Reviews tagging 'Blood'

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

73 reviews

bookishcori's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

I’ll start with what I loved: the way Cosby writes about his home and a sense of place, about complicated people and families, about masculinity, about the underbelly of rural Virginia and the overt racism. The writing itself is truly top notch. Also the scene with Titus and his brother on the porch near the end was 😭. 

Hearing an interview where Cosby shared how he chooses to write crime/thrillers that seamlessly weave in “issues” that folks may otherwise not engage with makes sense and he excels at this. It never feels forced - you know how some authors throw in random hot button topics and it is irrelevant? Not here, because he’s writing from a Southern Black man’s experience and this is reality. 

But here’s the thing, I used to consume a lot of gory serial killer and police procedural media and I no longer like these storylines. This was…too much. Sociopaths, pedophilia, violence against children, flayed and tortured bodies. 🤢 The saving grace here was that all the other aspects of the story were compelling. 

If you like law and order: svu, silence of the lambs, or that James Patterson book turned movie about kidnapped girls held in a basement dungeon, check this out. You’ll get more substance with the shock value. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, Pedophilia, Racism, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, Murder, and Child death

alireads's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, Gun violence, Body horror, Cursing, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Child death, Torture, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

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. 

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.

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

louisekf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Child abuse, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

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.

readingtomydogs's review against another edition

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

4.75

Not a perfect book but very close. Exciting, well written, with deep insight into the main character’s mindset. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Child abuse, Gore, Blood, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Rape, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Cursing, and Hate crime

Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Chronic illness

misspennreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Excellent writing. Thoughtful and nuanced portrayal of police role in violence. Pretty tight plot that doesn't get bogged down in the procedurals of police work, but does follow Titus (the Sheriff) in his own deliberations. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Police brutality, and Mental illness

Minor: Suicide

madisonmila's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Racism, Murder, Violence, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Kidnapping

cc_shelflove's review against another edition

dark tense slow-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? Yes

2.5

From the first chapter, I was engrossed in Cosby's writing style as I watched Sheriff Titus Crown don his uniform, badge, radio, and gun. He was quickly called to Jefferson Davis High School and came face-to-face with an active shooter. The story evolved as threads were unraveled to reveal that one of Charon's own might be a serial killer. Unfortunately for me, the suspense simply did not extend past the first few chapters. There was a lot of talk of the townspeople's political and religious views, and I found this to be entirely distracting from the race to find the Last Wolf. I did not find myself thinking about this book when I wasn't reading it, and I wasn't dying to pick it up every free moment I got. I think this is one of those rare instances where a television show might be better than the book. Sorry, Cosby!

"The statement hung in the air between them, ensconced within Cam's unspoken assumptions. There had been a bad man who had shot a good man, then other good men had killed the bad man. What more was there to talk about? Titus wished it were that simple. He really did."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racial slurs, Stalking, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Death, Car accident, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship

rebel_rocketman's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Racism, and Animal death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Torture, and Religious bigotry