Razorblade Tears Paperback – April 5, 2022

“This is who I am. I can’t change. I don’t want to, really. But for once I’m gonna put this devil inside me to good use.”S.A. Cosby impressed me with Blacktop Wasteland. He absolutely blew me away with Razorblade Tears.A killer premise is always a good start. Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee are plenty different. Ike is black; Buddy Lee is white. Ike built a business from the ground up and employs crews of workers; Buddy Lee’s work history is checkered at best. Ike is a comfortable business and home owner; Buddy Lee lives in a dilapidated single-wide trailer with a window unit that pushes around lukewarm air. Ike is happily married; Buddy Lee hasn’t been in a serious relationship since his son’s mom left him. But they have a few things in common too. Both did time in prison. Both have ample capacity to deal out violence. Neither could accept their son’s homosexuality. Their sons who were married to each other. Who were just murdered.To paraphrase Solomon Kane, men will die for that.Ike isn’t quick to go back to that old life, to be Riot Randolph again. He has a lot to lose now—a home, a business, a wife, a granddaughter. He knows the danger of going back to that dark place is more than physical. Buddy Lee feels different, though, and Buddy Lee talks him into it. Ike and Buddy Lee have more than skin color and the rest of the stuff I mentioned above that makes him different. Ike is all about bottling up his ungovernable rage. Buddy Lee is happy-go-lucky with a quip for everything and lets his rage fly freely. Both men have plenty of rage to spread around with the blood.The contrast really works. I can see plenty of myself in both characters, and the characters play off of each other. The conflict of personality between the two helps drive the narrative, along with the conflict conflict and their conflicting emotions toward their sons. They loved their sons but couldn’t accept them. They realize the error of their ways now, but it is too late and men do not change their worldview overnight.Ike and Buddy Lee set about getting to the bottom of why their sons got killed in what looks like a less-than-random way. Which isn’t to say this is a mystery. Ike and Buddy Lee are killers, not investigators. They lack the skills to find the killers, but start knocking heads around and the killers are liable to come find you. They can handle themselves just fine from there.One reason I love country noir is how comfortably it sits in the overlap between literary and pulp, often showcasing the best of both worlds. Razorblade Tears is killer from either perspective. The subject matter is heavy and handled with gravity. The character arcs are rich. The prose is elegant and deep. The action comes early and often. The violence is visceral. The revenge is sweet. The pacing is propulsive. Don’t get fooled into thinking people are praising this book because it’s trendy—it’s the real deal, and for all the depth it works completely from a pulp perspective.

Two fathers form an unlikely partnership when they band together to figure out who murdered their sons. When the book begins, the only things Buddy Lee and Ike have in common are that they both have a prison record and they both disapprove of their son’s marriage to each other. Ike is a black man, who, after being released from prison, started a successful lawn care company and promised his wife and son that he would stay on the straight and narrow path. He has not faltered. The only real point of contention between he and his family for the past fifteen years had been his refusal to accept the fact that his son is gay. Buddy Lee, a <i>good ol’ boy</i> from a long line of trailer park <i>good ol’ boys</i>, is long divorced, barely and rarely employed, and has been in and out of jail multiple times. He must certainly does not like the fact that he has a gay son.When Isaac and Derrick are murdered, possibly due to a story that reporter Isaac had been working on, Buddy Lee and Ike chase down leads to try to find the killer. Along the way, they go up against a biker gang, a powerful family and anyone else who gets in there way.WHAT I LOVEDThis book is an odd mix of violence and poetic prose. Author S. A. Cosby has way with words! Almost stylish violence.Here is one example;“When he hit the ground, his large and small intestines began to unspool like a ribbon of saltwater taffy soaked in merlot.”There are a ton of similar examples throughout he book.The plot was nonstop. It never got boring.The evolving relationship between Buddy Lee and Ike and their regret for the way they treated their sons gave the book more dimension. It’s very relevant to the times, all the hot button issues were touched upon; race relations, LGBT rights and family drama.WHAT I DIDN’T LOVEThere was just so very much violence. Just too much for my tastes. I’m sure it’s fine for a lot of people but I’m not a fan of fight scenes in movies and don’t love this many of them in books. I Ended up skimming a lot of the fights.OVERALIf you like nonstop thrillers with pretty words and are okay with some violence, this is a book for you. It’s almost like watching a Clint Eastwood movie.

A gripping tale that rushes headlong into a whirlwind of excitement and tension from the very first page. This story weaves the poignant journeys of two fathers, each burdened by profound grief and the heavy weight of regret. Driven by an unyielding desire for revenge, they navigate a dark and turbulent path, each seeking redemption for their past actions and the scars left on their son's souls. As the narrative unfolds, the stakes rise, immersing readers in a relentless pursuit filled with heart-stopping moments and emotional depth.

Man this book had me intrigued from the beginning, I loved it, the setting , the relatable areas.The plot, the deduction and the lessons that you walk away knowing, I was all here for it. I really enjoyed this book, I listened with my Alexa as I listen while I work and I had to stop myself from finishing too early. It was such a good book.S.A Cosby, you hit me hooked like a crackhead with your books, got me feigning for more. 10 stars.