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My favorite of June that didn‘t make my #Top24in24. Read for #AuthorAMonth. Not his best but still fantastic.

@Andrew65

June #AuthorAMonth #ReadAway2024 The title is very appropriate. A popular local pastor is murdered. Members of his congregation ask Nathan Waymaker, a retired Marine and former sheriff‘s deputy to investigate because they believe the police are dragging their feet. A string of murders follow and corruption in the sheriff‘s office and in a mega church are exposed.

Former military and deputy, now funeral worker, is hired by some church ladies to see what he could learn about their pastor‘s untimely death. The pastor has a nefarious past with a porn star daughter. His investigation leads to a scary gangster as well as the sheriff‘s office where he used to work. Bloodied and bodies dropping like flies, the main character/investigator doesn‘t relent until the brutal end, with a nice little ⬇️

I love SA Cosby‘a raw and gritty Southern crime fiction. This earlier novel isn‘t quite as tight as his three later ones but still has all the same style.

#AuthorAMonth
@Soubhiville

I always enjoy exploring an author‘s backlist and seeing how their skills have developed. Former Marine, former Sheriff‘s deputy, current funeral worker, Nathan Waymaker is no stranger to handling difficult situations. When asked to look into the suspicious death of a local minister things get precarious quickly. This book may not have the magic of All the Sinners Bleed but you can see sprinklings of the author Cosby would become.
#authoramonth

At the beginning of this audio book S A Cosby talks about a conversation he had that gave him the push to move from short stories to novels. So glad he did. His books are dark and gritty with complicated flawed characters and this first novel is that in spades. Not my favorite but still a great read.

#AuthorAMonth

@Soubhiville

Got a new S.A. Cosby for June‘s #AuthorAMonth
Loved the first three I‘d read so much I thought it would be worth the purchase!

@Soubhiville

So good. I love the way SA Cosby writes, POETRY over the darkest, grimiest situations imaginable. Good people doing bad things, bad people doing worse things.
This might be my favorite of his.
Former deputy is asked by members of the church to look into if the police are taking the local minister‘s death investigation seriously. He knows too well they have a history of sweeping things under the rug.
*audio narrator was PERFECT

Started this one for #authoramonth on a walk tonight. it‘s the only one of his I haven‘t read & it‘s off to a great start. His prose is 👩🏼‍🍳💋

Dark is definitely the operative word when it comes to Cosby. In this mystery, he has a former Marine and ex-sheriff‘s deputy investigating the death of a slimy preacher. Expect a high body count! #AuthorAMonth

My next IRL book for #authoramonth for June

@Soubhiville

Up next: Adam Lazarre-White‘s narration is mesmerizing! 🎧🖤🧡

I have really like Cosby 's recent books. This one didn't do it for me. You can tell it is his debut. The writing is rough - too stilted and too many unnecessary details. What got me most was the misogyny which I was not sure was intentional. Either way it was all too much and I gave up half way in. I didn't care at all who killed the man or why. I am glad Crosby's books have gotten better though!

I think, if there is a God, he wouldn‘t be much of an omnipotent being if he didn‘t answer each and every one of those supplications. That‘s the tragedy of this thing we call life, isn‘t it? Either none of our prayers are heard or all of them are.
Even the darkest ones.

This is my third S.A. Cosby read and I really enjoyed it. He‘s mastered the crime novel and I can‘t get enough. Cut throat and brutal at times but with so much heart. You can‘t turn the pages fast enough.

A great book to read on a day you‘re forced to stay inside. This was Cosby‘s reissued debut novel. Yes, it‘s violent but it‘s usually for a good reason. Does that actually make it right? The main character questions that himself. Nathan, a former Marine and deputy sheriff is asked to find out if and why a much loved minister was killed. Fast paced with good character development, Cosby is the only author who can get me to read stuff like this.

The smoke in my part of Vermont is thick from the fires in Canada so with no a/c and a little fan I‘m watching baseball and reading a book that I knew would keep me glued to the story. I‘m getting a little antsy though. Not looking forward to being stuck in the house for July 4th weekend.

Now that you mention it, yeah.

I finally went back and read Cosby‘s debut and it‘s just what I expected it to be—an excellent mystery/thriller with focuses on racism and some excellent humor sprinkled through to balance the darkness. This one is a little less complex than his more recent books, but still very good. He‘s an auto-listen author for me given his outstanding narrator Adam Lazare-White.

I'm a big fan of S.A. Cosby's writing. I didn't realize when I started this one that it was his debut novel. Although it isn't as strong as his other two books it still was a great thriller/crime read.

My Darkest Prayer is a dark, violent story set in the South following a man with anger issues as he tracks down a killer and gets pulled into the seedy underbelly of a town where secrets lurk in every dark corner.

This is S.A. Cosby's first published novel, and while it is not quite as polished or powerful as Blacktop Wasteland or Razorblade Tears, it is still a wild and suspenseful read. Nathan Waymaker, a veteran, former cop, and funeral home employee, harbors a deep rage inside him; once it's unleashed, blood will flow. When he's asked to look into the death of a drug dealer turned pastor, he is drawn into a dangerous game of secrets, sex and violence.

Look whatI picked up at my fabulous local library, cant wait to jump in. Loved both the author‘s previous books: Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland.

Posting my 2023 fiction reading bracket for January-February. February‘s pick was a stellar read by S.A. Cosby that I could not put down, but in the end it was edged out by January‘s top read, “The Latecomer.” And so “The Latecomer” advances!

A dark, violent, disturbing thriller featuring a former Marine who has anger-management issues and an attitude that lends itself to snarky, laugh-out-loud one-liners? Yes, please! I‘m here for all of it. This is Cosby‘s debut novel that‘s been re-released now after the success of “Blacktop Wasteland” and “Razorblade Tears.” He‘s now an auto-buy author for me.

Great listen!!!

Finished this up just now, and while it wasn‘t as good as Razorblade Tears, it was engaging enough to keep me reading. Cosby has a knack for dark humor and one-liners that had me laughing at times. I recommend this but with reservations - it‘s definitely dark, definitely violent, with plenty of TW. #nobuy2023 #librarybook @PuddleJumper

I‘ve been reading this for a couple of days, and noticed Sharon had another of his books on her TBR (Blacktop Wasteland, one I still need to get to). So I‘ll continue to read it and think of her ♥️ #sharreadathon @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @StayCurious

Now in paperback, the debut novel from S.A. Cosby is another propulsive southern noir that, much like his other books, You. Can't. Put. Down.
Cosby has a knack for creating these morally compromised anti-heroes that you can't help but root for as they come up against the powers that be.
Looking forward to "All Sinners Bleed" in June!

The audiobook was out of this world! The pace, inflection, voices and overall presentation were spot on for the story, especially his presentation of Nate. This was the first audiobook I‘ve listened to where I didn‘t feel like my experience was lessened by not having a copy of the book in front of me. I much prefer having the text when listening to an audiobook, but Lazarre-White‘s narration was so strong, more than making up for the lack of text.

Review is up! Yall! This book is so good and the narrator is the absolute best!

https://reecaspieces.com/2023/01/06/my-darkest-prayer-by-s-a-cosby-booktwitter-a...

S. A. Crosby writes books I don‘t tend to pick up but after reading Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland I knew I would breeze through this story. My darkest prayer deals with murder, small community secrets and an ex detective. This book was originally published in 2018 and now has been republished which I was happy to see because it came up on my radar!

This was the first book that S.A. Cosby ever wrote, but it is just out for publication now. While it doesn't compare to the amazing Razorblade Tears, I could not put it down. The book is violent and the themes are disturbing, but the main character, who works at a funeral home, is endearing. There is humor interspersed throughout the book that makes it palatable. It is a great debut that is not technically a debut.

This is a reissue of Cosby‘s debut novel - with a new introduction by the author giving a little behind-the-scenes about this first book. The audio performance is great & I liked the tough, sort of nouveau film-noir feel to the story and characters. Nathan works for his cousin at his funeral parlor but has a history with the marines and as an ex-cop in their small, VA town. When a local preacher turns up dead, parishioners ask him to dig into it.

Fast paced 1st bk!

Nathan is an unapologetically violent man. He has been a Marine & Sheriff‘s deputy. He now lives & works at his cousin‘s funeral home & is the man you‘d call when you need answers. A somewhat morally gray MC. The nicknames he uses in his phone for 2 close friends made me smile, definitely gray.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 👇🏻

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I have now completed all this author‘s work thus far. He has 3 books and I actually read them backwards, not that there is an order really but I read his recent to his first, this being the first.

In just 3 books, this author has grown so much! My Darkest Prayer is an excellent first book, it‘s a bit raw and crude in places, and you can where he has grown, refined and smoothed out all the rough edges.

I can‘t wait for more!

It‘s not like witty romantic mystery author Gay Yellen & I were following rural noir author & Anthony-award winning short story writer S.A. Cosby around Bouchercon. OK, maybe it is. 😉 #superfans #freshvoice #talent #noir #crimefiction #anthonyawards #bouchercon2019