THE RANGER

THE RANGER (2011), is the second novel I've read in the last year by mystery/crime writer Ace Atkins. The first, WHITE SHADOW, was a historical crime novel set in Tampa, Florida in the 1950s and in it, Atkins did for Tampa what James Ellroy has done for Los Angeles in his own series of historical noirs. WHITE SHADOW is a first rate novel as is THE RANGER.

An Edgar Award Nominee, THE RANGER is the first book in the Quinn Colson series. Colson is an Army Ranger back home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Home is Tibbehah County, Mississippi. What brings Colson back is the death of his uncle, the county sheriff, who apparently took his own life. But things don't quite add up. There's evidence pointing to foul play and as Colson starts digging further into his family's past, he uncovers secrets that were better left hidden.

He's aided in his search by Deputy Sheriff Lillie Virgil. She's just about the only honest person in the whole damn county, one of the few people, along with the one-armed vet Boom, that Colson can count on as his quest uncovers a nest of corruption and vice that seems to have touched almost everyone in the county. There's a shady real estate deal, meth heads, white supremacists, crooked politicians, a twisted preacher, a lecherous old man, strippers, prostitutes ("lot lizards") at the local truck stop, the Memphis Mob, an old girl friend, and an innocent, pregnant teenager who falls in with the wrong crowd.

There's beau coup bloodshed and violence and Colson kicks some major ass before all is said and done. Some of the carnage is the result of firearms, some courtesy of a bow and arrow. The book ends on a perfect set up with Colson being asked to run for the suddenly vacant position of sheriff. Swiftly paced, with nary a wasted word, Atkins gets everything right: the landscape, the people, the dialect. There's a strong, vivid sense of place and all of the characters are well drawn, especially the bad guys, of which there are many. The action, when it comes, is brutal and nasty and Atkins doesn't pull any punches. The book reminded me strongly of Phil Karlson's classic '70s exploitation action film, WALKING TALL.

Quinn Colson is a tough as nails action hero out to clean up the New South. I'm definitely going along for the ride.

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