The Fallen

Ace Atkins Putnam The Ace Atkins novels about Quinn Colson, a former Army Ranger turned sheriff, takes place in Mississippi’s rural Tibbehah County, where the largest town is the small Jericho. But Edgar finalist Atkins uses this as a microcosm of the world in The Fallen.

Corruption, politics, crime, dirty deals and people trying to lead honest lives all converge here as Atkins succinctly shows in his seventh superb novel about Quinn.

The Fallen also looks at the effects of war on veterans returning home, a situation Quinn knows all too well.

Quinn’s responsibilities as sheriff are fraught with crisis. His region of Mississippi is being plagued by a series of bank robberies in which the criminals wear Donald Trump masks. The masks aren’t political to the robbers, only a way to get attention. Their methods and efficiency indicate to Quinn they may be former military members. So far, no one has been killed during the robberies, but Quinn believes the violence will soon escalate.

Corruption also is seeping into the county through a strip bar run by the ruthless Fannie Hathcock, who may be responsible for the disappearance of two teenage girls. No one cares about those girls except Quinn’s sister Caddy, who runs an outreach program for abused women. Atkins pulls together several plot lines into a cohesive, story about a community strengthened by its character studies. Oline H. Cogdill, The Associated Press