Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

17 reviews

silkyyy's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Mass/school shootings, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Racism, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Racial slurs, Drug use, Animal cruelty, and Drug abuse

Minor: Vomit

kshertz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Thrilling, mysterious and I couldn’t see any of it coming. I really enjoyed the ride. This author is someone who can weave in social commentary so beautifully with real life, gore, and small town life. He never misses. Highly recommend. The ending and whodunnit lost .25 for me because it felt not connected. But still, read this book!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, Torture, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Classism, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Violence, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gore, Grief, Racism, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love SA Cosby - I would probably read a phone book if I knew he’d written it. That said, I have some quibbles with this book. 

I’m tired of the crazed serial killer story. If there were as many serial killers as serial killer novels, there would be a huge dip in our population. The weakest part of the story was about the fanaticism and insanity, the abuse to the victims, and the descriptions of the torture chamber. 

A minor complaint: when the sheriff finds the old woman who knew of the young boy, she doesn’t say his name and he’s referred to as “the boy” thereafter. Why no name? It wouldn’t have given anything away. 

Spoiler

Also, it felt like the killer was a rabbit pulled out a hat. I don’t think anyone would have figured out his identity by the end.

Spoiler

The strongest parts deal with the racism embedded in the South (and indeed the whole US) and the way Black people are confronted with it every day. The topical issues of white supremacy and rabid Confederacy adherents show that the worst bits of the story are all too real, not fiction at all. 

It’s a shame that Cosby is likely preaching to the choir - I can’t imagine any racist deciding to read to the end of this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Gun violence, Hate crime, Animal death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Torture, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Pedophilia, Vomit, Racial slurs, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Chronic illness, Murder, Gore, Blood, and Mental illness

itsme_lori's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Child death, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Murder, and Child abuse

blacksphinx's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I don't normally read this kind of book - a modern crime thriller. I heard good things about it through the grapevine, and I was overwhelmed with hours and hours of tasks at work that would keep my hands busy but nothing to think about it. I checked it out from the library on a whim and I've been amazed at how good it was.

S.A. Cosby knows how to put words in front of each other, really painting a vivid image of this rural southern community and its conflicts. This is only enhanced by Adam Lazarre-White's incredible narration which brought each character to life. I found this book to really take its ideas and themes seriously and with the level of nuance they deserved, even if I felt some points could have been pushed farther or were fumbled. It hit more often than it missed.

I wouldn't say it's perfect? There's a question I wanted answered that didn't, there's a romantic plot line that I felt didn't really add anything, and sometimes I found the narration to be repetitive (yes there's a serial killer running around and you want to catch him, I've been reading the book I know this!). But when the book finished playing, I didn't think it detracted enough from my overall enjoyment and appreciation to give the book anything less than 5 stars. I am absolutely going to go and read the rest of S.A. Cosby's books now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, Gore, Racism, Racial slurs, Blood, Death, Torture, Child abuse, Child death, Murder, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Mass/school shootings, Classism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Death of parent, and Pedophilia

Minor: Homophobia, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Addiction, Pregnancy, and Excrement

There is a brief description of an unseen character dying from HIV/AIDS in the 80's.

hannahalane's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Alcoholism

theinstabookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Ever since I listened to the audiobook for RAZORBLADE TEARS, narrated by Adam Lazarre-White, last year, I knew I wanted to go the audiobook route for all of S.A. Cosby's books I read, as long as Adam narrates them. His deep, gritty voice lends itself so well to the stories S.A. Cosby writes. There were very heavy topics that the author does not shy away from discussing in this book, some of which are, unfortunately, current and prevalent in society today, such as race and religion. You should go into this knowing there is quite a bit of gore and graphic violence and I would strongly suggest looking up content warnings. The story was also a detailed police procedural and I would have liked more suspense and shock factor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Mass/school shootings, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Child abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Alcoholism

astoriareader's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

SYNOPSIS:

• Titus, a former FBI agent and current sheriff, returned to his small hometown in Charon County, Virginia, to take care of his elderly dad.
• The book opens with a school shooting, and without giving away more, the investigation pivots to deeper, darker secrets in the town.

MY THOUGHTS

• Very-well written + good pacing 
• FINALLY! A diverse group of characters 
• Police-procedural thriller 
• Impressive character development 
• Loved the main character, Titus, and found him easy to root for 
• Satisfying ending 
• Cosby is a talented storyteller 
• Explores many tough topics, such as racism, hypocrisy, prejudice, religion, and prevalence of systemic, intergenerational hatred
• Heavy read; would encourage folks to check out trigger warnings
• I read a lot in these genre, and this book is an excellent reminder of why it’s important to read work by Black authors. Sadly, in 2023, Black authors’ voices are not as prevalent as they should be, and Crosby’s work is a scarce treasure in the literary world. Cosby takes time to incorporate race into the character development and plot, and he offers an glimpse into Black lives in rural America. 

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Police-procedural that touches on racism & other important topics. Diverse story by talented Black author, who actually offers Black perspectives (a scarcity in the literary world, particularly in this genre)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Racial slurs

Minor: Alcoholism

corpoto's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, Hate crime, Slavery, Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Addiction

poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An engaging thriller that unraveled like a mystery.  The lines of the small town were so artfully drawn I felt like I could feel it's oppressive borders. The characters came alive even as they were dying on the page and I worried  that no one was safe.  This story was a good mix of small town southern politics and scary urban legends. I was worried when it started with a school shooting, but it quickly moved past that, into darker territory.  I loved Titus, he is a true hero. It was easy to root for him, easy to forgive him and hard to let him go as the book ended. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Racism, Torture, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, and Violence