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Book Synopsis*GUARDIAN BEST CRIME AND THRILLERS OF 2020*
*LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE WINNER 2020*
''BLACKTOP WASTELAND may be the book of the year.'' MICHAEL CONNELLY
''Sensationally good'' LEE CHILD
''I loved BLACKTOP WASTELAND'' STEPHEN KING
''Stunning. Can''t remember the last time I read such a powerful crime novel'' MARK BILLINGHAM
Bug Montage: honest mechanic, loving family man. He''s no longer the criminal he was - the sharpest wheelman east of the Mississippi.
But when his respectable life crumbles, a shady associate comes calling with a one-time job promising a huge payout. Inexorably drawn to the driver''s seat - and haunted by the ghost of his outlaw father - Bug is yanked back into a savage world of bullets and betrayal.
Like Breaking Bad in a high-speed collision with Drive, this dazzling novel holds up a cracked mirror to the American Dream - and tells the story of one man pushed to his
Trade Review
Sensationally good-new, fresh, real, authentic, twisty, with characters and dilemmas that will break your heart. More than recommended. -- LEE CHILD
I loved Blacktop Wasteland. -- STEPHEN KING
Blacktop Wasteland is an urgent, timely, pitch-perfect jolt of American noir. S. A. Cosby is a welcome, refreshing new voice in crime literature. -- DENNIS LEHANE
A complex and moving take on radical tension and self-destructive masculinity, with blistering action sequences and car chases that fairly roar off the page, this is undoubtedly one of the summer's standout reads. * THE GUARDIAN *
Every once in a while a writer comes along with an incredible voice. Think Elmore Leonard, or Chester Himes. With Blacktop Wasteland, add S. A. Cosby to that list. Trust me, this guy is gonna be a big name someday. -- STEVE CAVANAGH
The action sequences are superb, the dialogue wouldn't shame Elmore Leonard, and Bug's experiences recall Walter Mosley at his most powerful...fantastic. * SUNDAY TIMES *
An exciting slice of American noir... Executed with such relentless power and heart. * MAIL ON SUNDAY *
A spectacular debut. * DAILY MAIL *
A delicious slice of country gothic wrapped in smart, hard, contemporary neo noir. -- ADRIAN MCKINTY
Diamonds and fast cars, trailer park dreams and late night illegal street racing, S. A. Cosby reinvents the American crime novel...Blacktop Wasteland thrums and races - it's an intoxicating thrill of a ride. -- WALTER MOSLEY
Every now and then, a novelist shows up with a confidence and a swagger that makes it silly to compare him to anyone else. S. A. Cosby, the man behind the wheel of Blacktop Wasteland, writes the way his main character drives - with precision and fearlessness, in complete command of the road ahead. The book will leave you breathless, but also desperate to know where Cosby will take us next. -- LAURA LIPPMAN
Hard-boiled crime fiction at its very finest. Propulsive, haunting, and richly imagined. -- LOU BERNEY
Blacktop Wasteland will let the world at large in on what the crime fiction underworld already knows: S. A. Cosby is a major, original talent. Searing, twisted and jaggedly human, this Southern noir heist novel leaves scars. -- JORDAN HARPER
It's fitting Blacktop Wasteland opens with a drag race. This is the literary equivalent of a muscle car-sleek, a little dangerous, and when it kicks into gear, you hold on for dear life. Lucky for you, Cosby is an expert wheelman. -- ROB HART
Powerful, gritty, and lyrical, S. A. Cosby's Blacktop Wasteland is the unflinching portrayal of a man who's deeply aware he needs to make a better life for himself and his family, but can't ? or won't. Cosby is a mesmerizing new voice in crime fiction you won't soon forget. This is literary noir at its finest. -- JENNIFER HILLIER
Fast-paced, thrilling noir with beautifully drawn characters that really live and breathe. A fantastic novel. -- MASON CROSS
A roaring, full-throttle thriller. * NEW YORK TIMES *
Blacktop Wasteland is an effective neo-noir that skilfully ratchets up the tension as it rumbles towards its inevitable conclusion. * IRISH TIMES *
A stunning and thought provoking novel. This story rips through the pages with a rare energy. * NB MAGAZINE *
