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judithdcollins's review
3.0
Ace Adkins’ The Forsaken (Quinn Colson Series #4) is a gritty Deep South series, of small town politics, corruption, and dirty secrets.
A nameless black man wanders into a small Mississippi town, and two days later is lynched for rape and murder he did not commit.
Thirty-six years later Sheriff Colson attempts to track down the true culprit of the crime; however, as in most small towns, some secrets are not meant to be uncovered. He handles hot and cold cases from the past with corruption, drug dealing, and crime.
As Tibbehah County is recovering from tornadoes, Colson and his deputy are being investigated for their actions. Colson and his female Deputy Sheriff, Lillie Virgil are being framed for shooting a corrupt police officer with the implicit suggestion that if they go after a 30 year old cold case to catch the killer then all would be taken care of.
Corrupt county commissioner and Johnny Stagg are both behind the investigation to control Quinn for their own purposes—connecting to leader of a biker gang Stagg fears who is about to be released from prison, all tie back to the crime in 1977.
Full of dirty secrets of the past and family history, for some redneck southern politics, power, corruption, strip clubs, and drugs and small town manipulation.
I thought the book had a great setup; and some great writing. However, should have read the book instead of listening to audio. The narrator Brian D'Arcy James, had the most annoying voice, which ruined the overall performance.
A nameless black man wanders into a small Mississippi town, and two days later is lynched for rape and murder he did not commit.
Thirty-six years later Sheriff Colson attempts to track down the true culprit of the crime; however, as in most small towns, some secrets are not meant to be uncovered. He handles hot and cold cases from the past with corruption, drug dealing, and crime.
As Tibbehah County is recovering from tornadoes, Colson and his deputy are being investigated for their actions. Colson and his female Deputy Sheriff, Lillie Virgil are being framed for shooting a corrupt police officer with the implicit suggestion that if they go after a 30 year old cold case to catch the killer then all would be taken care of.
Corrupt county commissioner and Johnny Stagg are both behind the investigation to control Quinn for their own purposes—connecting to leader of a biker gang Stagg fears who is about to be released from prison, all tie back to the crime in 1977.
Full of dirty secrets of the past and family history, for some redneck southern politics, power, corruption, strip clubs, and drugs and small town manipulation.
I thought the book had a great setup; and some great writing. However, should have read the book instead of listening to audio. The narrator Brian D'Arcy James, had the most annoying voice, which ruined the overall performance.
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.
ericbuscemi's review
5.0
Not only does this book continue the narrative of Tibbehah County after the devastating tornadoes that made up the climax of the previous installment, [b:The Broken Places|16158573|The Broken Places (Quinn Colson, #3)|Ace Atkins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356077506s/16158573.jpg|21998989], it travels back to a murder that occurred thirty years ago that Quinn is now investigating -- a murder that his father may have been somehow involved in.
This series keeps getting better and better. It is so good that when this book was released, it jumped right to the front of my to-read list, and it did not disappoint. This is definitely the work of an author at the height of his creative powers. Highly recommended.
This series keeps getting better and better. It is so good that when this book was released, it jumped right to the front of my to-read list, and it did not disappoint. This is definitely the work of an author at the height of his creative powers. Highly recommended.
jshel10's review
5.0
I keep saying it over and over, but this series is the best contemporary crime fiction series going right now. Colson continues to evolve and Atkins never tells the same story twice. Another great entry in a superb series.
rwgabbard's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
perednia's review
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
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
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
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 against another edition
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.