Early on while he was writing All the Sinners Bleed, Mr. Cosby proclaimed his current work in progress was a mashup of True Detective: Season 1 and Justified. With that kind of comparison and following on the heels of his award winning, best selling, genre redefining books… my expectations couldn’t have been higher. Cosby smashed through them like he was auditioning for the role of the Kool-Aid Man in an 80s tv commercial. “Oh yeah!”
We meet Titus Crown, the first black sheriff of Charon County, Virginia, on what would be the worst day in any law enforcement officer's career, responding to a shooting at the local high school. Personal connections to shooting is all but inevitable in a County of Charon’s size, but when the motivations of the shooter are investigated, Titus and his team find evidence of the types of crimes that will haunt them until their last breaths. The word evil fails to adequately describe the killer terrorizing the peninsula they call home and the only question is what will be left in the end, assuming they survive.
The darkness and regret in All the Sinners Bleed entangles itself throughout this story like kudzu enveloping a giant oak tree. Whether it is Cosby’s examination of gun violence, historical racial relations, or familial bonds, there is an underlying trauma that seeps through it all. Don’t get me wrong, there are moments of joy and love, but those instances are enhanced by the (often self inflicted) pain and suffering the characters have to overcome.
Given those topics and the current state of modern culture, you might assume that someone in Cosby’s position would decide to dust off a soap box, perch himself atop it, and begin condemning folks like an end of days preacher…but… you’d be wrong. For me, it felt more like being passed a bit of sipping whiskey accompanied by a whispered invitation to spend some time reflecting upon my viewpoints of the world. I have found S.A. does this better than anyone I’ve read in recent memory and it is just one additional facet of his writing that sets him apart from all other writers.
All I can do is tip my hat, raise a glass, and toast the greatness that Cosby continues to display.
Follow Todd on Twitter or contact him via the site.
Purchase All The Sinners Bleed
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)
Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
