Ace Atkins
THE LOST ONES (Quinn Colson #2)
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2012
368 Pages
Suspense / Thriller / Crime
Quinn Colson is back. The former Ranger is now sheriff of a small Mississippi town. He stepped up after the death of his uncle, and now wears the badge.
In THE LOST ONES, Sheriff Colson has his hands full. Family first. His sister Caddy is back in town. She's had it rough. Drugs. Exotic dancing. A single mother. Only thing is, she doesn't take care of her own kid. Their mother, Jean, does. At least, she didn't take care of her own kid. Being back, she swears she's turned her life around. She is not going to walk away, not going to leave her son again. Problem is, Colson don't believe a word of it.The kid deserves more, deserves better. If they don't get things straight, Colson's hand may be forced.
An abused baby is brought to the hospital. Near death, the broken bones, and cracked skull are life threatening. Colson and his loyal deputy, Lillie, are trying to get to the bottom of it all. What they have is a couple who adopt a bunch of Mexican kids. With over ten in their place, they learn abuse is the norm. They make a living selling off the kids they adopted. The rotten couple is on the run, and have the young kids with them. There are additional rumors about what happens to the children. Physical abuse isn't the only horror the kids suffer.
Additionally, ATF is in town. Someone is running guns. Lots of guns. A contact in town is pushing stolen military weapons to a Mexican gang to fuel a cartel war south of the border. The joint investigation uncovers clues that leave both the ATF and the sheriff's department playing cards close to the chest.
Everything comes to an explosive head when an ATF informant points the finger. Outmanned, and outgunned, Sheriff Colson, Lillie, and the other deputies have their work cut out for them!
Badass Ranger Quinn Colson is a cross between Jack Reacher and Walt Longmire. The mix is a perfect blend. The novel covers a lot of ground, giving plenty of background, and character development. The series is shaping up nicely! With THE RANGER, Ace Atkins piqued my curiosity. With THE LOST ONES, he sold me, I am a fan!
Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy
