By Jove, sometimes you can believe the hype!
Of course I heard about S.A. Cosby's Blacktop Wasteland. I had the idea that it was a kind of road/heist novel, which isn't my preferred cup of tea. I kept it on the back burner of my brain.
Razorblade Tears sounded like more of my type of story. An emotionally-charged revenge crime novel, straight out of the blazing history of Gold Medal paperbacks.
Everyone is right about Cosby. This guy can write. Razorblade Tears is a hard, mean, nasty story that moves like an express train. The novel also has humanity and compassion. It follows in the hallowed footsteps of Joe R. Lansdale, Ed Gorman, and Bill Pronzini.
Ike is an older black man in rural Virginia. He has a history of violence and incarceration, but he has walked the straight and narrow for a long time. Buddy Lee is a white redneck alcoholic. He too has lived a life of crime and is also an ex-con.
Ike and Buddy's sons were gay and married to each other. Both were brutally murdered and the law doesn't seem too concerned about finding the culprits. The two man, different in many ways, but similar in others, wish to find redemption for the way they treated their sons in life. Neither understood or condoned the sexuality of their sons. The two men, old but still tough, begin their own search for answers.
Everyone says how good this book is, but it is even better than many realize. I'm from Southeast Virginia. I've been to Cosby's hometown many times. I work with people from the area.
There's this guy who used to have a job where I work. He could be considered trash by most people. He was a drunk, he could be rude, obnoxious, prone to violence. But he also could display a crude, infectious charm. The guy was fired, but he kept his job longer than most predicted, because he was likable and did have good qualities. If someone needed five tons of pig shit shoveled and bagged, he would probably come out and help.
My ex co-worker bore a striking resemblance to Buddy Lee, from Razorblade Tears. The things Buddy Lee said, his mannerisms, his passion and his humor--it could have been the guy I knew. Even down to the very mixed feelings he had for his gay son. It's uncanny.
S.A. Cosby knows these people. I used to work the water, and I have spent a lot of time around the type of men who populate Razorblade Tears. Cosby nails it to a tee. He gets the people from the region with the same authenticity as Lansdale does with West Texas and King does with Maine. Except in Cosby's case I can personally verify the accuracy in which he portrays his characters.
Razorblade Tears is as hard as suspense gets, but it is also deeply compassionate. The dynamics of the characters are complicated, and Cosby acutely shows that not all social issues have stripped down, uh, black and white answers. The novel is brilliantly entertaining, but it is also a plea for greater understanding from people who appear to be different from each other.
There needs to be a movie made from this one. I see Don Cheadle and Billy Bob Thornton in the two main roles. I also see a great career ahead for S.A. Cosby.
Written by Mark Sieber
Of course I heard about S.A. Cosby's Blacktop Wasteland. I had the idea that it was a kind of road/heist novel, which isn't my preferred cup of tea. I kept it on the back burner of my brain.
Razorblade Tears sounded like more of my type of story. An emotionally-charged revenge crime novel, straight out of the blazing history of Gold Medal paperbacks.
Everyone is right about Cosby. This guy can write. Razorblade Tears is a hard, mean, nasty story that moves like an express train. The novel also has humanity and compassion. It follows in the hallowed footsteps of Joe R. Lansdale, Ed Gorman, and Bill Pronzini.
Ike is an older black man in rural Virginia. He has a history of violence and incarceration, but he has walked the straight and narrow for a long time. Buddy Lee is a white redneck alcoholic. He too has lived a life of crime and is also an ex-con.
Ike and Buddy's sons were gay and married to each other. Both were brutally murdered and the law doesn't seem too concerned about finding the culprits. The two man, different in many ways, but similar in others, wish to find redemption for the way they treated their sons in life. Neither understood or condoned the sexuality of their sons. The two men, old but still tough, begin their own search for answers.Everyone says how good this book is, but it is even better than many realize. I'm from Southeast Virginia. I've been to Cosby's hometown many times. I work with people from the area.
There's this guy who used to have a job where I work. He could be considered trash by most people. He was a drunk, he could be rude, obnoxious, prone to violence. But he also could display a crude, infectious charm. The guy was fired, but he kept his job longer than most predicted, because he was likable and did have good qualities. If someone needed five tons of pig shit shoveled and bagged, he would probably come out and help.
My ex co-worker bore a striking resemblance to Buddy Lee, from Razorblade Tears. The things Buddy Lee said, his mannerisms, his passion and his humor--it could have been the guy I knew. Even down to the very mixed feelings he had for his gay son. It's uncanny.
S.A. Cosby knows these people. I used to work the water, and I have spent a lot of time around the type of men who populate Razorblade Tears. Cosby nails it to a tee. He gets the people from the region with the same authenticity as Lansdale does with West Texas and King does with Maine. Except in Cosby's case I can personally verify the accuracy in which he portrays his characters.
Razorblade Tears is as hard as suspense gets, but it is also deeply compassionate. The dynamics of the characters are complicated, and Cosby acutely shows that not all social issues have stripped down, uh, black and white answers. The novel is brilliantly entertaining, but it is also a plea for greater understanding from people who appear to be different from each other.
There needs to be a movie made from this one. I see Don Cheadle and Billy Bob Thornton in the two main roles. I also see a great career ahead for S.A. Cosby.
Written by Mark Sieber
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