Do not forsake me oh my Darlin'

In a novel that takes place in Jericho, Mississippi, there were occasions when I felt that I was reading a John Grisham story.

Ace Atkins has talent for dialogue and description that goes together to give his readers a real feel for the action evolving before us. I've enjoyed his Robert B. Parker novels and was highly entertained with his new novel.

A shootout takes place before the action of the story gets underway and Sheriff Quinn Carlson and his chief deputy are under investigation for their roles in it.

The central story involves a teenage girl, Diane Tull, who is raped - along with her teenage girlfriend. Then the rapist, a black man, shot both girls, killing Diane's friend. Men from the community became enraged and searched for the criminal. Then, they took the law into their own hands.

However, a number of weeks later, Diane saw the real rapist in town. When she tried to let others know, they didn't want to listen.

Now, thirty-seven-years later, Diane tells Quinn what she knows and asks him to reopen the case.

We've all read stories where the wrong man was accused and made to pay for another's crime. The manner in which Ace Atkins writes makes the reader see how this could happen and wonder if it could be resolved.

Very entertaining story with good characters and a fine plot.