Quinn Colson Books In Order

Publication Order of Quinn Colson Books

The name Quinn Colson refers to a series of books created and written by Ace Atkins, an American Journalist and author. The Quinn Colson books tend to incorporate many of those unique experiences Ace has encountered over the years as a journalist, this along with the various notable individuals that came his way.

+The story

As per the name, Ace Atkins’ series of novels center upon Quinn Colson, the primary protagonist in Ace Atkins’ collection of crime fiction books. In what has been described as a hero-driven series, Colson is an Iraq and Afghanistan vet.

Quinn returns to Mississippi with no intention of staying longer than he has to; what he finds is a Mississippi that is transformed, now tinged with corruption.

Taking the reins of Justice as the new Sherriff, it becomes Quinn Colson’s objective to fight corruption wherever he sees it, bringing peace to his friends and neighbors, and righting any wrongs he encounters.

The books have been described as a Western/noir hybrid. There are plans to adapt Ace Atkins’ Army Ranger centered story into a Television series.

+The Author

Ace Atkins is an American Author. He began his writing career as a journalist in The Tampa Tribune Newsroom; this was before his first novel hit the shelves in 1998.

Ace Atkins was nominated for a Pulitzer Award while working at the Tribune a collection of features he did on his investigation of a forgotten 1950s murder. This story stood at the center of White Shadow’ one of his most critically acclaimed novels. The book received relatively positive reviews, with novels like Wicked City’ and Devil’s Garden’ further cementing a writing style that many compared to the likes of George Pelecanos and Dennis Lehane.

According to Ace, every novel he writes contains elements of himself, from family members to friends and even personal heroes, this not taking into account the fact that three of his books (Wicked City, Devil’s Garden and White shadow) where set in Alabama where he was born and went to college, San Francisco where he lived as a child, and Tampa from where he first embarked upon his writing career.

Ace Atkins was selected by Robert B. Parker’s estate in 2011 to take over writing the Spender series of novels.

The author presently lives on a farm in Mississippi with his family. He graduated from Auburn University in 1994. Having lettered for his university football team in 1992 and 1993, he was featured on the Sports Illustrated cover to commemorate the Tiger’s perfect 1993 11-0 season.

Some of the author’s works include the Nick Travers series, Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series, and standalone novels like Infamous and White Shadow.

Ace Atkins took up writing as a full-time job at the age of 30.

+The Ranger

The hilly, rugged country of Northern Mississippi has been notorious for its outlaws since the civil war, a place where killings are as commonplace as in the Old West. This is the place Quinn Colson calls home; however, it is hardly the home he left when he sojourned to Afghanistan.

Now an Army Ranger, Quinn returns to a place inundated with corruption. He finds the Sherriff, his uncle, dead, supposedly via suicide, though whispers of murder abound.

Quinn Colson will have to discover the truth, not only about his uncle, his family, friends, and even the town but himself as well. Once the truth is finally unveiled there can be no turning back.

The Ranger, Ace Atkins’s first novel in the series, thrives on the intrigue surrounding its protagonist. When he was young, Colson spent his days raising hell in his small town in Mississippi; spending most of his twenties in the U.S Army as a ranger, only the death of his uncle can compel Quinn to return home, especially since the man practically raised him.

With no intention of staying a moment longer than necessary, learning of the suspicious circumstances surrounding his uncle’s death piques Quinn’s interest, especially after a redneck land baron emerges and makes claim over his family land as payment for a debt his uncle owed. It is in refusing to sign the land over that Quinn finds himself tangled even further with the dangerous machinations of his home town, this including a group of psychotic meth dealing white supremacists.

The comparisons between Quinn Colson and the various other action heroes of literature that return home from the war to clean up their town are difficult to ignore. However, Ace endeavors to craft a unique protagonist in Quinn Colson, with the plot striving and succeeding in surprising and entertaining.

Ace shows a definite understanding of the ways of small towns and the folks that populate them, delivering a vivid portrayal of Northern Mississippi. As the premier novel in Ace Atkins’ series, The Ranger makes an effort to introduce Quinn Colson to readers, this including every mysterious and intriguing facet of his being. The cast that surrounds him, both the good and bad, is well defined, serving to further the plot.

As far as Crime novels filled with plot elements reminiscent of the old west go, The Ranger meets expectations.

+The Lost Ones

After a decade in the Army, Quinn Colson is now coming to accept his new role as Sherriff of Tibbehah Country, Mississippi.

When Mexican gang members begin to show up, armed to the teeth with stolen rifles, one of Quinn’s old friends (a local gun shop manager) finds him grappling with some unexpected complications.

Within that same period, Quinn’s investigation into a child abuse case leads the Sherriff and his deputy, Lillie Virgil, into the heart of a bootleg racket. When the cases collide, a trail of darkness and death emerges, Quinn and his allies coming to understand that they will have to fight for their lives if they hope to survive and keep their home safe.

This novel’s primary strength is the surprisingly strong yet believable cast Ace creates within the small town setting, using their connections to add depth to Quinn’ story.

With various plot elements emerging and playing against one another, the story never gets too convoluted to entertain, the pacing remaining steady even while Ace endeavors to deliver enough action to keep his fans glued to the pages of his book.