Razorblade Tears

by S. A. Cosby

A BLACK FATHER. A WHITE FATHER.
TWO MURDERED SONS. A QUEST FOR VENGEANCE.

Ike Randolph has been out of jail for 15 years, with not so much as a speeding ticket since. But a black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid. The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah's white husband, Derek. Ike had never fully accepted his son but is devastated by his loss.

Derek's father Buddy Lee was almost as ashamed of Derek for being gay as Derek was ashamed that his father was a criminal. Buddy Lee still has contacts in the underworld, though...and he wants to know who killed his boy.

Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in a desperate desire for retribution. In their quest to do better for their children in death than they did in life, they must confront their prejudices about their sons - and each other - as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt them.

A provocative revenge thriller and an achingly tender story of redemption, this novel is a ferocious portrait of grief; for those loved and lost, and for mistakes than can never truly be undone.

Praise for S. A. Cosby:

'Sensationally good' LEE CHILD

'I loved BLACKTOP WASTELAND' STEPHEN KING

'Pitch-perfect' DENNIS LEHANE

'Stunning. Can't remember the last time I read such a powerful crime novel' MARK BILLINGHAM

'Every once in a while a writer comes along with an incredible voice...add S. A. Cosby to that list.' STEVE CAVANAGH

'A superb character study wrapped up in a high-octane heist novel' Guardian

'Fantastic' Sunday Times

'Spectacular.' Daily Mail

'A delicious slice of country gothic wrapped in smart, hard, contemporary neo noir.' ADRIAN McKINTY

• ISBN10: 1472286537
• ISBN13: 9781472286536
• Publish Date: 6 July 2021
• Publish Status: Forthcoming
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
• Imprint: Headline Book Publishing
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

S.A. Cosby's newest novel, Razorblade Tears, throws two fathers into a revenge spiral as they battle to cope with the loss of their sons. This is a novel that opens the door to many different conversations.

Ike Randolph has worked hard to create a new life for himself outside of a jail cell. He doesn't want to go back and knows full well how much he has to lose. Conversely, there's Buddy Lee. A known criminal who isn't afraid to admit who and what he is.

Normally, these two men would have never crossed paths. If not for their sons, who met, fell in love, and got married. If only the story ended there. Now, two grieving fathers are on a path for vengeance, and nothing better gets in their way.

“He needed your love then. Not now that he's in the ground.”

Razorblade Tears was one of my BOTM picks, and I was so excited to read it! However, it actually ended up being such a flop for me. While I respect the conversations that were brought up in this novel (racism, homophobia, transphobia), I feel like these points were all left swinging in the wind. There's no conclusion on these plot arcs, no follow-through, and instead, it almost felt like their presence was there to create more shock than thought.

I don't know; maybe I'm looking at this from the wrong angle. Most of the readers on Goodreads seemed to enjoy it, which has left me second-guessing myself. However, I just can't shake that bad taste Razorblade Tears left behind.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks>