Thank you Flatiron Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of All the Sinners Bleed in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Published: June 6, 2023
Summary:
A Black sheriff. A serial killer. A small town ready to combust.
Titus Crown is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County, Virginia. In recent decades, Charon has had only two murders. After years of working as an FBI agent, Titus knows better than anyone that while his hometown might seem like a land of moonshine, cornbread, and honeysuckle, secrets always fester under the surface.
Then a year to the day after Titus’s election, a school teacher is killed by a former student and the student is fatally shot by Titus’s deputies. Those festering secrets are now out in the open and ready to tear the town apart.
As Titus investigates the shootings, he unearths terrible crimes and a serial killer who has been hiding in plain sight, haunting the dirt lanes and woodland clearings of Charon. With the killer’s possible connections to a local church and the town’s harrowing history weighing on him, Titus projects confidence about closing the case while concealing a painful secret from his own past. At the same time, he also has to contend with a far-right group that wants to hold a parade in celebration of the town’s Confederate history.
Powerful and unforgettable, All the Sinners Bleed confirms S. A. Cosby as “one of the most muscular, distinctive, grab-you-by-both-ears voices in American crime fiction” (The Washington Post).
My thoughts:
S.A. Cosby is without a doubt one of my favorite crime fiction writers and as soon as I know he has a book coming out, it immediately goes on my must-read list. I don’t even have to know what it’s about; I just know I need to read it!
As I have found with his previous two books, Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears, I was immediately pulled into this book, despite how dark and gritty it was. And even though this one felt more graphic and violent than the other two books, I was still fully engaged and invested in the characters and the storyline. Tackling issues such as racism, poverty, gun violence, local politics, religion and so much more, this story is full of depth and emotion. The main protagonist, Titus Crown is one to root for as he just wants to do the right thing.
This book is such an addictive read. He brings the small-town life in Charon County to life, and it really adds another layer to this already layered, complex read. I really cannot recommend this one enough. It is dark, but not too gruesome – this is something that I have to say Cosby really doesn’t go for. Nothing is done gratuitously.
I have loved each and every one of Cosby’s books and think this one might just be my new favorite. I cannot wait to see what he writes next!
