Hardcover, 384 pages
Expected publication: July 12th 2016 by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Quick Take: With his Quinn Colson novels, Atkins has established one of today’s most
allegoric, atmospheric, and critically acclaimed literary series. “It’s a
satisfying mix of modern Southern gothic atmosphere and thrilling action,
salted with crackling humor,” according to the Tampa Bay Times. “Atkins delves deeply into each character’s motives,
making each a believable person,” wrote the Associated Press. And at the center of it all is “a flawed, valiant hero who’s
impossible to dislike” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) on “a joy ride
into the heart of darkness” (Washington Post). In THE INNOCENTS, Atkins, hailed as “the Deep South’s true
detective” (Men’s Journal), deepens readers’ engagement with former Army
Ranger Quinn Colson, Sheriff Lillie Virgil, and the people of the fictional
north Mississippi county he has made his own as he takes part in heart-pounding
action and investigates a particularly horrific crime: the murder of an
eighteen-year-old former cheerleader who is found walking down the middle of a
country road engulfed in flames.
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About the Author: Ace Atkins has developed into one of America’s most skillful and prolific
novelists and not only does he write the Quinn Colson series, but he was also
selected by the Robert B. Parker estate to continue the iconic Spenser series.
Ace first gained attention on the football field, where he played defensive end
for the undefeated 1993 football team (and landed himself on the cover of Sports Illustrated). He then cut his writer’s teeth as a
crime reporter in the newsroom of The Tampa Tribune, and earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination for a feature series
based on his investigation into a forgotten murder of the 1950s. He
published his first novel, Crossroad Blues, at age 27, eventually becoming a full-time
novelist at age 30. Ace now lives in Oxford, Mississippi – it’s a terrifically
literary town, home to William Faulkner, Richard Ford and even John Grisham, as
well as the inspiration for the down-trodden, God-fearing, hauntingly
atmospheric fictional town of Jericho featured in the Colson series. Ace also writes essays and investigative
pieces for several publications, including the Wall Street Journal,Garden & Gun, and Outside, and you can find out more about Ace and his novels on his
official website: aceatkins.com, on Facebook Ace Atkins, and on Twitter @aceatkins.
Praise for Ace Atkins’ Quinn Colson series:
“Quinn Colson is my kind of guy. I would follow him anywhere.”
—Lee Child, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Make Me
“Ace Atkins’ Quinn Colson series began with The Ranger, a thriller set in contemporary Mississippi, with the feel of
classic westerns like Shane and High Noon,
and the series just shot off from there,
getting better and better with each book. With terrific,
inflected characters and a dark, subtle sense of place and history, these are
exceptional novels.”
—John Sandford, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Extreme Prey
“In Quinn Colson, bestselling author Ace Atkins has created an
American hero in a time when we need him. He displays the attributes we pine
for and we hope still exist: honesty, humility, independence, integrity, and
toughness when the situation calls for it. Imagine a tall and silent cowboy
returning from the war to his native Mississippi to find it’s gone rotten and
corrupt in his absence. His duty is to clean it up. That’s Quinn Colson.”
—C.J. Box, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Off the Grid
“Ace Atkins’ Quinn Colson series is, quite simply, the best in
crime fiction today – and also so much more. With a rich cast of characters,
and a hero we can count on, these are tales of morality and desperation, of
shocking violence and the enduring resilience of family and community.
And the emotional places they take us make them unforgettable.”
—Megan Abbott, New York Times-bestselling author
