Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

69 reviews

theinstabookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Ever since I listened to the audiobook for RAZORBLADE TEARS, narrated by Adam Lazarre-White, last year, I knew I wanted to go the audiobook route for all of S.A. Cosby's books I read, as long as Adam narrates them. His deep, gritty voice lends itself so well to the stories S.A. Cosby writes. There were very heavy topics that the author does not shy away from discussing in this book, some of which are, unfortunately, current and prevalent in society today, such as race and religion. You should go into this knowing there is quite a bit of gore and graphic violence and I would strongly suggest looking up content warnings. The story was also a detailed police procedural and I would have liked more suspense and shock factor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Mass/school shootings, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Child abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Alcoholism

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

randisworld's review against another edition

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

4.5

Another great book from SA Cosby. He’s becoming one of my favorite writers. This book is very dark in subject matter but it’s an excellently constructed mystery/thriller. Bravo!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Gun violence, Murder, Child abuse, and Xenophobia

annastasia_will's review against another edition

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? No

5.0

This book was so good! I couldn’t put it down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, and Torture

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

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

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

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

literaryintersections's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

PSA: don’t sleep on S.A. Cosby and All the Sinners Bleed. Cuz this book (frankly all his books) are solid gold.

I picked up Blacktop Wasteland earlier this year - I had it on my shelf for a minute and was in a book slump. Lord. Lord. Lord. I finished it in 2 days, reeling with visions of car chases, people catching on fire, and small southern towns complexly created with racism, community, poverty, booze, and car grease.

The second I saw ATSB I preordered it. Then waited too many days for B&N to deliver it (lol). And was once again blown away. Cosby’s use of language is unmatched: descriptive and clear, vividly crafting a story that is lush and inventive. The characters jump off the page and feel like real life - Titus especially felt 3D. Racism and misogyny, homophobia and poverty, the bastardization of religion, all intertwined with love and family, Black man vulnerability and community. The violence is horrible but you can’t look away, turning page after page to try to get a glimpse of the antagonist - to understand what would make a person do such horrible things.

No one comes out unscathed in this book. And it left me thinking about these complexities far longer after I closed the cover. Do yourself a favor. Read ATSB. Then read Blacktop Wasteland. And join me on this journey as an absolute fan of Cosby’s work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Death