Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Blacktop Wasteland

You know those instances where you know the situation unfolding is about to go South, but you just cannot look away?

That’s how this whole book felt & I loved it!!

This isn’t your typical thriller so don’t go into this with that mindset. This story is noir at its finest— fast paced yet somehow slow moving at the same time with Cosby’s intricate storytelling. This book gets violent, gruesome, and goes to show the lengths people go to in order to protect their family.

Cosby doesn’t shy away from visceral descriptions, so be aware of that when picking up any of his novels.

If you enjoy multiple POVs, heist storylines, and the Fast and the Furious franchise, I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Content Warnings

readnoot's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This novel is among the apex of modern works of literary fiction. It will come to be understood as a window into a distinct experience within American culture, and for this, it will become a classic that is referred back to in the same way books considered classics today are revisited. Cosby constructs a vivid depiction of people and places dismissed by time and circumstance, leaving readers with an eery feeling of familiarity with those very characters and settings. I was so engrossed by the plot that I turned the last page fully expecting the story to continue, only to be shocked that there was no more left to read. Although some elements were perhaps fantastical at times, this novel never departed from reality in emotions portrayed, decisions made, or cards dealt. This is an enduring tale.

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rjohns5's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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josie2k's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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mplsmysteryreader's review

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challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A gritty authentically southern crime novel.

Beauregard “Bug” Montage is a family man that is living on the straight and narrow after extricating himself from a life of crime. When bad luck starts piling against him Bug gambles with his future and takes on one last heist in order to save his business and secure his family’s future.

What I love about S.A. Cosby:
-His protagonists are always smooth and deliberate. He features male protagonists that are underestimated but end up proving they have brains and brawn.
-In an interview Cosby stated that he writes thrillers as a way to tackle heavy themes of poverty and racism in a more palatable manor which reaches a wider range of audience compared to if he were to right straight literary fiction.
-He blocks out each scene, so the reader is able to visualize the action; car chases, bank robberies, shoot outs, fight scenes

If you are a fan of Hell or High Water or Sons of Anarchy Blacktop Wasteland book is a good segue into literary hardboiled crime fiction

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