... a tale that should please longtime fans and newcomers alike ... a great deal of suspense comes from whether TJ and her little band of desperados will be caught on their interstate flight and who will nab them ... The Heathens may put one in the mind of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in all of the best ways ... Atkins continues to pepper his narrative and dialogue with homespun and regional colloquialisms from a seemingly and hopefully bottomless well. They are worth the price of admission all by themselves, though Atkins’ straightforward plotting and well-turned prose will keep you in your seat reading, which is as it should be.
Besides rethinking a tragic criminal case, The Heathens also continues the series’ terrific examination of rural crime and values, kicking over shibboleths to show off the good, bad, and ugly of life in the modern South ... this installment is a great jumping-on point for readers new to the series. But be warned: nature abhors a vacuum, and just because Quinn has gotten rid of one set of bad guys doesn’t mean another isn’t waiting to ooze its way into power, as the ending tantalizingly promises.
... exciting, multi-layered ... Atkins's skillful blend of an action-packed pursuit, complicated relationships and a heavy dose of compassion for the young gang elevates The Heathens.
Series lead Quinn takes a back seat here to the foul-mouthed, freewheeling, but utterly endearing TJ, and TJ is more than ready for the limelight. Evoking Edward Anderson’s 1937 country noir Thieves like Us, with a touch of Bonnie and Clyde, Atkins’ hard-edged yet tenderhearted novel will keep readers rooting for TJ and her gang of inadvertent outlaws on the road to the better lives they crave.
... exceptional ... TJ flees town along with her nine-year-old brother, John Wesley, and her boyfriend, pursued by Colson’s friend and former subordinate, Lillie Virgil, now a deputy U.S. Marshal. Atkins artfully alternates between that pursuit and Colson’s search for the people he believes slaughtered Byrd. The diverse cast of characters and their intricate relationships elevate this above most other gritty crime novels. Atkins is writing at the top of his game.
The combustible mixture of variously violent personalities leaves less room than usual for Quinn’s self-critical memories of Hamp Beckett, his late uncle and predecessor, and they seem more out of place than usual when they come. A wild chase with walk-on roles for every lowlife from North Mississippi to New Orleans.
