🎷 Book Review: From Four Til Late: A Nick Travers Story by Ace Atkins (Kindle Edition)
A gritty, jazz-infused noir set in the heart of New Orleans—Ace Atkins returns to his beloved Nick Travers series with a short, punchy mystery that blends Southern charm, streetwise grit, and midnight danger.
🧠 Overview
Published in May 2025, From Four Til Late is a 22-page short story featuring Nick Travers, a former New Orleans Saints defensive end turned Tulane professor, ethnomusicologist, and part-time problem solver. When the historic Roosevelt Hotel calls on Nick to find the missing teenage daughter of a wealthy VIP, he’s pulled into a race against time through the shadowy corners of the French Quarter.
The story unfolds between midnight and sunrise, as Nick and the girl’s mother navigate a world of conmen, killers, and thieves, uncovering a possible kidnapping plot with a ransom deadline looming over Bourbon Street.
🎷 Key Highlights
- 🕵️♂️ Southern noir atmosphere: Atkins paints New Orleans with rich detail—its music, its menace, and its midnight mystique
- 🧠 Smart, soulful protagonist: Nick Travers is cerebral yet street-smart, blending academic insight with hard-boiled instincts
- ⏳ Real-time tension: The story’s compressed timeline adds urgency and suspense
- 💬 Sharp dialogue and humor: Atkins’s writing is laced with wit, giving the noir tone a modern edge
“With unexpected twists and plenty of humor, From Four Til Late is the Southern Noir master working at top form.” — Amazon listing
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 3.88/5 from over 50 ratings
- 📖 Readers praise the story’s tight pacing, vivid setting, and classic noir vibe
- 🧾 Some were surprised by the short length, expecting a full novel, but most found it a satisfying bite-sized mystery
- 💬 “The writing was superb as always. Just wish I’d known it was a short story—I finished it in fifteen minutes.” — Goodreads reviewer
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At 22 pages, it’s a quick read—best approached as a vignette or bonus chapter in the Nick Travers universe
- 📚 Series familiarity: Works as a standalone, but fans of the series will appreciate the character continuity
- 🧾 Price vs. length: Some readers felt the cost was high for such a brief story, though the quality of writing remains strong
🏁 Final Verdict
From Four Til Late is a moody, fast-paced noir short that showcases Ace Atkins’s talent for crafting atmospheric mysteries with memorable characters. Nick Travers remains one of the genre’s most distinctive sleuths—equal parts scholar and streetwise detective. If you’re craving a midnight mystery with jazz undertones and Southern grit, this Kindle edition hits the right notes.
