Ace Atkins is the New York Times bestselling author of the Quinn Colson novels, the first two of which—The Ranger and The Lost Ones—were nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel (he also has a third Edgar nomination for his short story, “Last Fair Deal Gone Down”). In addition, he is the author of several New York Times bestselling novels in the continuation of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series. Before turning to fiction, he was a correspondent for the St. Petersburg Times, a crime reporter for the Tampa Tribune, and, in college, played defensive end for the undefeated Auburn University football team (for which he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated). He lives in Oxford, Mississippi.
Praise for Wicked City
“Atkins is a proud torch-bearer of a literary tradition that
includes William Faulkner—but there's nothing derivative about this
novel, only emergence of a great new voice in American
fiction.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“Gritty, well-plotted, fascinating...Atkins' unflinching
storytelling echoes the best of James Ellroy and James
Crunley.”—South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“A hot read that's got adroit reportage in the right places—and
juicy pulp in the better places.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Wicked City is Ace Atkins' best novel.”—The Washington Post
Atkins's richly detailed but scattered sixth novel draws on the history of a real town, Phenix City, Ala., which in 1954 was overrun with gambling, prostitution and moonshine. When Albert Patterson, the state's recently elected attorney general, is gunned down on the street, the town's antivice group vows to bring the murderer to justice. Ex-boxer and family man Lamar Murphy leads the charge, with the rest of the Russell County Betterment Association (RBA) following suit. There are crooked characters at every turn, from the lecherous Deputy Bert Fuller, who personally inspects and "catalogues" the city's prostitutes, to Fannie Belle, a brothel madam with a habit of collecting husbands. Even when the town falls under martial law and Lamar is appointed interim sheriff, the "redneck mafia" will do anything to prevent Phenix City from going straight. Atkins (White Shadow) spares no punches in detailing the town's depravity, but the result is less a coherent story and more a snapshot of a bygone era. Readers will struggle with the many names and shifting alliances, while the climax and resolution are anything but surprising. Author tour. (Apr.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
Praise for Wicked City
"Atkins is a proud torch-bearer of a literary tradition that
includes William Faulkner-but there's nothing derivative about this
novel, only emergence of a great new voice in American
fiction."-Chicago Sun-Times
"Gritty, well-plotted, fascinating...Atkins' unflinching
storytelling echoes the best of James Ellroy and James
Crunley."-South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"A hot read that's got adroit reportage in the right places-and
juicy pulp in the better places."-San Francisco Chronicle
"Wicked City is Ace Atkins' best novel."-The Washington Post
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