East Coast Don has already reviewed two of S.A. Cosby’s novels, and Cosby has written about ten books already. His latest novel is my first, and I am so very impressed. As you might guess from the title, this is noir literature, and in Cosby’s case, it’s southern noir. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it southern unholy darkness. He captures the racial flavor of living in rural Charon County, Virginia, a mythical place (although there is a small town called Sharon). In the beginning of the book, the author wonders about the people who would have chosen such an ominous name for the area. In Greek mythology, Charon, or the Boatman, was the figure who transported souls of the dead across the river Styx to Hades or hell. In this novel, Cosby writes about characters who become as ugly as humanly possible. I'll add that I listened to this in audiobook form, and the reader, Adam Lazarre-White, certainly added to the haunting experience that this novel provides.
A former FBI agent from the Fort Wayne, Indiana office, Titus Crowne has chosen to leave the FBI and return home where he ran and won the election for local sheriff. The author hinted that something nefarious had occurred in Fort Wayne which led to Crowe’s decision to leave the Bureau, but that was never detailed. Now I’ll have to read his earlier books to hopefully find out about that. As the author writes it, life in Charon County feels like the Old South. Progressivism has yet to find its way there. Racism is everywhere, and it is discovered that there have been multiple murders of seven black boys and girls, aged about 11 to 17 years. The murders have been going on for years and it is the new black sheriff who makes this discovery. Titus (same first name as the actor who plays Harry Bosch, Titus Welliver) is profoundly impacted by these deaths of boys who have never been reported missing.
To be succinct, Cosby deals with racism, religion, families, and politics as they exist and impact the locals in Charon. The character development is awesome and the plot is most believable. I don’t usually read literature that is this dark, but I could not put the book down and now I want to read more of Cosby. Furthermore, Cosby successfully brings this complex story into a very fitting conclusion. This novel gets a 5/5 and A+ rating. I can see why East Coast Don has raved about this author.
PS: I just heard a 37-min interview of Cosby on NPR's Fresh Air. Clearly, Cosby is one bright, articulate, and introspective man. If possible, I like him even more than before I heard the interview. This aired on 1/29/23.
Cosby is the real deal. He lives in the Va Beach area and has been known to make an appearance in the Raleigh-Durham area at a thing called Noir at the Bar where local authors read from their books, talk with fans, and importantly, sell some books. Been to one of those to see/meet JD Rhoades. Sure hope Cosby makes another appearance in the near future.
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