by Ace Atkins
First published 2012
Quinn Colson trades his Army Ranger uniform for a sheriff's badge in Tibbehah County, Mississippi. Ten years of military service prepared him for combat, but not for the corruption festering in his hometown. Two cases land on his desk simultaneously. His old friend who owns a gun shop gets tangled up with thieves selling stolen military rifles to Mexican drug cartels. Meanwhile, Quinn and his deputy Lillie Virgil investigate child abuse that leads them into an illegal adoption ring. The criminals buying and selling babies leave bodies in their wake. Quinn discovers the gun smuggling and baby trafficking operations connect in ways he never expected. Both cases threaten to overwhelm the new sheriff's department. Quinn and Lillie must use every skill they learned in war to survive what awaits them at home.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Mexico, Mississippi, Tibbehah County
Period: 21st-century
339 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: child-abuse, violence