With his longtime deputy Lillie Virgil now working up in Memphis, Quinn Colson finds himself having to fall back on some brand-new deputies to help him out, but with Old West-style violence breaking out, and his own wedding on the horizon, this is without a doubt Colson's most trying time as sheriff.
The Quinn Colson series just keeps getting better and better. Its blend of country noir and badass humor is as smooth as three fingers of Gentleman Jack, and its ensemble cast is uniformly rich ... Atkins throws [a] gallimaufry of characters together in a roller coaster of a plot that’s alternately blood-splattered and tenderhearted, the latter driven by the fact that Quinn’s imminent wedding looms over the whole shebang. If you like country noir, and you haven’t visited Tibbehah County, you’re overdue for a road trip.
There’s a lot going on in The Sinners ... The Sinners has plenty of breathless suspense and explosive violence, but it’s also a funny book. The series has always had its funny moments, but maybe wisecracking Spenser is influencing Quinn, or maybe the wedding lightens things up. This whole novel is laced with humor, much of it mordant and profane.
Atkins constructs his series to be equally a look at the criminal invasion in Quinn’s part of Mississippi and a story about families – a technique that provides balance to The Sinners ... Atkins maintains the sense of community that flows through [Tibbehah County]. The Sinners showcases the beauty of Mississippi, from its fields to the winding Natchez Trace ... Atkins, who also is continuing the late Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels, delivers a solid thriller with The Sinners, while leaving plenty of story threads for the ninth installment in this series.
