Ace Atkins's Blog, page 3

From The Real Book Spy, June 27:

A twenty-year-old mystery plagues the people of Tibbehah County, Mississippi, and it’s up to Sheriff Quinn Colson to find answers—no matter who they implicate—in the latest thriller from Ace Atkins.

The proverbial crap has hit the fan. While he should be knee-deep in the honeymoon phase after his recent marriage to his longtime girlfriend, ER nurse Maggie Powers, Quinn Colson finds himself surrounded by controversy as he struggles to put out the fires that seem to be burning all around Tibbehah County.

There’s Jimmy Vardaman, a greedy, shady politician who represents all that is wrong with politics in general. Fannie Hathcock, a recurring villain, continues to run prostitutes and control the region’s drug trade through ties she maintains to the “Dixie Mafia,” though she has her own issues in this one—which Quinn inevitably gets sucked into. But none of those problems prove to be as dire as the situation surrounding Brandon Taylor, who went wandering into the woods at fifteen years old, only to be found dead from an apparent suicide in 1997.

Unhappy with the way the investigation was handled two decades prior, Shaina, Brandon’s sister, invites two freelance journalists from New York to travel south and help her shine a national spotlight on her brother’s cold case. Enter Tashi Coleman and her “producer” Jessica Torres, the duo behind a semi-popular podcast called Thin Air, who aren’t afraid to raise a little hell if it means getting one step closer to uncovering the truth and, of course, attracting viewers.

For Quinn, the already delicate situation is made infinitely worse by the fact that it was his now-disgraced uncle, Hamp Beckett, who ruled that the kill shot was self-inflicted—and theories begin to circulate that Hamp did so to protect a number of powerful, corrupt individuals. From what, exactly, Quinn doesn’t know, but as he begins re-visiting the past, it doesn’t take him long to realize that doing so will land him in the cross-hairs of some major players who would just as well prefer the mystery stay buried forever . . . even if it means adding a few more bodies to the mix.

At first glance, it almost seems like Atkins may have tried to mix too many storylines this time around—several of which weren’t yet touched on—but he somehow manages to thread them all together in a way that not only makes sense but adds a sense of urgency to the plot. Without a single dull page to be found and zero “fluff,” Atkins’ latest moves at a steady clip, touching on a number of timely issues, including human trafficking, corrupt politicians, “fake news,” drugs, and even immigration (Quinn’s sister, Caddy, is a former drug addict who now runs a shelter for abused women and immigrants). Through it all, Atkins continues to develop his series protagonist, along with his growing family, and never fails to capture the Mississippi setting in a way that only he and fellow bestselling author Gregg Iles seem to be able to pull off.

Bottom line: If Ace Atkins isn’t already on your summer reading list, put him there . . . The Shameless is some of his best work yet, and a must-read for fans of C.J. Box, Gregg Iles, and Craig Johnson.

In case you missed it, Ace wrote a letter to his hero, Burt Reynolds, two days after his death. Published in Garden & Gun magazine, it’s a beautiful tribute to an iconic Southerner.

Dear Burt –

Damn it to hell. I waited too late to write this letter. We’ve corresponded a few times through your assistant Suzanne, and I’d been meaning to send along my latest novel—dedicated to you. A lot of people this summer have asked me about that dedication. You mean, that Burt Reynolds? I always answer: Is there another?

Do you know him? He reads my books! Burt is a big reader. Have you met him? No. But I will someday.

I hope you knew how much your movies, your cool style, have meant to me both as a writer and a Southerner. After a few bourbons, I’m quick to point out that Smokey and the Bandit wasn’t just a car chase film. It was about us racing into the new South, knocking corrupt cops, racist bikers, and the slow mean old ways the hell out of the way. Each one of those films, those core action movies—Deliverance, White Lightning, Smokey and the Bandit, Sharky’s Machine—had so much to say about the emerging Deep South. The clash of good vs. evil, man vs. nature, the Bandit vs. Buford T. Justice.

To read the rest, click here.

Back home in Oxford tonight with great memories of today's Memphis signing at Davis Kidd. A packed house with non stop signing for more than an hour. But the real fun was getting to meet folks with personal connections to INFAMOUS.

Tonight, I met a man whose father worked on Raynor Street and witnessed the bust by G-Men in 1933. Another woman who attended the signing was the daughter of Memphis detective who busted MGK! *She confirmed the story about ole George taking aleak.

Another brought pho...

It's Monday and I'm spending the day in Machine Gun Kelly's hometown -- and my adopted one -- of Memphis. This morning I sat down for a television interview and the host -- Alex Coleman -- showed me the front page of the Commercial-Appeal. Machine Gun Kelly is back on 1-A where he belongs. Check out the fantastic story by James Dowd and also a great piece by Leonard Gill in the Memphis Flyer.

I'll be on Book Talk later today and then INFAMOUS will be featured on WKNO -- Memphis NPR -- this aft...

About a year ago, my buddy Slade Lewis and I were drinking beer -- not an uncommon occurrence -- and talking a little bit about this new novel I had just wrapped up called INFAMOUS. Slade is a terrific jazz musician who's played in not only some top bands but has also has penned some first-rate scores for documentaries.

We both thought it would be pretty cool if we could somehow turn the idea of INFAMOUS into a throwback 1930s radio serial -- like "Little Orphan Annie" but with more sex and vi...

The last few days I've been out West in Houston and Phoenix -- terrific readings at Murder By the Book and Poisoned Pen. I was fortunate to meet a lot of loyal readers but also have some great food. (Eating good is a key point of book tour.) Check out the photos from the Southside Market in Elgin, Texas and grabbing a little Mexican food last night with my old Auburn teammate Jason Stoft in Scottsdale, Arizona.


Now it's back to my hometown of Oxford, Mississippi where we prepped for Thursday n...

Second week on tour for INFAMOUS and about to leave Austin for Houston. I don't get much downtime between stops but being able to upload a few items from the coffee shop at Bookpeople where I read last night with musician Jesse Sublett.

One of the highlights has been meeting folks with personal connections to the story. The photo of me is with the niece of Oklahoma oilman J.G. Catlett who was the man who paid the Urschel ransom to George Kelly. For more on Catlett's role in the kidnapping affa...

Headed to Texas this a.m. I have two dates on Sunday. I'll be in Plano at 1 p.m. at Legacy Books and then headed to Austin for a signing at BookPeople at 7 p.m.. (Do check out the fantastic article on INFAMOUS in today's Austin American-Statesman).

Texas is deep INFAMOUS territory and I'll be driving down those same roads as George and Kathryn, eventually leading to tonight's Murder Ballad Show -- I imagine plenty of tunes by our friend, Johnny Cash -- played by Texas music legend, Jesse...

Hello from the road. After two days, I have about fifteen minutes before hitting the road again and heading to the Alabama Book Festival in Montgomery. I'll be reading and signing today -- Saturday -- at 2 p.m. and then heading west for dates in Plano, Austin, and Houston. On Tuesday, I'll be in Phoenix to sign at the Poisoned Pen. And then it's back to my hometown of Oxford for the big Thacker Mountain Radio show. This is going to be in the historic Lyric theater with actors portraying the p...

After two years of research and writing, the authentic story of gangster George "Machine Gun" Kelly finally hits stores across the country. My first stop Thursday will be in Huntsville, Alabama to pick up Book of the Year honors for Wicked City from the Alabama Library Association. Then it's onto Birmingham to be interviewed for PBS's Book Notes hosted by Don Noble and then a signing at Alabama Booksmith at 6 p.m.
The big event takes place Friday night in Atlanta at the Decatur Public Library ...