When the husband of Addison McKellar doesn't return from a work trip, Addison tries not to worry. But as the days turn into a week, she starts realizing that everything is not as it seems. Fueled by concern, she gets in contact with a private investigator, the legendary Porter Hayes of Memphis. As they start to untangle the lies and secrets, Porter and Addison look to uncover the mystery, and hopefully her husband as well.

Don't Let the Devil Ride is a Faulknerian, mid-southern noir that is as thrilling and tense as it is witty. Atkins weaves an intriguing tale with deep characters that, although diverse, have that Ace Atkins signature. I found myself immediately hooked from the moment I met Addison, and her evolution throughout the novel was interesting and a joy to follow.

Ace Atkins is a machine. He quite often pens multiple books in a single year, dozens in the Robert B. Parker series, as well as his own Quinn Colson and Nick Travers series. However, he came in swinging for the fences with a new standalone, and he blew the cover off of the ball with a moonshot into the bayou. He continues to churn out hit after hit, and Don't Let the Devil Ride is a genius blend of mystery whodunnit, thriller, and suspense.

Addison McKellar isn’t clueless—she knows she and her husband Dean don’t have the perfect marriage—but she’s still shocked when he completely vanishes from her life. At first Addison is annoyed, but as days stretch into a week and she’s repeatedly stonewalled by Dean’s friends and associates, her frustration turns into genuine alarm. When even the police seem dismissive of her concerns, Addison turns to her father’s old friend, legendary Memphis PI Porter Hayes. Porter and Addison begin to dig deeper into Dean’s affairs and quickly discover that he was never the hardworking business owner and family man he pretended to be. As they piece together the connections between a hook-handed mercenary, one of Elvis’s former leading ladies, and a man posing as an FBI agent, it becomes clear that Dean was deeply enmeshed in a high-stakes web of international intrigue, and Porter and Addison aren’t the only ones looking for him.

Don’t Let the Devil Ride is a thrilling adventure about what can happen when you pull back the curtain on your life. Ace Atkins, long known for gritty Southern noir with a witty edge, has crafted an ambitious, globe-hopping story that comes home to Memphis in explosive fashion. I have read many of the author's Quinn Colson series and initially thought this was a new one in the series. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it as a standalone novel about my hometown written in the era that I grew up! I thoroughly enjoyed his reference to streets and landmarks that were familiar in Memphis and his references to Elvis and Sam the Sham. His character descriptions are good, as always, and the plot development outstanding. I have had the pleasure to hear Mr. Atkins which adds another dimension to the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher to read a new story by one of my favorite Southern writers. I highly recommend.

This was such a winner of a thriller novel, it uses the missing person element perfectly. I enjoyed the plot of the book and how tense the situation was, the characters worked with this setting and I wanted to go on this ride with them. Ace Atkins always does a great job writing this and left me wanting more.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

Alec Atkins has created a great salad of multible characters in his book of Don't Let The Devil Ride. First few chapters made me wonder who all these people have to do with this story. Addison MCKellar's husband, Dean, is missing. She hires Porter Hayes, a friend of Addison's father.
This novel would be fine with just these individuals, leaving the corrupt criminals and Elvis fans aside. However, the songs and movies that are mentioned in several instances,
are confusing, and making me skipping lots of those parts.
Another however, an ex actress, Joanne Grayson has a part in the dealings with persons of interest in dealing antiques.
Dean McKellar is another dealer, except now with weapons and people's lives.
After all, everyone in this multilayer salad is somehow connected.
Addison and Porter have a the main part in this novel, in my opinion. Addison's relationships with her brother and SIL, Libby, as well as with her and Dean's children.
There are twists that cause huge problems for Addison, trusting certain people around her isn't always a good idea.
Towards the end, after some blood,shootings and deaths, all comes to an end and will clear the fruits from the vegetables.

In 2010 Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband Dean out of touch a week and counting, Addison McKellar decides to visit his construction office. She not only finds the office vacant, but also no one in the building has heard of Dean's business. When several others downplay or dismiss her concern, her father recommends legendary P.I. Porter Hayes. Together Addison and Porter begin retracing Dean's whereabouts across the globe. As you might expect, they're not the only ones in pursuit.

Following Atkins' Quinn Colson series and additions to Robert B. Parker's Spenser, DON'T LET THE DEVIL RIDE is a suspense thriller that alternates varied viewpoints and shows the author's facility getting into character. I also appreciate that, free of series obligations, the novel shows how Addison and others change from beginning to end as a result of their dealings with Dean.

Thanks again to Jessica Cozzi at William Morrow for the NetGalley. DON'T LET THE DEVIL RIDE will be published June 25.

Thanks to the publisher for early access. Overall high-quality southern noir, perfect for those who enjoy Michael Connolly or Don Winslow - great for a long flight/road trip, but also well written.

I really enjoyed the Quinn Colson series, also by Ace Atkins, up until about book 7 or 8, once I reached that point, it started feeling recycled and bland.
I have not read Ace Atkins in a number of years, but wanted to give this new standalone a chance. It starts off interesting enough, but by about halfway through, I just didn't care and wanted it to end. I don't care about the rich, white-wine problems of Addison, her bratty children, or by what name her husband goes by and I don't care about Elvis Presley. I liked Porter Hayes and wouldn't mind seeing more of him.
It was fine and I finished it but was ultimately bored and ready to move on.

I've followed Ace Atkins from his first novel. Dont Let The Devil Ride, his first standalone in years, combines old school with an Elmore Leonard edginess.
Set in Memphis, Tennessee in 2010, Atkins introduces the reader to beleaguered Addison, a rich socialite mother of two. Addison's world is disheveled when her husband of fifteen years, Dean, goes missing during a trip to London.
Addison hires one of her father's old friends, Porter Hayes, an aging black detective who ran Memphis back in the day. Think Morgan Freeman.
Porter begins to find out a lot of bad things about Dean. First of all, Dean isn't really Dean. And he's been conducting a lot of super secret dealings for years.
Throw in some angry Russians, a cunning Frenchman, an aging starlette who once made a movie with Elvis, a rich Arkansas businessman and lots of guns and knives and you've got a hot concoction fit for the King.
Addison goes through hell and back to uncover the truth while Hayes tries to save his client at every turn.
Enjoy some Memphis barbecue while running for your life. Don't Let The Devil Ride is Atkins at his fun and formidable best.
Don't forget to feed the ducks at the Peabody Hotel.

It's like Gordon Gekko famously said in 'Wall Street:'

"Mixed feelings, sport. Like when you see your mother-in-law drive over a cliff, but she's in your new Mercedes."

All the crisp, clean Ace Atkins prose you expect is here, as well as deeply atmospheric Southern noir settings and a ton of wonderful characters, but that wasn't nearly enough enough to deliver a satisfying reading experience. The narrative is related from so many different points of view of so many different characters that at times it was extremely difficult to stay focused and figure out what exactly was happening. And being forced to think back after every point of view shift and try to remember who the hell is telling the story now and what their relationship to other characters is supposed to be sometimes honestly felt like more work than it was worth.

It would be a great narrative if it were told more simply and in a more direct and straightforward manner, but all the pyrotechnics of jumping around from character to character over and over again rather ruined it for me.

I like ace atkins a lot. This was an interesting novel. the characters were well written and well developed. I want to meet Porter Hayes.

Well I hope Atkins is taking a short break from his outstanding Quinn Colson series.

But do not worry, Don't let the Devil Ride is a powerhouse novel.

Shortly after finding her husband disappeared and her little bank account empty Addison asks her father for help and he recommends a PI to find him. Know Atkins prose we all know where this is going and boy does he.

Outstanding stand alone novel. Must read

I had read several of Atkins’ Quinn Colson books and really enjoyed them. I was excited to get an advanced copy of this new book from the publisher and NetGalley and I really enjoyed it. The central story has a few tentacles that were fun to follow. The main characters were interesting and I particularly enjoyed the glimpses of Memphis through Porter Hayes eyes. Definitely look forward to finding out of there are more mysteries coming his way!

Ace Atkins’ latest novel begins with an intriguing story of a missing husband in Memphis where his wife hires an investigator in an attempt to find him. There are a wealth of major characters in the novel - the husband, the wife, 2 children, the wife’s father, brother and sister in law, the investigator, a former movie star (in a picture with Elvis Presley) and her daughter, assorted Russians and Frenchmen, a former business partner and FBI agents. It is all very confusing and difficult to follow. There are many murders along the way to a not particularly satisfying conclusion.
I thank NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

This book is three different books in one - an old-school PI novel, a domestic suspense novel, and an international espionage novel - and in a lesser writers hands this could easily become a mess. But Ace filters them all through his very skilled and very entertaining view on the world and comes up with an absolute firecracker of a book that I loved.

A cinematic masterpiece of modern noir. I could not put the book down as the story continued to cast a wider net while weaving the characters into an ever-tightening web. One of my favorite thrillers of the year.

Started a little sluggish for me; I couldn't tell if it was social satire or a logy private eye book. As it started to move, I worried a little that it was a poor man's Elmore Leonard. Once it caught fire, though, it was almost pure pleasure. A lot of characters -- some more compelling than others -- with the choice to make the central villain a cipher until the very end a pretty good one.

My first Ace Atkins novel, but certainly not my last.