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// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Ace Atkins a good writer? Ace to be.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ace Atkins
Author Ace Atkins
Author Ace Atkins
Born (1970-06-28) June 28, 1970 (age 56)
OccupationNovelist
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
Alma materAuburn University
GenreCrime fiction, mystery
Website
aceatkins.com

Ace Atkins (born June 28, 1970)[1] is an American author and journalist, best known for his novels set in the southern United States.[2]

Biography

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Atkins was born in Troy, Alabama and lived in cities including Buffalo, San Francisco, Detroit, St. Louis, and Atlanta growing up.[3] His father, Billy Atkins, was an All Pro football player and coach in the NFL.[4][5][6]

Atkins attended Auburn High School and Auburn University where he was a scholarship football player.[7] Atkins lettered for the Auburn University football team in 1992 and 1993.[8] In 1994, Atkins was featured on the cover of a special edition of Sports Illustrated celebrating the Tigers’ 1993 11-0 season.[9] He graduated from Auburn University in 1994.[8]

Atkins worked as a newspaper reporter for the St. Petersburg Times from 1995 until 1997[10] and The Tampa Tribune from 1997 until 2001[11] [12] where he covered crime and law enforcement. His first novel Crossroad Blues was published by St. Martin’s Press in 1998.[13] Greil Marcus said of this book, “Atkins has endless fun with material that has tortured so many writers before him. Crossroad Blues is a riot of Johnson lore, driven by the sort of stories generations of blues researchers would have sacrificed their children and parents to nail down.”[14]

Atkins has written eleven books in the Quinn Colson series, stories featuring an honest Southern sheriff and set in the fictional Tibbehah County[15] in rural northeast Mississippi. The series is strongly inspired by the myth of Buford Pusser.

In 2011, Atkins was hired by the family of the late Robert B. Parker to continue the Spenser series.[16] He contributed ten novels in that series.

Recognition

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Atkins is the recipient of the Richard Wright Literary Excellence Award,[17] the 2026 Harper Lee Award,[18] the Hall-Waters Prize,[19] and is a member of the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame.[20]

Atkins has been nominated for the Edgar Award three times. In 2010, he was nominated for his short story, “Last Fair Deal Gone Down.”[21] In 2012, he was nominated for Best Novel for The Ranger,[22] and in 2013 he was nominated for Best Novel for The Lost Ones.[23] The Innocents was named one of “The 10 Best Crime Novels of 2016” by The New York Times in 2016.[24] In 2017, Atkins won the Scribe Award for Robert B. Parker’s Slow Burn.[25]

Critical Reception

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Publishers Weekly called Dark End of the Street a, “fast-paced, hot and heavy Southern suspense yarn.”[26]

Adaptations

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Atkins’ 2024 novel, Don’t Let the Devil Ride is being developed into a TV series by Tomorrow Studios with Cheo Coker as head writer and showrunner.[27]

In 2020, HBO announced they are developing the Quinn Colson novels as a TV series.[28]

Spenser Confidential (2020), starring Mark Wahlberg, Alan Arkin, Winston Duke, and Post Malone and based on Atkins’ Robert B Parker’s Wonderland, was adapted and released by Netflix.[29]

Personal life

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Atkins is married and has two children. Since 2001, he’s lived in Oxford, Mississippi.[30]

Bibliography

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Nick Travers

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  • Crossroad Blues (1998, St. Martin’s Press)
  • Leavin' Trunk Blues (2000, St. Martin’s Press)
  • Dark End of the Street (2002, William Morrow)
  • Dirty South (2004,William Morrow)
  • "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" (short story published in the 10th anniversary edition of Crossroad Blues) (2008)
  • "From Four Til Late" (short story) (2025, Carrefour Ltd.)

Quinn Colson

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Robert B. Parker's Spenser

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Porter Hayes

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Standalone

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Official Site of American Writer Ace Atkins | About: Quick Facts". Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2013-08-19.
  2. ↑ Picker |, Lenny. "Ace Atkins's Southern Discomfort". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  3. ↑ bcarlton@al.com, Bob Carlton | (2018-07-25). "Auburn's Ace Atkins: From football hero to best-selling crime novelist". al. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  4. ↑ "Billy Atkins - Alabama Sports Hall of Fame". ashof.org. 2019-08-05. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  5. ↑ Shearer, Jeff (September 20, 2020). "On the cover: From sacks to books, Auburn's Ace Atkins stands tall". Auburn Tigers. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  6. ↑ Edgemon, Erin (January 13, 2019). "Alabama native, bestselling author Ace Atkins to be honored". AL.com. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  7. ↑ bcarlton@al.com, Bob Carlton | (2018-07-25). "Auburn's Ace Atkins: From football hero to best-selling crime novelist". al. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  8. 1 2 Barnes, Brad (April 14, 2008). "A Q and A with author Ace Atkins". Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. Retrieved 2010-01-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ↑ "Auburn University Ace Atkins, 1993 Ncaa Perfect Season Sports Illustrated Cover by Sports Illustrated". Sports Illustrated Covers. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  10. ↑ "Historical Newspapers from 1700s-2000s - Newspapers.com™". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  11. ↑ "Historical Newspapers from 1700s-2000s - Newspapers.com™". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  12. ↑ Guizerix, Anna (2018-07-15). "True Southern Crime: Ace Atkins and Tibbehah County". The Oxford Eagle. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  13. ↑ "Crossroad Blues by Ace Atkins". www.publishersweekly.com. 1998-09-28. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  14. ↑ Admin, G. M. (2014-07-21). "Foreword to Ace Atkins' Crossroad Blues (2009)". GreilMarcus.net. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  15. ↑ Mason, Jenna (2017-06-09). "Oxford author Ace Atkins shares how he constructed Mississippi's fictional Tibbehah County". Oxford Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  16. ↑ Bosman, Julie (2011-04-27). "Despite Author's Death, Crime Series to Continue". ArtsBeat. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  17. ↑ "Richard Wright Award - Copiah-Lincoln Community College". 2024-11-15. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  18. ↑ lspecker@al.com, Lawrence Specker | (2025-06-26). "Former Auburn football player turned novelist to receive top state literary award". al. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  19. ↑ Ellis, Andy (2018-04-23). "Troy University recognizes crime author Ace Atkins with Hall-Waters Prize". Troy Today. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  20. ↑ awfadmin. "Alabama Writers Hall of Fame". Alabama Writers' Forum. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  21. ↑ America, Mystery Writers of. "Mystery Writers of America Announces 2010 Edgar Award Nominees". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  22. ↑ America, Mystery Writers of. "Mystery Writers of America Announces the 2012 Edgar Award Nominees". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  23. ↑ HQ, Crime (2013-01-16). "Mystery Writers of America Announces 2013 Edgar Award Nominees". Criminal Element. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  24. ↑ Stasio, Marilyn (2016-12-02). "The 10 Best Crime Novels of 2016". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  25. ↑ Richmond, Pete (2017-09-20). "2017 Scribe Awards Winners". Zealot Script. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  26. ↑ "DARK END OF THE STREET by Ace Atkins". www.publishersweekly.com. 2002-08-26. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  27. ↑ White, Peter (2025-11-11). "'Don't Let The Devil Ride' TV Adaptation In The Works At Tomorrow Studios From Cheo Hodari Coker". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  28. ↑ Otterson, Joe (2020-07-15). "HBO to Develop Drama Series Based on Quinn Colson Novels by Ace Atkins (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  29. ↑ "Debuting Today: Netflix Film SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL Based on Ace Atkins' Bestseller – Watch the Trailer!". penguinrandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  30. ↑ "Crime writer Ace Atkins returns to Memphis with new novel". www.commercialappeal.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  31. ↑ Anderson, Patrick. "Review of Ace Atkins's 'The Ranger'". Washington Post. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  32. ↑ MARTINDALE, DAVID. "Author interview: Ace Atkins talks about 'The Ranger'". Dallas News. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  33. ↑ Kardos, Michael. "Book review: 'The Forsaken' by Ace Atkins". Clarion Ledger. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  34. ↑ Gill, Leonard (3 October 2014). "Summer Book Roundup". Memphis Magazine. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  35. ↑ Weaver, Kendal. "Book review: Second Quinn Colson novel features romance, dark family secret". News Sentinel. Retrieved 7 June 2015.[permanent dead link]
  36. ↑ Bancroft, Colette. "Review: Ace Atkins' 'The Lost Ones' has Quinn Colson searching on the mean streets". Tampa Bay. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  37. ↑ Noble, Don (15 July 2013). "Books:The Broken Places: A Quinn Colson Novel and Robert B. Parker's Wonderland". APR. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  38. ↑ Anderson, Lanie (July 20, 2014). "Atkins pens new novel, signs Wednesday". Oxford Citizen. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  39. ↑ "Review: 'The Redeemers' by Ace Atkins". October Country. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  40. ↑ "The Fallen (A Quinn Colson Novel)". aceatkins.com. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  41. ↑ "THE MIDNIGHT HOUR – Ace Atkins". Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  42. ↑ Atkins, Ace (2006). White shadow. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0-399-15355-6.
  43. ↑ Atkins, Ace (2008). Wicked City: A Thriller. East Rutherford: Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-399-15457-7.
  44. ↑ Atkins, Ace (2009). Devil's garden. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0-399-15536-9.
  45. ↑ Atkins, Ace (2010). Infamous. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0-399-15630-4.
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