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Blacktop Wasteland

the acclaimed and award-winning crime hit of the year

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Blacktop Wasteland

By: S. A. Cosby
Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White
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IT'S A CRIME THAT HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF.

'Sensationally good - new, fresh, real, authentic, twisty, with characters and dilemmas that will break your heart. ' LEE CHILD

'Every once in a while a writer comes along with an incredible voice. Think Elmore Leonard, or Chester Himes...add S. A. Cosby to that list." STEVE CAVANAGH

Beauregard "Bug" Montage: honest mechanic, loving husband, devoted parent. He's no longer the criminal he once was - the sharpest wheelman on the east coast, infamous from the hills of North Carolina to the beaches of Florida.

But when his respectable life begins to crumble, a shady associate comes calling with a clean, one-time job: a diamond heist promising a get-rich payout. Inexorably drawn to the driver's seat - and haunted by the ghost of his outlaw father - Bug is yanked back into a savage world of bullets and betrayal, which soon endangers all he holds dear...

Like Breaking Bad in a high-speed collision with Drive, this stunning debut holds up a cracked mirror to the woozy ideals of the American dream - a dazzling, operatic story of a man pushed to his limits by poverty, race and a scarred, self-destructive masculinity.

'Blacktop Wasteland is an urgent, timely, pitch-perfect jolt of American noir.' DENNIS LEHANE

'...S. A. Cosby reinvents the American crime novel. Blacktop Wasteland thrums and races - it's an intoxicating thrill of a ride'. WALTER MOSLEY

The perfect page-turning read for fans of acclaimed writers such as Don Winslow, Attica Locke, Bill Beverley and Thomas Mullen.

(P)2020 Macmillan Audio©2020 Shawn A. Cosby Crime Crime Fiction Crime Thrillers Social Sciences Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Thriller Haunted Exciting
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Critic reviews

Sensationally good-new, fresh, real, authentic, twisty, with characters and dilemmas that will break your heart. More than recommended. (Lee Child)
Every once in a while a writer comes along with an incredible voice. Think Elmore Leonard, or Chester Himes. With Blacktop Wasteland, add S. A. Cosby to that list. Trust me, this guy is gonna be a big name someday. (Steve Cavanagh)
A delicious slice of country gothic wrapped in smart, hard, contemporary neo noir (Adrian McKinty)
Blacktop Wasteland is an urgent, timely, pitch-perfect jolt of American noir. S. A. Cosby is a welcome, refreshing new voice in crime literature. (Dennis Lehane)
Diamonds and fast cars, trailer park dreams and late night illegal street racing, S. A. Cosby reinvents the American crime novel...Blacktop Wasteland thrums and races - it's an intoxicating thrill of a ride. (Walter Mosley)
Every now and then, a novelist shows up with a confidence and a swagger that makes it silly to compare him to anyone else. S. A. Cosby, the man behind the wheel of Blacktop Wasteland, writes the way his main character drives - with precision and fearlessness, in complete command of the road ahead. The book will leave you breathless, but also desperate to know where Cosby will take us next (Laura Lippman)
Fast-paced, thrilling noir with beautifully drawn characters that really live and breathe. A fantastic novel. (Mason Cross)
A roaring, full-throttle thriller
It's fitting Blacktop Wasteland opens with a drag race. This is the literary equivalent of a muscle car-sleek, a little dangerous, and when it kicks into gear, you hold on for dear life. Lucky for you, Cosby is an expert wheelman. (Rob Hart)
Powerful, gritty, and lyrical, S. A. Cosby's Blacktop Wasteland is the unflinching portrayal of a man who's deeply aware he needs to make a better life for himself and his family, but can't ? or won't. Cosby is a mesmerizing new voice in crime fiction you won't soon forget. This is literary noir at its finest. (Jennifer Hillier)
Blacktop Wasteland will let the world at large in on what the crime fiction underworld already knows: S. A. Cosby is a major, original talent. Searing, twisted and jaggedly human, this Southern noir heist novel leaves scars. (Jordan Harper)
All stars
Most relevant
Could not stop listening. Incredible narration of a fabulous crime novel, also wonderful social commentary on US race relations! We need more novels from this author.

Stunning book

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I loved this. The Narration is excellent. This is quite a dialogue heavy book and Adam Lazarre-White really brings the characters to life with his intonation and believable cadence.

Along with the top notch naration I very much enjoyed the style of the writing. The matter of fact decriptions of the action and violence owe a debt to Ramond Chandler or William Gibson. The plot moves along at a cracking pace as the tension mounts. An excellent thriller.

Hard boiled deep southern gearhead noir.

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I’m listening to this after finishing Razorblade Tears, which I enjoyed. I’m not sure S.A. Cosby is going to go down as one of the great crime authors of all time, but this series (they share some minor characters and I’m sure there’ll be a crossover sequel) read like the kind of ex-gangster coming out of retirement to settle a score revenge movies you can see Denzel Washington starring in. I mean that in the best possible way.

Cosby writes very likeable, believable characters. His stories aren’t derivative but you can see a couple of the twists coming a mile off. Luckily he seems to be a fan of throwing a few in, some of which aren’t quite as obvious. The action is also very well written and well paced. He also writes very well about race, often getting across a clear message about how the situations in the book illustrate an aspect of race relations or simply the reality of being black without overshadowing the narrative.

I will say some of the phrasing is clunky and he gets carried away with some of his metaphors and dialogue, which doesn’t always land. Adam Lazarre-White does a great job of narrating around this and really sells the parts which could have used another pass. Again, these are sporadic but I did roll my eyes occasionally.

Cosby also seems to love certain tropes: The tough middle aged ex-con turned blue collar business owner with daddy issues - Beau in this and Ike in Razorblade Tears are very similar - who clashes with sketchy white trash and flashy wannabe gangsters who are no match for old school sensibilities. He also has a strange fascination with people crying for their mothers or defecating in their pants when they’re about to die, as if these are shorthand for something.

I’m mid way through this one but so far I think like it better than Razorblade Tears, although it is missing a device like the compelling buddy-movie relationship the other book had. I don’t think these are great books, but I have returned critically acclaimed crime audiobooks lately because the pacing and narration just didn’t do it for me. This is very entertaining and scratches the high octane crime novel itch very well, which is the main thing I want out of this kind of story.

Not a classic, but entertaining pulp noir with a twist.

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Read a review in the FT and bought the book and have been bowled over by this totally engaging drama of motives that are very understandable and actions and behaviours that are totally wrong. A roller coaster ride with endless twists and turns as the lead characters life falls apart, friendships are broken and the memory of his father almost takes over. Brilliantly read - thoroughly recommended

A total page turner

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Excellent writing of this story dealing with all aspects of family life and violence that enters it. First class narration, as well.

Powerfull Story

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