The Heathens by Ace Atkins (English) Paperback Book

Description: The Heathens by Ace Atkins Sheriff Quinn Colson and his former deputy Lillie Virgil find themselves on opposite sides of a case for the first time after a woman is found dead and three delinquent teens go on the run.Before he was an Army Ranger who came home to become Tibbehah County Sheriff and take down a corrupt system, Quinn Colson was a kid who got into trouble--a lot of it. So when juvenile delinquent TJ Byrd insists that she doesnt know who killed her mother—an unreliable addict who has disappeared—Quinns inclined to believe her. But no one else does--not the town, not the sheriff in a neighboring county, not her mothers older boyfriend, and certainly not Quinns friend and former deputy, U.S. Marshal Lillie Virgil. The Byrd family has always been trouble, and sixteen-year-old TJ is known for petty theft, fighting, and general hellraising. Shes also no fool, and when she senses shes about to take the fall for her mothers murder, TJ, her boyfriend, her best friend, and her nine-year-old brother go on the run. As Lillie Virgil tracks the kids across a trail of burglaries, stolen cars and even a kidnapping, intent on bringing TJ to justice, Quinn sets out to find the truth back in Tibbehah. Someone has gone to a lot of violent trouble to make TJ and her friends the logical target of the investigation. Its easy, and who cares about a bunch of lawless kids? As the bloody evidence against TJ piles up, Quinn knows someone truly evil is at work here--and that puts TJ and her friends in more danger than they can imagine. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography Ace Atkins is the author of thirty books, including twelve Quinn Colson novels, the first two of which, The Ranger and The Lost Ones, were nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel (he has a third Edgar nomination for his short story "Last Fair Deal Gone Down"). He is the author of nine New York Times-bestselling novels in the continuation of Robert B. Parkers Spenser series. Before turning to fiction, he was a correspondent for the St. Petersburg Times and a crime reporter for the Tampa Tribune, and he played defensive end for Auburn University football. Review "Exceptional. . . Atkins artfully alternates between that pursuit and Colsons 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."−Publishers Weekly (starred)"A rambunctious road novel. . . Evoking Edward Andersons 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."−Booklist (starred review)"The Heathens may put one in the mind of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in all of the best ways... Atkins straightforward plotting and well-turned prose will keep you in your seat reading..."−BookReporter.com Review Quote "Exceptional. . . Atkins artfully alternates between that pursuit and Colsons 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."− Publishers Weekly (starred) "A rambunctious road novel. . . Evoking Edward Andersons 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."− Booklist (starred review) " The Heathens may put one in the mind of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in all of the best ways... Atkins straightforward plotting and well-turned prose will keep you in your seat reading..."−BookReporter.com Excerpt from Book 1 Tanya Jane Byrd, known to her friends as TJ, never gave a damn about being famous. But here she was, four days on the run from Tibbehah County, Mississippi with that girl Chastity passing along the burner phone to show they now had more than a hundred thousand followers on Instagram. They only had six posts, the newest one from just two hours ago after TJ cut her hair boy short, dyed it black as a ravens wing, and made her ultimatum to that cowardly son of a bitch Chester Pratt. She called him out for not only her mothers murder but the money she and her little brother John Wesley were owed. On the forty-five-second clip shot outside the Tri-State Motel in Texarkana, she held up her fist on the diving board to an empty pool and said, "Fair is fair" remembering the line from one of her mothers old VHS tapes in the trailer. "What do you think?" Chastity asked. "I think I better drop that phone into the nearest creek." TJ saying crik as she had her whole life, never caring about talking proper or right. To hell with how other people said it. At seventeen years old, TJ had no intention of being no different than shed always been. Famous leader of the Byrd Gang or not. Five feet tall, skin as white as a china plate, and eyes that folks said reminded them of a Siberian Husky. "When we gonna eat?" John Wesley asked. Her nine-year-old brother lying on the other twin bed, kicking his legs back and forth while watching a show about street racers in Memphis. The host some middle-aged douchebag in sunglasses and a tight tank top to show off his big belly and sleeve tattoos. "We eat when its safe to go out," TJ said. "Damn, John Wesley. You just downed a pack of them little Krispy Kreme donuts. I swear to Christ, your stomach is gonna get us all kilt." In the motel room, it was just her, John Wesley, and Chastity. Holly Harkins, TJs best friend since kindergarten, had decided enough was enough and left them on the side of the road, saying she planned to walk all the way home. Now it was night, they were flat-ass broke, and TJs boyfriend Ladarius had headed out to steal them another car. They stole the one they had now from a marina parking lot back in Hot Springs after escaping the cops and riding in a boat across Lake Hamilton. TJ was worried as hell about Ladarius after the news of their escape from the law had been broadcast damn near everywhere. Grisly Discovery. Teenage Lovers on the Run. It had been more than a week since her mother had gone missing and five days since theyd found her body stuffed in that oil barrel over in Parsham County. The law didnt take long before looking right at TJ, accusing her and Ladarius of things that werent true, had never been true, trying to make it seem like some kind of race thing, even though her mother had never been too interested in TJs personal business. Why they decided to up and blame her, she had no idea, but wasnt about to stick around and find out. Her whole life had been a struggle, trying to break free of folks trying to put her down or use her up. TJ Byrd wasnt standing for that shit anymore. "Hope Ladarius steals a fast one," John Wesley said. "Hope he steals a nice one," Chastity said. "Maybe a Lexus. Or a Mercedes like mine." "Just what are you getting out of all this?" TJ asked. "Dont you know, TJ?" Chastity asked. "Justice. I want justice for all yall." TJ looked over to Chastity, with her ringlets of blonde hair and wide-set blue eyes and that hooked nose that kept her just on the wrong side of being pretty. The makeup and clothes perfect, down to her three-hundred-dollar frayed jeans and little frilly white top. The only frayed jeans that TJ had came from her pants getting worn slap out. All this damn talk about being a social influencer and reaching the world with a message of truth was giving her a headache. The only reason they let Chastity come along with them was on account of her threatening to call the police back at that mansion on the lake. Of course, the girl did have a point, since the house belonged to her rich daddy, and TJ, Ladarius, Holly, and John Wesley had busted in and made themselves at home. Two days at the big house and an endless buffet of stolen steak dinners, smoked almonds, cocktail olives, and mini cans of Coca-Cola had allowed them to rest, catch their damn breath, hole up and think on where theyd be headed next. California? Texas? Florida? Spin the damn bottle, boys. "I know youre innocent," Chastity said. "Good," TJ said. "So do I." "Only your people back home dont want you to be." "What do you know about back home? Chastity gave a reckless little look while she played with the tips of her hair and shrugged her shoulders, a mess of freckles across her chest and a half dozen thin gold chains around her neck. One with a diamond-crusted compass on it saying, Daddys Little Girl Is Never Lost. "You think Holly will go to the police?" Chastity asked. "Nope." "How can you be so sure?" "Because shes Holly Goddamn Harkins," TJ said. "My best friend since we was five, before you showed up and damn well elbowed her to the side." "I think she got pissed we pretended Id been kidnapped." "No shit, Chastity," TJ said. "Why else do you think she gave me the middle finger?" Chastity didnt say anything but gave a small grin as TJ pushed herself up off the bed and walked over to the curtains. She looked out onto the empty pool and the abandoned storefronts across the road, not a mile over the Texas border from Arkansas, the first time TJ had been in either state. Furthest shed ever been out of Tibbehah County was a visit up to Memphis to the zoo or Incredible Pizza on John Wesleys birthday. He ate a million pepperoni slices and stuck his whole hand right into that chocolate fountain. He puked all the way back home. TJ let the curtain drop and headed back into the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the rusty faucet. She had on a flannel shirt over a red tank top from Wal-Mart and a pair of frayed green camo pants. Her daddys old .38 was stuck into her waistband with plenty of bullets jangling down in her side pockets. Splashing cool water up into her face, she barely recognized the girl she saw. Her skin pale white, newly black hair up off her head. It had been Chastitys idea to do it. She said it made her look just like some French woman who got burned at the stake. When she walked back into the room, Chastity had taken her place on the bed, head up on the pillow and scrolling through a new phone theyd bought at Walmart right after leaving Memphis. "I dont think you should be doing that," TJ said. "Why?" she said. "Its not registered to you. Theres no way to track us. Wow. You should see these hits. We added five hundred more likes in five minutes. Ive never seen anything like it." TJ nodded, her mouth feeling dry and her stomach empty. She nodded to Chastity. "And what are they saying?" TJ said. "All these people?" "Lot of boys want to see you naked," she said. "But mostly folks calling you a hero." "A hero?" TJ said. "For what?" "For snatching me up to your cause," she said. "For sticking it to that greasy Chester Pratt." "What the hell do you know about Chester Pratt?" "Only what you told me," she said. "And that was plenty." "And youre sure they cant track us?" "No way." Chasity said, not looking up from the phone. "Were all being too careful." -- Deputy U.S. Marshal Lillie Virgil hung up the phone, turned to her partner Charlie Hodge and said, "Theyre in Texarkana," she said. "The McCade kid just got caught trying to steal another car." "Why couldnt these little bastards steal a car back in Memphis down on EP Boulevard?" Hodge said. "I havent been home in two days. I need a shower and some decent food." "Kids in bad shape," Lillie said. "Some dogs got to him." &nbs Details ISBN059332840X Author Ace Atkins Pages 496 Series A Quinn Colson Novel Language English Year 2022 ISBN-10 059332840X ISBN-13 9780593328408 Publication Date 2022-05-24 DEWEY 813/.54 Series Number 11 Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc Format Paperback Imprint G P Putnams Sons Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2022-05-24 NZ Release Date 2022-05-24 US Release Date 2022-05-24 UK Release Date 2022-05-24 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:141712166;

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