Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

54 reviews

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.75

 All the Sinners Bleed is a story about Titus Crown, the first Black sheriff of Charon County, Virginia. It opens with a school shooting. A Black teen has shot a beloved teacher and is in turn shot by police. The subsequent investigation takes Titus and his deputies in unexpected and horrific directions. This was one of the darkest books I have read in a long time. Thankfully the worst of the subject matter was alluded to rather than graphically depicted. I thought Cosby did a great job highlighting the chilling reality of white supremacism and the toll facing up to it places on Black officers. I also appreciated the way current issues - such as those surrounding statutes of Confederate soldiers - were woven into the plot, making the novel feel both real and relevant. There were other layers to the plot as well - religious extremism, the legacy of child abuse, Titus’s personal and family situations. The story does incorporate some potentially tired cliched tropes, as is often the case with genre fiction. But the plot and pacing made for a gripping read, and the many contemporary issues, particularly those related to race, helped to elevate it above its tropes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, and Violence

elljag's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Kidnapping, Murder, Child abuse, Torture, Mass/school shootings, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Grief, and Hate crime

boiler_bookworm's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

Wow and not in a good way. I didn’t check the content warnings on this before I started reading, and would not have read it if I had. 
⚠️⚠️warning - child abuse, child serial killer, violence, torture, racism 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, Racism, Murder, Pedophilia, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death of parent and Terminal illness

klbreyfogle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death, Sexual assault, Murder, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Torture, Sexual violence, Rape, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Classism, Racial slurs, and Gore

jenlikesbigbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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: Violence, Racism, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Grief, Child death, Child abuse, Murder, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

mikepalumbo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Racism, Murder, Racial slurs, Child death, Chronic illness, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Death, Kidnapping, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent

brittonmc1221's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racism, Violence, Animal death, Racial slurs, Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Hate crime

tlaynejones's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

I enjoy SA Cosby’s books, they are fast paced and compelling reads which include some interesting social commentary. Having said that they have more of a profoundly masculine feel than most books I would consider reading. This is not necessarily good or bad, but is noteworthy for its consistency and thoroughness. This is a world of straight cis men relating to other straight cis men. There are a few peripheral women, but they aren’t fleshed out, and mostly just provide a reflection for the male character to bounce off of. There were no identified or implied queer characters in this book. Considering Cosby’s last book was an examination of homophobic toxic masculinity in Black southern men, I found this interesting. 
I plan on continuing to read Cosby, as a queer woman I do understand the desire to immerse yourself in and explore the subculture to which you belong. Especially when that culture is largely erased and oppressed by the dominant images. But a part of me does wonder if Cosby’s love of, and questioning of, his culture will include more feminism in the future?
CW for ALL the violence in this book. Including towards children. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Racism, Murder, Grief, Kidnapping, and Classism

Moderate: Trafficking, Child abuse, Death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Drug use, Religious bigotry, and Sexual violence

feralbookwife's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0

S.A. Cosby can take tropes of thrillers and make them deeper, darker, and more compelling. A tangled web of morality, Christianity, identity, secrets, and the many forms of violence in a society. This was the first thriller to make me cry. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Addiction, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Ableism, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Sexism, Slavery, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Torture, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Stalking, Chronic illness, and Classism

chessakat's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual assault, Gore, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism and Addiction