Book Review: THE BROKEN PLACE, by Ace Atkins

Ace Atkins
THE BROKEN PLACE (Quinn Colson #3)
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2014
384 Pages
Suspense / Thriller / Crime

THE BROKEN PLACE just might be my favorite Ace Atkins book to date. Overall, I am enjoying the terse writing style, the depth of each and every character, and the steady pacing of each Quinn Colson thriller.

In THE BROKEN PLACE Sheriff Colson has his hands full. Three convicts have escaped prison. They have unsettled business in Tibbehah County. Money from a heist gone south should be waiting for them. If not, there was going to be hell to pay.

A new preacher in town has won the heart of Colson's sister, Caddy. Thing is, Jamey Dixon hit rock bottom before finding the Lord. Sent to prison for the murder of a young woman, Dixon was looking at life behind bars. That is until he was granted a pardon, and found himself a free man. Caddy loves the man Dixon is now. The family of Dixon's victim --not so much.

With a forced hand, Colson finds himself in the middle of investigations that have a direct effect on his family. If he's not careful, he and his deputy, Lillie, could find themselves on the wrong side of the law, and possible arrested for murder.

Hate to say this each time I review an Ace Atkins novel, but Quinn Colson is the perfect combination of Jack Reacher and Walt Longmire. His Quinn Colson series has that bad-ass military feel, and that small town everyone-knows-everyone handicap. Absolutely love the plots, the characters, and where Ace Atkins is taking the series!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: LIVE BY NIGHT, by Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane
LIVE BY NIGHT
William Morrow, 2012
402 pages
Crime / Fiction

I first discovered Dennis Lehane when I stumbled upon a paperback copy of Mystic River. I knew then I loved this writer. And although I then read several more titles, for some odd reason I drifted away from his books. No blame placed on the author whatsoever!

LIVE BY NIGHT has kind of a Departed, or Scarface feel to it. It was layered with an array of characters, three different settings, and constantly twisting plots! The story takes place during prohibition. And even those of us who are considered history-challenged know what happened when booze was outlawed?!? Speakeasies, moonshine, and gangsters sprang up everywhere!

Despite being the son of a Boston police captain, Joe Coughlin, has become an outlaw. He starts out small-time with the Bartolos brothers, Dion and Paolo. Given bad information they decide to hold-up a card game. Little did they know it was Albert White's game. Albert White was bad news. One of the big bad names in Boston. Once Coughlin realizes the error, he also realizes it is too late to stop what is already in motion.

When things get hot in town, and Coughlin knows it is best to back-off some, he commits to once last heist. A bank job. Only problem is, people are onto the game. Cops are tipped off. Nothing goes as planned. Coughlin does time in prison. Attempts are made on his life. He has a chance to turn things around, and takes it, placing himself in the hands of Albert White's enemy, Maso Pescatore.

Tasked with running the operation in Florida, Coughlin begins a new life, improving on his old way of life. He turns the swampy mass of Tampa into a thriving rum-running business for Pescatore. His rise to the top creates a host of enemies. There is no sleep for the man on top when there is always someone scheming to knock you down, or take you out.

Prohibition won't last forever, and as the end of a dry-reign is in sight, Coughlin clearly sees the writing on the wall. What is going to happen to his empire, to his family, to him?

At the movies not long ago, they showed a trailer for an upcoming Ben Affleck film, LIVE BY NIGHT. I knew that was a more recent Lehane novel, and immediately picked myself up a copy. I had to read it. My interest in Lehane has been restored. I devoured the novel in a few nights. it was absolutely absorbing. (Be advised, LIVE BY NIGHT is actually Book 2 in Lehane's Coughlin series).

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series, 
and The Vaccination Trilogy