Don’t Let the Devil Ride

International intrigue and classic P.I. sleuthing combine in this deliciously complex thriller from bestseller Atkins (the Quinn Colson series). Addison McKellar has grown used to her husband Dean’s frequent work-related absences, but after several days pass without a word from him, she worries something bad has happened. Though Dean’s friends and associates at his Memphis construction firm assure Addison she’s overreacting, she follows her father’s advice and hires private investigator Porter Hayes. It doesn’t take long for the former cop and Vietnam vet to discover that Dean is not the man he claims to be, kick-starting a globe-trotting adventure involving a B-movie actress, Russian mobsters, and a suave French criminal, each of whom are after a mysterious cache of holy relics in transit from Turkey to Memphis. Atkins has loads of fun marrying his hardboiled sensibility to the gonzo espionage plot, and relies on his strengths as a storyteller to keep the whole thing from running off the rails. This should win Atkins oodles of new fans. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House. (June)