Hi friends. I'm back with another hot take on the latest books I've read. I am reviewing dumping a little bit, only because there are so many books I need to talk about. I have been reading my head off lately.
At the beginning of the year, I vowed to myself that I would be making the effort to read more books written by black authors. As a result, I have stumbled upon some brilliantly written books. Like this book, written by black thriller author, S.A. Cosby.
I will admit, I've seen Razorblade Tears so many times in Target when I was looking for other books. I even picked it up once or twice and read the synopsis. I just never bought it. I don't know why. Couldn't give you a reason if you asked. After seeing all of the talk about S.A. Cosby's newest book (All Sinners Bleed) I decided to give his earlier work a go before I read his latest. Started with Blacktop Wasteland. That one blew me away. Immediately reached for Razorblade Tears and here we are.
A Black father. A white father. Two murdered sons. A quest for vengeance.
Ike Randolph has been out of jail for fifteen years, with not so much as a speeding ticket in all that time. 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 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 else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge. In their quest to do better for their sons in death than they did in life, hardened men Ike and Buddy Lee will confront their own prejudices about their sons and each other, as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys.
First, I just want to say that I am now a hardcore S.A. Cosby fan. Anything he writes, I'm going to read it. Even if he's just writing down his grocery list, I'm reading it.
Razorblade Tears had so many different story lines packed into one plot, but it was beautifully done. First, we have both fathers who are ex-cons and have lost their only son in a violent manner. Second, both of those sons were gay and both fathers struggled to cope with the reality of their son's sexuality. Third, Ike was black, and Buddy Lee was a stereotypical redneck white man with poor views on people of different races and cultures.
Everything that happened throughout the story had to get filtered through one of those lenses and by the end of it, both Ike and Buddy Lee were forever changed. The detail with which this story was told, was (for lack of better word) immaculate. S.A. Cosby has a way of immersing the reader into the book. There were times I felt like I was in the car with Ike or sitting in the trailer with Buddy Lee. I swear I could feel the heat on my skin from the fire they set to Ike's house. By the end of the book, I felt so connected to the characters I had to remind myself that these weren't real people.
This book is definitely going on the list of top favorites. I wish I could go back and kick the past versions of me for taking so long to read this man's work. I was walking around not knowing what I was missing, but thankfully I am no longer in the dark.
You should absolutely read this book. Go ahead and grab it before it becomes a movie. I'm super late on discovering this man and his incredible talent, don't be like me. Don't walk past this book and not pick it up. Go read it immediately and thank me later. We love black authors, and we love thrillers over here in Booky Babe land. So, when you combine the two and give me a black thriller author? Let's get it!
If you grab this book, make sure you come find me on Instagram or Facebook to let me know what you thought about it.
Until next time,
Happy Reading Babes ❤