Forsaken

Written by B.J. Daniels

Narrated by Graham Winton

Danger runs high and passions burn hot in Montana's wild country Big-city detective Bentley Jamison is a long way from home in the Beartooth wilderness when one of local rancher Maddie Conner's ranch hands goes missing. Towering mountains and a small, tight community are as unfamiliar to Jamison as herding sheep, but he's never shied away from a challenge. As the new deputy sheriff, he's sworn to protect every inch of this rough terrain-starting with unraveling a mystery that has left Maddie a wide-open target. Maddie's as beautiful-and untamable-as the land around them. Like Jamison, she won't back down from danger. But desire that flares hotter than their tempers only raises the stakes when a fierce storm traps them in the high mountains. Caught in a killer's sights, Jamison and Maddie must trust one another, because now survival.and love.are all that matter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490639550

B.J. Daniels

New York Times and USA Today bestselling authorB.J. Daniels lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, and two springerspaniels. When not writing, she quilts, boats and always has a book or two to read. Contact her at www.bjdaniels.com, on Facebook at B.J. Daniels or through her reader group the B.J.Daniels' Big Sky Darlings, and on twitter at bjdanielsauthor.

Reviews for Forsaken

[ftbooklover · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was disappointing. B J Daniels was a new author for me, but I'd read for months what a great book this was, so I purchased it with high hopes. It was a pretty good book, but nothing stood out for me as being outstanding. It was a little light on the romance, as the two main characters didn't seem to consider each other romantically until the book was about 2/3 complete. The mystery was good, but fairly predictable.

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book with three storylines. There is the developing romance between Jamison and Maddie, the drug runners trying to recover their drugs, and the sheriff's ongoing problems with his ex-wife. The romance was at times intense, but also believable as Jamison and Maddie have to let go of their pasts and learn to trust each other. The drug runners are determined to recover their loot but, not knowing the Montana wilderness, need to get some help without giving away their reasons. And Sheriff Frank Curry has to figure out how to stop his apparently unbalanced ex-wife from attacking him and going after the woman he cares for. There is enough going on that I couldn't put it down until I had finished it.I liked Jamison and Maddie. Jamison is a former homicide detective from New York City who has come to Montana to get away from his memories back home. He is recently divorced from a wife who ended up not respecting what he chose to do with his career. She left him feeling like he hadn't been good enough for her. Montana is a whole different world and when he is called on to investigate the disappearance of Maddie's sheepherder he is somewhat out of his element. Maddie herself is unlike any woman he had ever known before. He is attracted to her but tries to fight it because of the circumstances. Though he knows nothing of sheep ranching, he has to go with Maddie to the high pastures to investigate. I loved the way that he constantly surprises her with his ability to adapt to his surroundings. Even though he is a "greenhorn" thanks to things in his own past (thank you Boy Scout camp!) he is able to keep up with her and be of real help. Jamison starts to think less about what is back in New York and to appreciate and enjoy the Montana wilderness. By the end he has to decide whether to return to his old life or embrace the possibilities of a new one.Maddie is very independent and doesn't want to rely on anyone. She lost her husband and son in an avalanche four years earlier and has buried herself in her ranch work ever since, not letting anyone get close. With the disappearance of her sheepherder, she has to accept Jamison's presence as they look for him. She looks down on him quite a bit at first, thinking that there is no way he will be able to do what needs to be done to get to the high pastures where the sheep are and Branch disappeared. She is surprised at how capable he turns out to be. She is also attracted to him, which really surprises her. As they work together she discovers that there is more to him that she thought and the attraction grows stronger. I loved seeing her let go of some of her iron grip on her feelings and lean a little bit on Jamison's strength. By the end she had to decide if she was going to hold on to her grief or move on to a happier future.The suspense portion of the story, with the disappearance of the sheepherder and its connection to the drug runners kept me turning the pages until the end. As we see more and more of them through the book the danger grows more intense to everyone who comes in contact with them. Their connection to a Beartooth native creates danger for him also as he is pulled unknowlingly into their problems. It was interesting to see the interactions among them, giving new meaning to the phrase "no honor among thieves". There were a couple interesting twists at the end. I'll be interested to see if there is any continuation of the storyline in the next book.Sheriff Frank Curry is still trying to help his daughter, continuing his story from Redemption. When his ex-wife shows up in Beartooth and attacks him he worries about what she might do to his friend Lynette. Pam is able to avoid any charges and makes it look like she is a victim instead. Frank tries to pull away from Lynette to protect her, but doesn't tell her that's what he's doing. This creates mixed signals to her, creating tension between them. I'll be interested to see how this story progresses.

[phenshaw-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My Booklist review:Daniels’ third Beartooth Mountains book entwines two concurrent stories set in Montana outside the boundary of Yellowstone Park. In one, former New York City homicide detective Bentley Jamison, now a sheriff’s deputy, is called to the sheep ranch of Maddie Conner when her sheepherder’s teenage assistant returns to the ranch covered with blood and babbling about aliens in the mountains. When Maddie and Bentley ask where the sheepherder is and if the older man is hurt, the teen doesn’t answer, so Maddie and Bentley saddle up to look for him. While they make their way to the upper pasture, Sheriff Frank Curry is surprised when his former wife, Pam, attacks him with a baseball bat. Then, when he files charges against her, a judge swears Pam was at home that night. Daniels delves into drug running and vendettas that will keep readers on the edge of their chairs from beginning to end, adding only a little romance to lighten the grim tales.— Pat Henshaw

[mrslabraden · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was disappointing. B J Daniels was a new author for me, but I'd read for months what a great book this was, so I purchased it with high hopes. It was a pretty good book, but nothing stood out for me as being outstanding. It was a little light on the romance, as the two main characters didn't seem to consider each other romantically until the book was about 2/3 complete. The mystery was good, but fairly predictable.

[rhonda1111 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4 STARSForsaken basically has three different plot lines going. The main one is good. That has the new Deputy Bentley Jamison from New York answers a call about something is wrong at Maddie Conner's Sheep camp up in the high County.Maddie's tender a young man has come down from the sheep camp in terror. He is covered with blood, in shock saying that her Long time Shepard is missing. No one is watching her sheep.So Bentley and Maddie head up the mountain on horseback to find what is going on. Bentley is going up as a cop. The theme that runs through Beartooth, Montana series is the Sheriff ex-wife Pam has decided that she is going make life terrible for him. She has not seen him in decades. She has hidden the knowledge that he has a daughter and raised her to hate him and the women he loved as a teenager.The daughter has been arrested for trying to kill him is in a mental hospital. Now he finds her at his house with a baseball bat smashing his belongings and some attacks him from behind and beats him up. Pam has a Judge that is a witness that she never left his ranch and has got a restraining order against the Sheriff.The third plot line runs into the first and could ruin story if I say anything about it.Most of the story takes place high in the Montana mountains not to far from Yellowstone. It is a beautiful setting for the story.The characters are likeable and you find yourself rooting for the good characters and the bad guys to be caught. Some of the characters you are not sure if they are good or bad guys till the story unfolds.Good suspense in the story kept me from guessing a lot of the mystery in the story. I was able to guess a little bit of what has happened. The story kept moving at a good pace. I stayed up late to finish the book. Did not want to put it down.There were a couple of love scenes that I skipped over. lots of action, drama, romance and some violence in the book.I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of the book from NetGalley and Harlequin.Publisher: Harlequin HQN (September 24, 2013) 384 pages ISBN-10: 0373777809

[perednia_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another well-written entry in the compelling Quinn Colson series. This tale of a small town in the deep South, where memories last long and the past still matters, is a gem.

[vicki_weisfeld · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This crime thriller series featuring Jericho, Mississippi, sheriff Quinn Colson has been widely praised as offering “a new standard for Southern crime novels.” I haven’t read the others in the series or perhaps enough Southern crime literature to judge, but I’m puzzled by that characterization. Perhaps it’s inevitable, as cultural homogenization and Wal-Mart have taken over this country, but the people didn’t behave, speak, think, or live in a landscape that seemed uniquely Southern to me.The principal character—Sheriff Quinn Colson—didn’t come off the page. He’s kind of laid back, kind of taciturn, kind of boring. I definitely did enjoy several of the women characters: smart-ass Chief Deputy Sheriff Lillie Virgil (good banter with Colson) and townswoman-with-a-fractured-past Diana Tull. The assorted criminals, low-lifes, and ne’er-do-wells were mostly off-putting and two-dimensional. Also, is it really necessary for there to be a beheading any time Mexicans are involved in a story? It seems like authorial shorthand to show how badass they are. (We’ve reached a sorry state when fictional beheading can become ho-hum, though it is definitely not in The Cartel, reviewed last Friday.)The set-up of the novel is this: In 1977, 17-year-old Diana Tull and her 14-year-old girlfriend Lori Stillwell were abducted on a lonely country road by a badly scarred black man driving a gleaming Monte Carlo. Diana was raped, shot, and left for dead, and Lori was murdered. Within days a local motorcycle gang, the Born Losers (apt, that) vowed to avenge these crimes on behalf of their member, Lori’s father, and abduct a black loner, beat him, and lynch him. Sheriff Colson’s absent father—a former Hollywood stunt man—was loosely affiliated with the biker gang and witnessed the execution. Colson’s uncle, the former sheriff, allowed the crime to take place and didn’t investigate, following the precepts of the “let sleeping dogs lie” school of law enforcement, which he continued to follow, even when Diana told him she’d seen the murderer again, several weeks after the crime. The lynched man lived alone in a shack in the woods, owned practically nothing and certainly no fancy car; nor did he have the terrible scars that Diana described. Why the townspeople are surprised to eventually learn the wrong man was lynched is a mystery in itself.Fast-forward to the current day, and the pot is boiling: the old sheriff is dead and replaced by his nephew Quinn; Diana is a successful store-owner who, initially egged on by Lori’s father—now an impoverished drunk—has decided for reasons not entirely clear to reignite the investigation into the tragedy of the murder and lynching; and Chains LeDoux, the leader of the Born Losers in its heyday is about to be released from state prison. To his credit, Sheriff Quinn is not ready to consign the resurfaced lynching to the cold case file, and investigating it predictably causes all kinds of secrets to slither out of the woodwork. I’m prepared to believe readers of Atkins’s other four novels in this series have become attached to the characters and may like this one better than I did. While the theme of revisiting past crimes and depredations in order to establish responsibility is worthy, in this book, we learn next-to-nothing about the nameless victim of the lynching, enabling scant emotional investment in the crime’s unraveling.Atkins has received many award nominations in the genre and was selected by the Robert B. Parker estate to continue writing books for the popular Spenser private investigator series.

[zmagic69 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It is hard to believe this book is part of a series that I really liked. The story is boring the characters are stale and boring and what is it going to take to get a new bad guy because the play between Mr Staggs and Quinn Colson is becoming comical like that of Batman and the Joker. This was so slow and boring I believe I am done with the series unless someone can give me a really good reason to read the next one.

[brendajanefrank · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“Forsaken” is the fourth book in the Quinn Colson series. Colson is a former Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan who can take care of himself and everybody else. Now living in Jericho, Mississippi near his family, Quinn applies his skills, talents and experience to the job of Sheriff in this small town.“Forsaken” is easier to grasp if you have read one or more of the series about Quinn Colson, his sister Caddy, nephew Jason, mother and father. Atkins doesn’t give you much of the Colson back-story, just assuming that you already have the history. I had read just one in the series, “The Lost Ones,” but it gave me the needed background.Atkins write about what he knows. Like Quinn Colson, Atkins lives on an historic farm in Mississippi. While working at the Tampa Tribune, he won a Pulitzer Prize nomination for a feature series based on his investigation into a forgotten murder of the 1950s. “The Forgotten” centers on a cold case opened by Sheriff Quinn Colson concerning a lynching taken place in Jericho, Mississippi 36 years ago.The chapters in “Forsaken” switch between the time of the lynching, 1977, and the present. This book was a slow starter for me because without any factual introduction, it leaps into the circumstances and dialogue occurring during the old crime, then goes to the legal difficulties being experienced by Sheriff Quinn Colson and his deputy Lillie Virgil. If you just stick with it, the explanatory details unravel, but not in an orderly fashion. Once I caught onto the plot and subplots, I was hooked. This method does require some patience of the reader.“Forsaken’s” dialogue is delicious, redolent of the expressions and flavors of the Deep South. The characters all feel authentic - the Red Necks; the outlaw bikers; the rich citizen pulling political strings while supplying folks with pole dancers, prostitutes and booze; and the Christian types.I liked “Forgotten” enough to find and read the earlier two books in the Colson series and look forward to reading the next.

[judithdcollins · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ace Adkins’ The Forsaken (Quinn Colson Series #4) is a Deep South series, of small town politics, corruption, and dirty secrets.

A nameless black man wanders into a small Mississippi town, and two days later is lynched for rape and murder he did not commit.

Thirty-six years later Sherriff Colson attempts to track down the true culprit of the crime; however, as in most small towns, some secrets are not meant to be uncovered. He handles hot and cold cases from the past with corruption, drug dealing, and crime.

As Tibbehah County is recovering from tornadoes, Sherriff Colson and his deputy are being investigated for their actions. Colson and his female Deputy Sherriff, Lillie Virgil are being framed for shooting a corrupt police officer with the implicit suggestion that if they go after a 30 year old cold case to catch the killer then all would be taken care of.

Corrupt county commissioner and Johnny Stagg are both behind the investigation to control Quinn for their own purposes—connecting to leader of a biker gang Stagg fears who is about to be released from prison, all tie back to the crime in 1977.

Full of dirty secrets of the past and family history, for some redneck southern politics, power, corruption, strip clubs, and drugs and small town manipulation.

I thought the book had a good setup; however, never fully got into it, possibly because of the narrator of the audiobook, Brian D'Arcy James, as he had the most annoying voice, which ruined the overall performance.

[mikedraper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In a novel that takes place in Jericho, Mississippi, there were occasions when I felt that I was reading a John Grisham story.Ace Atkins has talent for dialogue and description that goes together to give his readers a real feel for the action evolving before us. I've enjoyed his Robert B. Parker novels and was highly entertained with his new novel.A shootout takes place before the action of the story gets underway and Sheriff Quinn Carlson and his chief deputy are under investigation for their roles in it.The central story involves a teenage girl, Diane Tull, who is raped - along with her teenage girlfriend. Then the rapist, a black man, shot both girls, killing Diane's friend. Men from the community became enraged and searched for the criminal. Then, they took the law into their own hands.However, a number of weeks later, Diane saw the real rapist in town. When she tried to let others know, they didn't want to listen.Now, thirty-seven-years later, Diane tells Quinn what she knows and asks him to reopen the case.We've all read stories where the wrong man was accused and made to pay for another's crime. The manner in which Ace Atkins writes makes the reader see how this could happen and wonder if it could be resolved.Very entertaining story with good characters and a fine plot.

[sherrilee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Strong, interesting writing and plot. The characters have all changed and matured along as the series has grown. Quinn and his family are unusual and a little hard to get to know, but once you do... they are real and complicated and believable. Start with book one in the series though -- otherwise all the connections are fairly complex.

[maryjensen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While this was a good nook, I feel like I missed something by not having read the first three books in the series. I will make a concerted effort to read the other three boops and then revisit this review. Until then, this was a good book, but not a great one.

[mugsynoir · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In The Forsaken, Ace Atkins fourth Quinn Colson novel about Tibbehah County and the town of Jerricho in rural Mississippi, Colson has his hands full. He’s facing an upcoming reelection campaign and he and his chief deputy, Lillie Vernon, fear they are being investigated for possible corruption and murder charges from a previous adventure. A motorcycle gang that ran around the area years ago when Colson’s uncle was sheriff is making a comeback and now a local store owner, Diane Tull, has related a story that has Quinn revisiting a case from long ago that few locals are interested in seeing reopened. Thirty-six years ago, Diane Tull and Lori Stilwell, were abducted at gun point. Diane survived, but Lori didn’t. Diane described the perpetrator in some detail, but that didn’t mean much to the wild gang that was out for vengeance. Their rage resulted in the death of a homeless black veteran who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now years later, Diane has been encouraged to put things right and she thinks the honest and forthright Quinn is the man to do it.Adding to that mix is Johnny Stagg, a local business owner and manipulator who is an ongoing thorn in Quinn’s side. Stagg attempts to portray legitimacy through wholly illegitimate methods and often runs up against Colson’s moral code. In relation to a couple of Quinn’s problems, Stagg hopes to show Colson that as the enemy of his enemy, he can be Colson’s friend. Colson is a skeptic.The Forsaken is Atkins at his best. His plotting seems effortless as he lays out his story piece by piece, managing the various sub-plots with dexterity and a keen sense of timing. Nothing is rushed. Characters are fully realized and complex. From hero to villain, they are multi-dimensional and fill a necessary place in the narrative. Throughout The Forsaken Atkins uses flashbacks for back story and character development during that time 36-years ago. The flashbacks also fill in Colson’s family back story, which is a welcome addition to understanding Quinn as he is today. The Forsaken is a satisfying read that shows Atkins is one of the best mystery authors writing today. Rating A+

[unkletom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

‘The Forsaken’ is the 4th book in prolific author Ace Atkins series starring Mississippi Sheriff Quinn Colson. It picks up shortly after the previous volume, ‘Broken Places’ leaves off with the people of Jericho picking up the pieces after a killer tornado and Quinn and his deputy Lillie Virgil are facing charges stemming from a shootout that took place in the aforementioned previous volume.I have not read any Quinn Colson books before now and at first I felt a bit out of the loop but I soon realized that all I really needed to know to get by is that there was a tornado and a shootout and that local Boss Hog character Johnny Stagg was probably involved in one or maybe both of them. Once past that, the story moves on to the current case, if a 36 year-old rape and murder can be considered current. Quinn, an ex-airborne ranger who became sheriff after returning home from a career in the Army, is asked to look into the cold case by a woman who, along with a friend, was raped, shot and left for dead. Follow by the lynching of a man who may have been innocent. The case gets complicated when it begins to appear that Quinn’s father may have been involved in the lynching. Bottom line: The Forsaken reads like Walking Tall with biker gangs thrown in. I’m not saying it isn’t entertaining but don’t expect too much in the way of profundity. If you like guys in white hats who kick ass, Quinn Colson is for you.*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review book was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

[bjkelley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How good a writer is Ace Atkins...well he smoothly took over Robert B. Parker's Spenser series and can also write in his own style in his Quinn Colson series. In both instances Atkins proves himself to be a very capable author. The Forsaken was a great story and I guess my only quibble would be one plot point was resolved a little too easy at the end of the book, making it seem like it wasn't as important as it had appeared to be during the story.

[samsattler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Quinn Colson series just keeps getting better and better. Readers who have read all four books in the current series have grown to love and admire many of the characters in the books - but are probably still more than a little bit curious about how those characters grew into the people they are today. While Ace Atkins has revealed bits and pieces of character-background in the previous three books, it is in "The Forsaken" that we finally learn the more intimate details of Colson family history.Much has changed in Jericho, Mississippi since Quinn's father was the local sheriff. And much has not changed. Unfortunately for Quinn, it is those things that have not changed that are making his job as the current sheriff so difficult. This time around, one of the baddest of the bad guys from Jericho's past is about to be released from prison - and he intends to come back to town to settle the score with everyone he believes helped put him away twenty years ago. It is up to Quinn and his small group of deputies to stop the trouble but Quinn will quickly find out that the Colsons are more deeply involved in this new crime spree than he ever imagined. Now what?Quinn Colson fans, don't miss this one. It's the best one yet.

[pierced_phoenix · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was a real struggle for me to get through. It was all over the place with the plot, and I think that because it was the fourth book of a series that there may have been information lost. It was hard to keep track with the sitching of the timlines and locations. It had potential, but it just wasn't my kind of book. The characters were well developed, I just felt it was missing something. Perhaps that "cant-put-down" feeling.

[jasbo49 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Readers of Ace Atkins' Quinn Colson series will probably find this to their liking. Although this is the fourth book in the series, it's the second book for me (I read "The Ranger," the first book, then this). Atkins is a good story teller, revealing things bit by bit in a not-necessarily-linear fashion. It's an appealing style. He also doesn't waste a lot of time or words on stuff that doesn't matter.Where I'm less than sold is the cast of characters. They just aren't people I want to spend a lot of time with. It's a little like an Elmore Leonard novel in which there are no really good guys and you're just supposed to be swept along in the flurry of action. Quinn is a decent enough sort and has some interesting relationships, but he's not somebody I want to saddle up and ride next to. His chief deputy Lillie is a tough cookie, but again, not someone I want to hang with.Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I'd rather spend my reading time with a Laurence Shames cast of characters, or a book by C.J. Box or David Rosenfelt, in which the Good Guys are easily identifiable and ready to invite you along for the ride.

[ehousewright-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At one point in the book Quinn Colson strongly considers just leaving his deep south home town to continue life elsewhere. Honestly, given the crime-drenched atmosphere he endures daily, I think that would be a good move. Atkins draws larger-than-life characters, with the “good” strongly outnumbered by the “bad”. To be fair, there is some complexity, such as with Quinn’s own parents, and at least one surprise, but most people are firmly in their category. And unfortunately greed, racism, violence, secrecy and out and out depravity are all too common. Those who succeed are strong and know how to stand up for themselves, usually because they too have lived through a horror of their own. I think it is helpful (necessary?) to have read the other books in the series in order to fully grasp the nuances of the story. In addition to regular relationships of family, school or professions Atkins also explores bonds that are forged between those with other shared backgrounds such as military service, gangs or shared tragedies. It is interesting to see when people draw the line and separate themselves from the inclusiveness and sense of belonging that these shared experiences can engender. The story is told from alternating perspectives and time frames, a technique that Atkins handles well. He does have his main characters state, and believe, that the way of life in the South is changing, that the “old ways” will not stand up to new ways of thinking. But in the meantime, it’s sure difficult to spend time there.

[kellyreeder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an early review for LibraryThing. Having never read any of the other Quinn Colson series, I was Leary about not being able to follow the story. The story started off a little slow, and I would put the book down and start reading something else. I felt that the plot wasn't going anywhere, with too many character's subplots going on at once. About half way though the book, things started to come together, and I could start rooting for the main character, Quinn. Overall the book was okay, I felt like something was missing. I wanted to know more of Quinn's gritty background. I will say that I am interested enough to get the first book in the series from the library to see what I missed.

[jjking_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is not my first Ace Atkins book but its my first Quinn Colson book. I found the story very interesting, it may have started off slow, but the ending makes up for everything. Hope to get my hands on more of Quinn Colson story. ENJOYED

[randal37 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this is the first book I read in this series and it took me a little while to get into this book. I do feel it started out depending to much on the backstory and was difficult to get into. About half way through the it really picked up and was a fun ride. This was a good enough book that I am going to start the Series from the begining.

[satxreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had a hard time getting into this book at first -- I felt like I should have read the previous one to have a better handle on the backgrounds of the characters. Fortunately it didn't take long for the story to reach out and grab me. There were still some character background details that were referred to, which were not explained, so I guess I'll just have to backtrack a bit by reading "The Broken Places". After finishing "The Forsaken", I'm looking forward to it.

[sprocto · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Forsaken quickly pulled me into a thoroughly engrossing world of crime and corruption in rural Mississippi. The world of Quinn Colson is not a place I would like to live, but having read my first Ace Atkins novel, it is a place I will enjoy visiting.

[jacqklueh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Forsaken is a wonderfully intriguing book. The Quinn Colson series takes place in rural Mississippi in the town of Jericho. The characters are very believable, readers will identify well with the characters and the story line. The book is well developed with well-rounded characters. The writing is excellent and the story line will keep the reader engaged. This story centers around the killing of a law enforcement officer and the accused killer is also an officer. I don’t want to give away too much of the story line. I wish I had read the earlier books and plan to real soon! I am hooked on this writer and hope that there are more books in this series and soon!

[pmelchior_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fans of Sheriff Quin Colson won't be disappointed in this follow-up to the third book in Atkins' series. It's a fast-moving story with familiar Southern themes drawing on Colson's past — and revealing much about him in the process. Small town Southern politics, racial tensions and a touch of romance.

[librarian1204 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ace Atkins has the ability to take you to Mississippi and immerse you in the lives of his characters. He knows the area and the people who make up the small towns. As a result when you read one of the Quinn Colson series you are there. You can feel the atmosphere of good and evil, you know the history and you know the characters. This book helps fill in some gaps in the readers' knowledge of Quinn's daddy. The same bad guys, the same good ones. Everyone flawed in their own way. The book is a fast read but not a shallow one. Fleshed out characters, a very descriptive setting, and lots of action will make this book an excellent addition to the series. Reviewed from an ARC from LibraryThing.

[alohaboy_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ace Atkins has scored again with The Forsaken. I would give the latest entry in the Quinn Colson series more than five stars if it were possible. Each of the characters has grown since we first met them in The Ranger mirroring the life they live in a rural Mississippi town, Jericho. The characters are all quite believable—from ex-Army Ranger and now sheriff Quinn Colson, wise cracking deputy sheriff and sharpshooter Lillie Virgil, Colson’s childhood friend and one-armed ex military Boom, and Colson’s wayward sister, Caddy, trying to forget her former wild side and now live and lead by Christian example.The book evokes a real sense of place that captures small town America, the plot keeps the reader wondering what will happen on the next page, and the dialogue is some of the best being written today. For example, the town barber, Mr. Jim, while cutting Quinn Colson’s hair asks, “Do people ever do something just for the right of it?” and local senior, Mr. Varner, responds, “Did they ever? I spent my whole life in Jericho and heard about stuff that would’ve mad Norman Rockwell xxxx his drawers.” In this volume Quinn Colson must answer alleged murder charges that he and his deputy, Lillie, killed a fellow law enforcement officer (occurred in the previous book, The Broken Places), deal with a thirty year old cold case, a biker gang, and corrupt county supervisor John Stagg and his drug dealing. Quinn’s long absent father also makes an appearance that throws new light on his mother’s odd behavior and the father becomes central to solving the cold case.I recommend that any reader run to their local bookstore and buy the first three books in the series and read them in order. By the time you get to The Forsaken you will be looking forward to meeting Quinn and the gang once again. I keep looking for them at my local diner as they seem like the type to show up there!