Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* Quinn Colson, sheriff of Tibbehah County, Mississippi, would like to settle into his new role as a father, but that's not about to happen after Gina Byrd's remains are found stuffed into an oil drum, and the evidence points to Gina's daughter, 16-year-old TJ—no stranger to hell-raising and known to have sparred with her alcoholic mother. TJ is innocent (at least of that murder), but she knows the deck is stacked against her and sees no other option but running. So begins a rambunctious road novel in which TJ, along with her nine-year-old brother, John Wesley; her boyfriend, Ladarius; and her best friend, Holly, light out for the territories but only get as far as Louisiana before the convoy on her tail—including Quinn, who thinks TJ's been framed; U.S. Marshal Lillie Virgil, who isn't so sure; and two of the titular heathens, who just want TJ dead—catches up, and the guns come out. Series lead Quinn takes a back seat here to the foul-mouthed, freewheeling, but utterly endearing TJ, and TJ is more than ready for the limelight. Evoking Edward Anderson's 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. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
In Edgar finalist Atkins's exceptional 11th crime thriller featuring Tibbehah County, Miss., Sheriff Quinn Colson (after 2020's