Titus Browne is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County. After years spent as an FBI Agent, Titus returned home to Charon to take care of his father but ran for sheriff to make a difference in the Black community, which is often overlooked. But a year to the day of his election, there is a school shooting where a beloved teacher is killed by a former student and the student is shot also. During the investigation, Titus and his team discover the teacher had been abusing the boy and others. Following the trail, they discover more buried bodies and secrets, while having to still do his daily diligence of protecting the Confederate Pride parade marchers.

SA Crosby is a master storyteller. The way he crafted this tale was almost lyrical, painting a picture of what it is like to be a Black man protecting a town of people who hate him just because of the color of his skin. I loved his relationship with his father, how he was trying to come to terms with the death of his mother decades earlier and how he refused to give up on the people who were killed. This story was raw, unfiltered, and matter-of-fact. Also, I appreciated the history of this Southern town how Crosby took the time to explain throughout these characters exactly why the Confederate statues and monuments are offensive in a way that was easy to understand. I listened to this in about two days because when I wasn’t listening, I was constantly thinking about these characters. I have had “Razorblade Tears” on my bookshelf for way too long, clearly I am missing out with this author! The audiobook was narrated by Adam Lazarre-White, whose voice was simply perfection for this story.

Thank you to Flatiron Books, MacMillan Audio, SA Crosby and Netgalley for the ALC! “All the Sinners Bleed” releases June 6, 2023.

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

ALL THE SINNERS BLEED is yet another terrific crime novel by the brilliant S.A. Cosby!

Titus Crown is the sheriff in a small Virginian town, having returned home after a stint with the FBI. Titus is the first black sheriff in Charron county; and many of the county's residents do not like it, or him. Then a teenage black man kills a teacher at his school, and is himself shot upon exiting. The young man's death is just the beginning as his past, and his teacher's past, are revealed. Will Titus get to the bottom of the shooting and the young man's motivation for it? Will he survive the investigation? You'll have to read this to find out!

I just loved Titus. Cosby has the ability to create characters you can root for. Titus isn't perfect, but he's doing his best and genuinely wants to solve this case. Being a black sheriff in a small southern town has its own set of issues, but he handles them as best he can with courtesy and respect. Between the black churches and the powerful white county residents, Titus finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place, yet still he perseveres. I have to admire a man like that.

Even on audio, I am impressed by Cosby's use of language and his descriptive prowess. He has a way of writing that feels immediate, somehow. His style feels to me like the words themselves disappear, and you're in the room, watching things play out like a film scene.

As I said, I listened to the audio of this, terrifically narrated by Adam Lazarre-White. The man always brings feeling and emotion to his performances, and this one is no different. In my mind, Adam Lazarre-White was born to voice Cosby's novels and that's all there is to it.

Gritty and unflinching, ALL THE SINNERS BLEED is exactly what I've come to expect from Mr. Cosby: A GREAT CRIME NOVEL. As such, I give it my highest recommendation!

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and the author for the free audio download in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

Well... it finally happened! I enjoyed a procedural novel! S.A. Cosby's upcoming novel, ALL THE SINNERS BLEED, may be my favorite procedural novel I've ever experienced. This book is gripping, dark, powerful, and transcends genres so it will resonate with many readers. More crime-fiction meets police drama than the author's previous works, but just as engaging as any of the author's previous works. The slow-building suspense at times made for a bit of a lull in the 60% range, but the ending was compelling. S.A. Cosby is an auto-read author for me and I enjoyed the audiobook immensely.

S.A. Cosby just keeps getting better and better, absolutely positioning himself as a modern master of crime fiction.

Thanks to MacMillan and Netgalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read an S.A. Cosby book last year, and while it was a little rough around the edges (it was the reissue of an earlier novel, My Darkest Prayer), it had so much potential, and just plain good writing. I *still* haven't had the time to read his two more recent books, but on the strength of that early novel, I didn't hesitate to download this book.
And I was not disappointed!

Titus Crowne is an ex-FBI agent, now moved back home, ostensibly to take care of his widowed father, Albert, but more to escape the mess that was the end of his career in the Bureau. He finds himself the recently-elected Sherriff of Charon County, a place in Virginia some say is cursed. It certainly has seen its fair share of trouble, and Titus aims to keep the peace without targeting the Black folks who've been under the thumb of the previous Sherriff for so many years.

We open with a school shooting: Latrell, now a young adult in his 20s, has always been troubled, but no one expects him to go to the High School and shoot Mr. Speerman, the town's favorite teacher, point blank in the head. Then Latrell is shot and killed by Titus' deputies, while Titus is trying to get Latrell to put down his weapon. What follows is a revelation the likes of which you might expect to find in Twin Peaks: child sex abuse, murder, torture, the list goes on and on.

Cosby keeps the tension high while still giving us important bits of Titus' past and his personal life. We learn about Titus' mother's untimely death at a young age and how it shaped him and his brother, Marquise; Titus' past in the FBI and what led to his career implosion; and Titus' love life (fortunately less objectification here than in My Darkest Prayer). Titus is a good dude, if flawed, and it's easy to root for him.

The writing is superb; only one or two passages that felt a teensy bit cliched to me (kind of unavoidable in mysteries, I reckon), and the plot advances nicely. There were times I could see the inevitability of what was going to happen, and it made me squeamish, but ultimately the denouement was well-handled and I need not have worried. There is some gore, if that's a trigger for some, but it's not the trigger fest one would assume given the subject matter (YMMV).

As before, Adam Lazarre-White does a nice job with narration, a few mispronunciations here and there, but nothing I see fit to make a stink about. I hope to hear him on the next Cosby book!

All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel is not the first book from S.A. Crosby that I own, but it’s the first that I sat down and read. Holy hell, what an introduction that was because this book is amazing. Right from the first line to the last line there was something going on and everything that was happening, was relevant to the overall story. It all fit in in some way and never felt unnecessary or unneeded. That’s a rare feat in storytelling to just have all parts fit so cohesively that they all add something to the story. The story itself was gritty, engaging, intriguing, and intense. It was like an extended episode of Criminal Minds, but more raw and badass. Titus Crowne as a main character was perfect. He was realistic, and pragmatic, had a decent moral compass, wasn’t overly judgemental or sanctimonious, and there was a reason for everything he did or didn’t do. Without a doubt, All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel by S.A. Crosby is on my shortlist for book of the year.

Probably my most anticipated book of 2023 and maybe the one I was most nervous about. After Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears, how could S.A. Cosby come close to writing something that impactful again? I needn’t have worried.
ALL THE SINNERS BLEED
Titus is the first Black sheriff of Charon County. The book starts with a school shooting and quickly spirals down. With the glimpses that you get of Titus’ past, he is an intriguing and compelling character. He is someone that you absolutely cheer for.
The amount of outrage that I went through with this book was intense. You can’t go telling me that it is just a book, we all know that people like this are still around and a lot of them are in positions of power. What kind of people you ask? Nah, you know and it’s shameful and disgusting that they are still around.
S.A. Cosby deserves a Doctorate in Letters if he doesn’t have one already. His writing is profound and insightful without preaching or sounding pretentious. There are little pearls throughout that make you want to write them down and pin them on your wall.
I got the audiobook from @macmillan.audio and @netgalley -the narrator Adam Lazard-White has quickly become my favorite narrator. His enunciation and voice truly reverberate and allow you to lose yourself in the story.

What a phenominal story!!! Titus, a former FBI profiler, is now the first Black sheriff of Charon County, Virginia. When a former student kills one of the county's most beloved teachers, a lot of very disturbing secrets are revealed. This was so well flushed out - the crimes committed throughout the county, and the strain and dangers of being Black in present-day U.S. South.
I could easily listen to Adam Lazarre-White narrate anything. Despite the number of characters mentioned and the interweaving plot points, I never felt myself being completely lost. I thought Lazarre-White did a fantastic job when narrating other characters dialogue's - this is often the most cringe part for me of listening to an audiobook with a single narrator and multiple characters.
Cannot wait to grab a physical copy of this upon release and re-emerge myself into this story!
Thank you, Netgalley, Flatiron and Macmillan audio for this ALC!

This is my first book by S.A. Cosby, but it will not be my last. He is an excellent storyteller. The book was longer than I think it needed to be, but the story was excellent. It was very gruesome at times, so if you're not into that, I would suggest you pass on this one

The narrator, Adam Lazarre-White is excellent and made the book that much better.

Thanks to Macmillan audio, Netgalley, and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook. I loved Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears is one of my all time favorites. All the Sinners Bleed falls somewhere in the middle of the two. These characters all felt real, not one dimensional like some tend to be. Cosby is one of the best authors going right now. The audiobook performance was also strong. Couldn’t stop listening

I never thought I'd read a book that opens with a school shooting where the school shooting is the least of what happens. Cosby has written a powerful narrative about society, racism, law enforcement, and knowing who to trust. As the book opens, Titus is called to the scene of a school shooting to find a beloved teacher dead and a friend's son standing in front of the school with the weapon. The tense standoff leads to Titus's deputies shooting the boy dead which leads to an investigation that will open up a world of dark secrets.

Cosby does not hold back his descriptions of crime. This book portrays someone who we would normally trust and has you questioning if you can really trust anyone. Titus was a flawed but good character with demons of his own. I liked the thought and care he put towards his job and the responsibility he felt to his career, his town, and his own father. There is a mystery to the book that isn't easy to solve and a heartbreaking tale that portrays the reality that society is not as advanced in it's ideals as we would like to think it is. Being a black Sherriff in a southern small town is a precarious line to tread for Titus as he investigates forgotten black children and what lead to their disappearance.

This book is extremely well written. It is difficult to read and yet captured my attention so thoroughly that I found it hard to put down. The audio is narrated by Adam Lazarre-White. He handled the tone and the voices of the characters in the town with such care and emotion that you felt as if you were right there next to Titus taking it all in. Since finishing, I have added Cosby's other books to my TBR and will be looking for more from him in the future.

The writing in All The Sinners Bleed is descriptive, lyrical, beautiful, and heavy all at the same time. This southern crime fiction book incorporates issues that are part of the current American climate, including a school shooting, deep ingrained racism, political corruption, discrimination, and religion that does not follow Jesus’ teachings on a daily basis. While these topics lay heavy on my heart while listening to this audiobook, I still really enjoyed this timely read. I highly recommend listening to this one on audio, Adam Lazarre-White does a fantastic job on the narration, nailing the accent and tone of the main character, Sheriff Titus Crowne. This is the first book that I have read by S. A. Crosby, but I’m immediately adding Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears to my TBR list.

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

***Caution: This book contains language, scenes of violence, and child abuse that might offend some.***

I have not read or listened to a book by this author that has not held my attention throughout and made my feelings come to the surface. He is gritty, in your face, and ever so talented in bringing so many issues to the forefront.

This time, Cosby tells us about Titus Crowne, a black sheriff in a small Southern town. He had been a former FBI agent specializing in security, but when a school shooting occurs it opens Titus and the town in many shocking and nightmarish finds. A teacher had been killed, a beloved teacher, by a black student who it is later ascertained had been abused by him. However, that is on the beginning of this nightmare for Titus and the town as more murder and destruction of young black lives turns up.

Cosby writes with a vehemence about the many injustices experienced in the South by racial conflicts. His words touch deeply into the unrest, the unhappiness, the wide divide that exists in many places by a person's color.

He doesn't spare any punches through his vivid descriptions, his hard hitting words, and through his scenes of the people he also depicts prejudices. He knows his characters and shows a deep feeling for all they endues.

I have now read three of Cosby's books and find that so very hard to put down and gain a knowledge of a world I would never have known.
Thanks to Mr Cosby, Macmillan Audio, Adam Lazarre-White, Narrator, who did an excellent reading, and NetGalley for the ability to listen to this amazing story due out on June 6, 2023.

Gritty southern crime fiction.

S. A. Cosby keeps it real. <i>All the Sinners Bleed</i> is another winner, the third for me by the author and I love them all! Well written police-procedural thriller with themes of racial and social injustice.

Former FBI, Titus Crowne returns to his hometown to care for his father. He ends up being elected as the first black sheriff in the small rural town of Charon County, Virginia.

A beloved teacher is killed by a young black man in a school shooting, he is the sole target. Cops are at the scene and while Titus is handling the situation, white cops shot the perp dead. The circumstance has become even more difficult for the black sheriff and the community. As the investigation progress, darker town secrets are revealed.

Cosby has a knack for telling these raw and oftentimes violent themes without feeling preachy. I find myself captivated by the complexity of his characters and story.

Adam Lazarre-White did a wonderful narration for Cosby's books and this is another exceptional audiobook that you shouldn't miss!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for my ALC.

Once again, the narrator, Adam Lazarre-White, did a fabulous job performing this book. The story is about Sheriff Titus Crowne, the first black sheriff, in his southern town. The book grabs you in the beginning with a shooting of a beloved teacher at a local high school. Titus has to deal with the fall out of that shooting and all of the deep, dark secrets that come out during the investigation. He deals with the subtle and not so subtle racism from various members of the community. I found Titus a very real and relatable character. You felt his ups and downs, wins and disasters as he navigates his way through the investigation that reveals horrors from the past and present. I listen to audiobooks when I drive and I couldn't wait until my next drive to listen to this "page-turning" book. If you love a good crime mystery, I highly recommend this book. S. A. Cosby is a master story teller!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Net Galley for an early audiobook of All Sinners Bleed in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Titus Crowne is the first Black sheriff in his rural Virginia county. He is a former FBI agent who has some baggage from his service. A young black man kills the town’s beloved high school teacher and then killed by a deputy. As Titus searches for clues as to why the shooting happened, he keeps uncovering more killings and corruption.

I hope that this is the beginning of a series with Titus Crowne. Titus is tough and tender with a strong moral code. Can’t say enough about what a great character he is.

Fantastic narration by Adam Lazarre-White! I could listen to him all day. The narrator brought Titus to life for me.

Thank you Netgalley, MacMillan Publishing through Flatiron books, and S.A. Cosby for allowing me an opportunity to listen to this amazing book.

This book may be one of Mr. Cosby's best! Main character Titus Crown, the first Black Sheriff in the small southern town of Charon County is faced with investigating the murder of a well respected, well liked white school teacher. The murder was committed by a black young man that Titus has known since they were kids. Titus had no idea what would possess Latrell to unload an commit such an heinous act. As Titus attempts to diffuse the situation, his deputies unload, shooting and killing Latrell.

While investigating this shooting, Titus uncovers a lot more than what he'd hoped or even knew that he would. Deep dark, sinister secrets of the town, of the south, of America. Titus realizes there is a serial killer on the loose, and it is his committment to find the person and persecute him, but not without interference. As Titus is uncovering secrets, and sickening racist actions perpetrating by those who still guard the confederate history, and continue to want to declare their rights to have confederate parades, he still have to maintain his dignity and responsibility as the Sheriff of all people, not just Black people. It is a challenging job for him to keep the peace and protect Black citizens that rightfully want to know why did the officers shoot and kill Latrell, and the far-right group that wants to hold onto the history of the south.

Cosby nicely crosses the line of racial tension in America, racial tension in religion, racial tension professioally, and the care and lack there of for marginalized citizens. The tears, and blood of racism stains the pages of this well crafted page-turner.

This is a must read!!!! Five stars.

S.A. Cosby never fails to amaze me with his writing; his turn of phrase takes my breath away at times and his feel for gritty, small-town atmosphere is beyond compare. All the Sinners Bleed is another Southern Noir story that takes place in tiny Charon County, VA, named after the boatman who ferries souls to hell and the bad guy in this novel most certainly personifies this. The heart and soul of the story is Titus, the first black sheriff of this backwater town, and we watch as he struggles through the horrific crimes which begin with a school shooting and lead down an ugly path. I loved Titus, his father, and his interactions with his deputies. The crimes are brutal, and the mystery keeps you guessing, which is my one problem with this book - it's hard to guess at the mystery when you barely meet the bad guy. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, would listen to Adam Lazarre-White read the phone book any day of the week, and look forward to recommending this book. A big thank you to Macmillan Audio, Flat Iron Books, and NetGalley for the early listen to this audio version. 4.5 stars

I just closed the pages of this book, and in the last half hour I have laughed out loud, gasped and stuttered in shock and cried my eyes out. 
 
There is no superior voice in American crime fiction than SA Cosby as far as I’m concerned. His writing is a journey through the heart of the south, and his voice is pure grit and all heart. 
 
This book is crime fiction; it’s a mystery; it’s thrilling – but it also explores grief, familial and romantic love and goes straight past the constraints of language to give us a complex, charged, and authentic understanding of life in a small town in the south.
 
Make no mistake, this is not an easy read.  There are some dark and disturbing details in these pages, but the violence is not without its place within the story. 
 
The storytelling here is absolutely phenomenal.  The buildup unfolds flawlessly, the climax is agonizingly intense, and the ending is sharp and poignant.
 
My only feedback here is that of the narration in the audiobook.  I felt like the narrator truly captured the voice of the main character, but I struggled a bit with the rest.  It was difficult for me to differentiate the characters as many of them sounded very much the same.  Still, I am going to recommend this one any way you can get it.  It’s an absolute must read.
 
My thanks to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

S.A. Cosby is such a contradictory author. His books are violent with anti-heroic protagonists, but also poetic. The topics are heavy indeed, but the books are impossible to put down. Ex FBI agent Titus Crowne, turned small town sheriff in rural Virginia, is called upon to solve a sickening case, while confronting the forces in his town that does not want to see a black man succeed as an elected official.

If you like audiobooks, you will enjoy the narrator, Adam Lazarre-White's rich voice and performance.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to read and review this ARC.