The shameless by Ace Atkins

From the book synopsis:New revelations on a notorious local cold case raise ghosts of the past in the newest thriller from New York Times-bestselling author Ace Atkins.

Twenty years ago, teenager Brandon Taylor walked into the Big Woods north of Tibbehah County, Mississippi, and never returned. For former Army Ranger-turned-sheriff Quinn Colson, the Taylor case has particular meaning. As a ten-year-old, Colson had been lost in those same woods, and came back from them alive and a local legend.

Years later, bones of a child are found in the woods, confirming for many the end to the Taylor story. As the case reopens, some point fingers to Quinn's uncle, the former sheriff, who took his own life in a cloud of corruption and shame. Still, Quinn's wife, Maggie, can't believe it. As a childhood friend of the Taylor boy, she thinks there's a darker conspiracy at work. Letters she receives from a mysterious inmate at a Tennessee state pen may hold the answers.

With a heated election for governor on the horizon and the strengthening of a criminal syndicate's death grip on the state, Quinn's search for answers will upset the corruption that's plagued his home since before he came back from Afghanistan. Greed, false piety, power, bigotry, and dirty deals make for a dangerous mix he knows all too well.



My thoughts: The Shameless is the ninth novel in the series and the first one I've read by this author. I just jumped in without knowing anything about the setting or the characters, no expectations at all. The book didn't disappoint- you have a new Quinn Colson fan here. The author provides enough background to understand the most salient points of what happened in the series prior to this instalment. The characters are well-developed and you know straightaway which side you are on. I loved the realtionship between Maggie and Quinn, Boom, Caddy, Jean, Brandon, Jayson, Cleotha...and the list goes on. You see, Ace Atkins makes you fall in love with the characters and you will want to come back and read the sequel.
An extremely unpleasant political candidate with no scruples or moral compass is about to get elected. He has ties to local criminal world and the queen of shady business who will not stop until she has control of everything she can get her hands on. In the meantime, Tashi Coleman,a New York journalist, comes to investigate an old story of a fifteen year old boy who got lost in the Tibbehah woods and whose body was found with a bullet in his head. She suspects the police were involved, so there is a good chance for an important story. Was it really a suicide or a brutal murder that goes back to twenty years ago? Tashi is definitely going to ask questions and stir some trouble in the process.
Having thoroughly enjoyed this novel, I'll be looking forward to the next title in the series.
Thank you to Edelweiss and G.P.Putnam's sons for the ARc provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

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