Razorblade Tears

Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Crime

4.2

(810)

S. A. Cosby

*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* One of Barack Obama's Recommended Reads for Summer • New York Times Notable Book • NPR’s Best Books of 2021 • Washington Post’s Best Thriller and Mystery Books of the Year • TIME Magazine’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2021 • New York Public Library’s Best Books of the Year • Goodreads Choice Award Nominee • Book of the Month’s Book of the Year Finalist“Provocative, violent — beautiful and moving, too.” —Washington Post“Superb...Cuts right to the heart of the most important questions of our times.” —Michael Connelly“A tour de force – poignant, action-packed, and profound.” —Milwaukee Journal SentinelA 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 of his father's criminal record. 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.Provocative and fast-paced, S. A. Cosby's Razorblade Tears is a story of bloody retribution, heartfelt change - and maybe even redemption.“A visceral full-body experience, a sharp jolt to the heart, and a treat for the senses...Cosby's moody southern thriller marries the skillful action and plotting of Lee Child with the atmosphere and insight of Attica Locke.” —NPR

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More Details:

Author

S. A. Cosby

Pages

320

Publisher

Flatiron Books

Published Date

2021-07-06

ISBN

1250252725 9781250252722

Ratings

Google: 5

Community ReviewsSee all

"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 Two badass ex-con fathers, both of whom having let their sons down, find redemption and along the way revenge. Lots and lots of revenge. Yes there will be blood. And tears. I pictured Delroy Lindo and Mel Gibson as the dads. Wouldn’t be surprised if this gets made into movie."

Sher Free✌️

"An unlikely pair of fathers team up and stumble through a war path for justice over the death of their sons. Strong emotion and enlightenment learned through the eyes of individuals whom are strangers to such things. Action packed this book had me sweating with what the characters were going to be able to do next!"

Chena

"Two fathers, as different as they are similar, are no strangers to violence. Ike and Bobby Lee, united in their grief over the loss of their murdered sons, undertake a mission to avenge their deaths, uncovering corruption and unexpected twists. "

Jackie Davidson

"Good book, but not for me at the moment…it started really strong and then I lost interest…however; I’m sure it was me not the book…"

LeeLoo Dallas

"This is my 2nd book by Cosby and I think it's official on his writing. He writes about violence situations but the violence is so much more palpable in the social and cultural scenes he creates. This story is really good and loved that a character was named Mya 💁🏾‍♀️."

Maya

"The content was a little fark, but it was an enjoyable vengeance plot."

B s

Brian strong

" Razorblade Tears is the story of two polar opposites with two things in common- they are both ex-cons and they both lost their sons to a hate crime. The men set out to discover who killed their sons. I almost quit about a third of the way into the book. I found the book to be very violent. I am not the targeted audience. I continued reading because it was a book club book. I am glad I did. The characters are very well developed. Even if you didn't agree with their choices, you found yourself caring for Ike and Buddy Lee. I cried at the end. S.A. Crosby has a beautiful way with words. He is able to create vivid images to go with his words. The name of the book comes from a description of Ike's tears after his son's funeral. The genius of this book is that it has a very specific, very important, message that is probably uncomfortable for the targeted audience. There are many guys just like Buddy Lee and Ike who are going to pick up this book for the vigilante justice and the war with a biker gang. They are going to read it and they are going to hear that message over and over, starting out subtly but getting more direct by the end. I wasn't a fan of the almost omnipotent point of view that happened during fight scenes. Although there were multiple points of view throughout the book, they were separated by scenes. During the fight scenes I was overwhelmed by knowing what too many characters were thinking and feeling. (Could be that I'm not the targeted audience.) I recommend this book to people who like to read about vigilante justice and biker gangs. Sons of Anarchy fans should pick this up. My content warnings- Violence Blood Gore Murder Kidnapping Torture Racial slurs Classicism Grief Homophobia Transphobia Hate crime Cursing Dead naming "

Brandi Always Reading

"One of the best books of the year!!"

Becca Sangwin

"Holy wow! Gritty and not for the easily offended… but that’s the point. Cosby’s illustrative prose is gorgeous through the grime. One of the best books I’ve read in a very long time and I am ALWAYS reading. "

C B

Christie Biggers

"I love a good action packed book and Razorblade Tears did not disappoint. I kept wishing that Isiah and Derek would actually be alive but that’s not reality. Sometimes we don’t grow into the people our loved ones want us to be until after they’re gone. The book was more than a story about fathers getting revenge for their sons’ murders, it’s about racism, homophobia, acceptance, grief, guilt, and personal growth. A truly heart wrenching story. 5 ⭐️’s."