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karina_dreamsinwords's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
You know those instances where you know the situation unfolding is about to go South, but you just cannot look away?
That’s how this whole book felt & I loved it!!
This isn’t your typical thriller so don’t go into this with that mindset. This story is noir at its finest— fast paced yet somehow slow moving at the same time with Cosby’s intricate storytelling. This book gets violent, gruesome, and goes to show the lengths people go to in order to protect their family.
Cosby doesn’t shy away from visceral descriptions, so be aware of that when picking up any of his novels.
If you enjoy multiple POVs, heist storylines, and the Fast and the Furious franchise, I definitely recommend picking this one up!
That’s how this whole book felt & I loved it!!
This isn’t your typical thriller so don’t go into this with that mindset. This story is noir at its finest— fast paced yet somehow slow moving at the same time with Cosby’s intricate storytelling. This book gets violent, gruesome, and goes to show the lengths people go to in order to protect their family.
Cosby doesn’t shy away from visceral descriptions, so be aware of that when picking up any of his novels.
If you enjoy multiple POVs, heist storylines, and the Fast and the Furious franchise, I definitely recommend picking this one up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol
green_mm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This novel is among the apex of modern works of literary fiction. It will come to be understood as a window into a distinct experience within American culture, and for this, it will become a classic that is referred back to in the same way books considered classics today are revisited. Cosby constructs a vivid depiction of people and places dismissed by time and circumstance, leaving readers with an eery feeling of familiarity with those very characters and settings. I was so engrossed by the plot that I turned the last page fully expecting the story to continue, only to be shocked that there was no more left to read. Although some elements were perhaps fantastical at times, this novel never departed from reality in emotions portrayed, decisions made, or cards dealt. This is an enduring tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Murder
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Cancer
rjohns5's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
josie2k's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Car accident, and Murder
mplsmysteryreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A gritty authentically southern crime novel.
Beauregard “Bug” Montage is a family man that is living on the straight and narrow after extricating himself from a life of crime. When bad luck starts piling against him Bug gambles with his future and takes on one last heist in order to save his business and secure his family’s future.
What I love about S.A. Cosby:
-His protagonists are always smooth and deliberate. He features male protagonists that are underestimated but end up proving they have brains and brawn.
-In an interview Cosby stated that he writes thrillers as a way to tackle heavy themes of poverty and racism in a more palatable manor which reaches a wider range of audience compared to if he were to right straight literary fiction.
-He blocks out each scene, so the reader is able to visualize the action; car chases, bank robberies, shoot outs, fight scenes
If you are a fan of Hell or High Water or Sons of Anarchy Blacktop Wasteland book is a good segue into literary hardboiled crime fiction
Beauregard “Bug” Montage is a family man that is living on the straight and narrow after extricating himself from a life of crime. When bad luck starts piling against him Bug gambles with his future and takes on one last heist in order to save his business and secure his family’s future.
What I love about S.A. Cosby:
-His protagonists are always smooth and deliberate. He features male protagonists that are underestimated but end up proving they have brains and brawn.
-In an interview Cosby stated that he writes thrillers as a way to tackle heavy themes of poverty and racism in a more palatable manor which reaches a wider range of audience compared to if he were to right straight literary fiction.
-He blocks out each scene, so the reader is able to visualize the action; car chases, bank robberies, shoot outs, fight scenes
If you are a fan of Hell or High Water or Sons of Anarchy Blacktop Wasteland book is a good segue into literary hardboiled crime fiction
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Abandonment
rei_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
rwgabbard's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
SA Cosby is an extraordinary writer. I can be sitting in my living room reading a book with my body but my mind is completely in the story with the characters, feeling the adrenaline and the tension and the terror. Nothing in my life is remotely like the plots of his books but he makes me feel like I’m there.
The first couple of chapters ease the reader in slowly. You learn about the main character, his problems, his love for family, his violent history. By a third of the way in, you’re trapped - there’s no way you’re getting out of this book without reading it to the end. The first action sequence is mind-bogglingly good and it just gets better and better.
Cosby writes action that doesn’t let up. Everything is clear not just in terms of plot but in logistics. I fear I’m not articulating how bowled over I was by this book.
If you strip away the action and mystery, what’s left is an aching diatribe on the state of the Black man in white America. It’s a scathing rebuke.
Truly fabulous book. I hope Cosby keeps writing and writing and writing. He’s a literary treasure.
The first couple of chapters ease the reader in slowly. You learn about the main character, his problems, his love for family, his violent history. By a third of the way in, you’re trapped - there’s no way you’re getting out of this book without reading it to the end. The first action sequence is mind-bogglingly good and it just gets better and better.
Cosby writes action that doesn’t let up. Everything is clear not just in terms of plot but in logistics. I fear I’m not articulating how bowled over I was by this book.
If you strip away the action and mystery, what’s left is an aching diatribe on the state of the Black man in white America. It’s a scathing rebuke.
Truly fabulous book. I hope Cosby keeps writing and writing and writing. He’s a literary treasure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
emilybacher's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Murder
louisekf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, and Murder