Blacktop Wasteland
by S.A. Cosby
☆ 2021 CWA Gold Dagger Highly Commended
Blacktop Wasteland is a thriller more than a mystery, but deserves a mention because it was highly commended by the Crime Writers’ Association in its 2021 Gold Dagger awards. The chief protagonist is Bug (real name: Beauregard), a car mechanic and hotshot driver, and your heart starts sinking early in the book as his efforts to stay on the straight and narrow falter under financial pressure—even as he tries to be a good husband, dad and businessman. Still, you quickly get sucked into the action and feel oddly empowered by him and just how smart and talented he is, rooting for him even as he commits heinous crimes.
Recommendations from our site
“Let’s just talk a moment about S.A. Cosby’s incredible voice and unforgettable characters. Don’t tell me for a moment Bug—or any of the other characters who grace these pages—are not real people. I refuse to believe it. They are too multi-dimensional, too flawed, sympathetic, and too perfectly human. And then there’s the story: gritty, dynamic noir by an author in complete command of his craft. As an author, I read mastery like this with equal parts awe and envy.” Read more...
Tosca Lee, Novelist
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