diner at Fort Benning.
The Cover and Title
The cover is silhouettes in deep brown against an explosive yellow sky, deep orange fragments bursting out in a spray. Quinn stands with his back to us, looking on at the havoc he’s caused. An info blurb in white outlined in black is at the very top. Below that is the author’s name in a Deco-style font in deep brown with a yellow outline. At the bottom is the title in the same sky yellow with the series information below that in white.
The title is the protagonist, The Ranger.
rohnstrong's review against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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.