The Revelators by Ace Atkins

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on July 14, 2020

The Revelators is another eventful chapter in the life of Quinn Colson, the (currently suspended) sheriff of Tibbehah County, Mississippi. There is never a shortage of plot in a Colson novel. Ace Atkins doubles the characterization and triples the story that a typical thriller writer manufactures.

If you haven’t read a Colson novel before, this is probably not the place to start. Atkins does a good job of reminding readers of significant events in earlier novels, but keeping track of the plot and all the characters would be difficult without having a working knowledge of the last three or four books. Since this novel brings a continuing storyline to a close, a reader might want to start fresh with the next one — assuming there is a next one (the last chapter leaves open that possibility). Otherwise, a reader with some free time might want to read each of the ten Quinn Colson novels in order to catch up with one of the better series that thrillerworld has to offer.

When we last saw Quinn, he’d gotten himself shot by a fellow named Sam at the instruction of Fannie Hathcock, who has been responsible for a fair amount of killing in the last few novels. Fannie operates an establishment in Tibbehah County that the locals colorfully describe as a titty bar. Fannie also runs guns and engages in other illegal activities under the protection of a corrupt governor named Jimmy Vardaman. Although the governor removed Quinn from his office as sheriff pending an investigation on trumped up charges of misconduct, Fannie decided he was still a threat to her business and decided to remove him. That Fannie has removed several others (one, in this novel, by hammering his face into goo) has won her some enemies. She carries on because she enjoys the protection not only of the governor but of Brock Tanner, an arrogant self-promoter who has been appointed as sheriff pending the outcome of the investigation into Quinn.

Quinn is coping with pain from gunshot wounds and with a worrying need for the opioids that allow him to function in an unofficial law enforcement role. He has a baby on the way, but he’s assisting with a federal investigation of all the corrupt elements in Tibbehah County. He’s also trying to protect his sister, Caddy Colson, who is making enemies by helping undocumented immigrants. Caddy is unsure what to make of a long-time admirer, recently released from prison but apparently working for Fannie. But she is sure that her pre-teen son Jason is in serious trouble when he disappears with a young girl who, with some other girls from immigrant families, has been abducted.

The plot is even more complicated than the elements that I’ve sketched. The characters, as always, change and struggle with change as they respond to adverse circumstances. Following those changes is one of the pleasures of reading this series. Quinn gets emotional assists from series regulars Boom Kimbrough and Lillie Virgil as well as his wife Maggie. Lillie also helps out with her favorite shotgun.

Background elements, always crucial to the series, focus on Mississippi’s enduring corruption and the unrepentant racism of its significant population of Confederate flag waving residents. The drive to deport undocumented immigrants who have been working productively and peacefully in a job that most Americans would shun — replaced, at the governor’s instigation, by private prison labor — adds additional social relevance to a series that always has a timely take on Mississippi’s stubborn refusal to join the present. The 32 children the deportees leave behind become Caddy’s latest cause.

Atkins’ great gift is to showcase the decency that can be found in every corner of society, even when indecency seems overwhelming. Good people who care about others, not just themselves, come in all colors and nationalities. Atkins always tells good stories about good people. He does it again in The Revelators.

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