All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Submitted by Heather Groom, Branch Manager for Sullivan Gardens Public Library
S.A. Cosby sharpens his teeth after “Razorblade Tears” with
a stunning page turner about small town crime and the politics that allow those
events to unfold.
Titus Crown is a black sheriff in Charon County, Virginia.
The first black sheriff to be elected in that county, in fact. Titus is pulled
back to his hometown after a tragic raid ended his FBI career. One week he’s
chasing domestic terrorists and the next he’s breaking up petty squabbles in
the parking lot of the local grocery store. Until a shooting occurs at the
county high school and a beloved teacher is shot to death, while the killer is taken
down by Titus’ own deputies. This string of killings unravels leads that reveal
a serial killer in the midst of Charon, one whom has been operating in plain
sight for years. By the end of the night, the bodies of seven black children
are found beneath a weeping willow tree. The suspected killer is a native of
Charon and could be anyone they pass on the street.
I love crime fiction, and this is the best that I’ve personally
read this year. Titus doesn’t back down from a fight, whether it’s to track
down a serial killer or cure the rampant racism that has plagued his county
since its inception. The crimes depicted in the novel are reminiscent of Thomas
Harris’ “Hannibal Lector” series, and Cosby isn’t squeamish with a gory scene.
The twists and turns he carves into his storytelling make this book a page
burner. I read half the book in a sitting and was reticent to walk away. The way
Cosby handles the undertones of the story are what really kept me interested. He
engages with racism in a no holds barred fashion, yet he is compassionate to
the experiences of each player in his story. His compassion never gives way to
complacency though, as he tears down the historical narratives that have become
so ingrained in the South that they are considered by some as solid fact. He
isn’t precious with his characters, and this makes (most) of them wholly
relatable. The rest will make you wonder what evil can hide in the heart of
those that you’ve known your entire life.
This book is gritty and psychological, but at it’s core it’s
just darn good storytelling. Cosby has taken Southern Crime Fiction to a new
level.
This book can be checked out at Thomas Memorial Public Library
and Sullivan County Public Library.
Also look for this title on Libby and Hoopla!
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