Events

ACE ATKINS will discuss and sign THE LOST ONES, his second thriller featuring Quinn Colson. Fresh from ten years as a U.S. Army Ranger, Colson finds his hands full as the newly elected sheriff of Tibbehah County, Mississippi. An old buddy running a local gun shop is implicated when stolen army rifles show up in the hands of a Mexican drug gang. At the same time, an abused-child case leads Quinn and his tough-as-nails deputy, Lillie Virgil, deep into the heart of a bootleg baby racket and a trail of darkness and death. When the two cases collide, it’s obvious that Quinn may be home from the war, but is now in the fight of his life. The first book in this series, The Ranger, was among the 5 nominees for the 2012 Edgar Award for Best Novel. “The Ranger is a joy ride into the heart of darkness." Washington Post "Edgar-finalist Atkins showcases his versatility in his exciting, thoughtful second thriller…Atkins manages to sell the notion of a contemporary laconic lead battling evil that could come straight out of a Gary Cooper western." Publisher's Weekly "Solid entertainment from Atkins…whose estimable Ranger may bring to mind Lee Child’s hard-fisted, soft-hearted Jack Reacher, which is entirely a good thing." Kirkus Reviews Atkins was chosen by the Robert B. Parker estate to continue the highly popular Spenser novels, and his first installment, ROBERT B. PARKER’S LULLABY, will also be featured. Street smart 14 year old Mattie Sullivan convinces Spenser to look into her mother’s murder, believing the man convicted is innocent. Left to care for her younger siblings and an alcoholic grandmother, Mattie’s need for closure and determination to make things right hit Spenser where he lives - they’re the very characteristics he abides by. “I'm happy to report that…it's the real deal.” Tampa Bay Times “Atkins…doesn’t sound like somebody trying to emulate Parker. He sounds like Parker in a book that hits all the usual Spenser notes. He has the wisecrack-filled dialogue down and Parker’s cadences, too: Spenser, thankfully, sounds like Spenser.” Chicago Sun-Times Author of seven other novels, Atkins published his first novel, Crossroad Blues, at 27, and became a full-time novelist at 30 after cutting his teeth as a crime reporter at The Tampa Tribune, where he earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination for a feature series based on his investigation into a forgotten murder of 1950s Ybor City that became the core of his critically acclaimed novel, White Shadow. His next historical crime novels, Wicked City, Devil's Garden, and Infamous, blended first-hand interviews and original research with police and court records for great American stories weaving fact and fiction into a colorful, seamless tapestry.