Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

50 reviews

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

pomoevareads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

This book won’t be for everyone but if you can stomach some sick gore wrapped in some captivating southern noir then Cosby’s latest crime fiction book All the Sinners Bleed might be up your alley. I had to breathe through a few parts as it was a bit much. 

This book is as much about a sheriff working to be a respectable and honorable leader as it is about the town over which he tries to maintain order. A group of confederate supporters want to hold a march in town to honour a statue that seeks to bring the town back to its (racist) roots. Opposing this group is another group led by a modern church leader who wants to see the statue removed and for the town to move forward in a more harmonious community. In the midst of tension between the two groups, a shooting occurs. As a result of the shooting, Titus learns about more deaths that have been carried out in his quiet town. Titus must track down a serial killer among a group of folks who don’t all stand out. 

Cosby excels at getting the reader to root for a character and presents moral issues in a meaningful way. I found his character of a Titus Crown, the first black sheriff in this small Virginian town, to be well built and interesting. Titus has his own demons which we learn about slowly throughout the novel. Many side characters are introduced and keeping notes helped me keep them straight. 

The pacing of the novel starts out a bit slow for a Cosby novel leaving me unsure what to expect but rest assured the action and suspense arrives. I stayed glued to a couple of clues but never guessed who the killer was. Looking back, I can see some more clues that were dropped that I glossed over. 

Overall, I found All the Sinners Bleed hard to put down once I got into it. There was a lot of religious imagery and quotes that didn’t mean as much to me as it will to others but helped develop the story. This book is not for the faint of heart and contains many topics that may be triggering to those who have experienced child abuse in particular. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Racism, Child death, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death, Torture, Confinement, Gun violence, and Religious bigotry

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.

bookbuyingwithkatie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Confinement, Murder, Gore, Child death, Child abuse, and Death of parent

whenimreading's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

As far as storytelling and writing goes, this book was absolutely sublime. Dark, gritty and twisted - following Titus Crown, the sheriff of Charon, Virginia after the events of a school shooting that revealed sinister abuse and a serial killer. I couldn’t put it down even though many of the details were quite graphic and despicable. Between the tension scenes and investigation, I enjoyed the relationship of Titus, his brother Marquis and their father Albert. 

Highly recommended for fans of police procedural stories in the vein of True Detective. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

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

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

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

astifel21's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad 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? No

5.0

“The Word is perfect but the way men interpret it is corrupt. And your teacher is full of s**t. Titus could remember the shock of hearing his mother curse. It was like seeing Jesus drinkin henny.”

This is only my second S.A Cosby read but after the first book I read by him I couldn’t wait to read another of his novels. He doesn’t write what I’d consider a traditional thriller. This particular book is more like a very gore-y mystery. If you’ve ever watched Criminal Minds the deaths in the book can be graphic and dark like that show. So that being said I loved this book. I think he wrote another fabulous novel. 

“That idea you gotta save everything, that’s pride. You know what they say about pride and the fall.”

This book starts off with a school shooting where a beloved teacher is shot by a former student. The town is in an uproar after it happens and that’s before they learn the terrible secrets uncovered by the police after they look into it. A serial killer has been on the loose in the county and has managed to stay under the radar. I was on the edge of my seat with this one. I raced to the end to find out who it was. The characters were intriguing and human. The plot was believable and the racism Titus faces as the first black sheriff is realistic to today. I would recommend as long as you’re comfortable with the trigger warnings. 

“Scott was the type of man who complained about the world being too sensitive these days without ever acknowledging the irony of his own fragility. Where some saw equality he saw conspiracies against his manhood, his identity.”

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Racism, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Gore, and Torture

Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Alcohol