The Ranger is a crime novel written by Ace Atkins and introduces Army Ranger Quinn Colson into the pantheon of literary crime busters. It was first published in 2011.
Quinn Colson has returned to his home state of Mississippi to attend the funeral of his uncle, who served as sheriff of Tibbehah County. It was said that the sheriff had taken his own life, but one of his deputies is not buying it and mentions as much to Quinn. Quinn gets curious enough to uncover all manner of corruption and meth dealing. He has been in the Army for a long time and has plenty of skill and a few allies to help him survive the nights.
Colson is one of these stoic tough guys with a rather traumatic family upbringing. He is a fairly interesting protagonist, but there is nothing extraordinary that stands out all that much. On the other hand, this is Atkins’ debut of what was a new character at that time. Atkins also is the writer who continues the Spenser series on behalf of the late Robert B. Parker. I was intrigued enough to try out his original works. Atkins is a talented writer and is well suited for this genre. There is not much that makes him a standout in this genre, but he is competent, and Quinn is just interesting enough for me to see what else is in store for him.
Andy Weir had some significant success with The Martian, which I enjoyed reading a few years ago, Hopefully, the enjoyment will be matched with Artemis, which is the next reading indulgence.
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