Until his sister Naveah calls from his home in Jefferson Run, VA - a bit down the road from Richmond - telling him that their father was in a hit-and-run accident, is in a coma at the nearby hospital and that their younger brother Dante is worthless when it comes to helping out. Roman bolts for VA to help the family he left behind, and to make sure the family business, a successful crematorium now completely run by Naveah, continues.
When Roman finally gets Dante somewhat sober, he learns that Dante and a bud did a couple really dumb things. First, they got into bed with the local gang (BBB; Black Baron Boys) to front them some drugs to sell. If that wasn't dump enough, they thought it'd be fun to sample a little of their wares. BBB wouldn't miss a little product, right? Well, they more than sampled. Probably were halfway through their stash by the time they realized they'd really screwed up and the BBB wants their money . . . now.
Roman tries to talk with the brothers at the top of the gang. They go by Tranquil and Torrent. A couple of skilled 'businessmen' not known to suffer fools for even a nanosecond. They'll snuff out anyone who's wronged them. When Roman's financial bullshit fails to sway the tide, the brothers beat the teeth our of Roman and cut off one of Dante's fingers for wasting their time. Roman works out a deal to repay the BBB for their lost income and get Dante out from their terror, he thinks. One of of the promises he makes is to use the family business to help BBB clean up the debris inherent to their business.
And that's just the beginning. The BBB boys round up Dante's partner and girlfriend, deliver them to Roman so that Roman can do what the family business does best. One of the BBB soldiers leaves (can't watch what's going to happen). That's about when Dante uses a tire iron on the other soldier. Roman now has to add that guy to the ovens. The BBB is expecting guy and girlfriend to be dust, but instead, the girl is spared and told in no uncertain terms to get far away from Jefferson Run or others, like all the Carruthers, will die a horribly gruesome death.
Roman knows he is in over his head, but has a plan, with the help of an Atlanta friend Khalil, a former Army Ranger who is extremely capable. Think of his as Roman's Joe Pike. Capable. Very Capable.
Between Roman's conniving and Khalil's skills, Roman works his way into the BBB's good graces by laundering their drug profits into stinking wealth beyond their dreams while Khalil keeps the BBB looking over both shoulders for what they figure is a rival gang trying to take over the territory. What Roman really wants is to make Tranquil and Torrence suffer. Seriously suffer. Destroy the BBB and kill anyone who gets in the way.
Southern, gothic, country noir at its finest. Roman is successful with an undercurrent of treachery that slowly boils until an explosive conclusion. Dante is just a kid party boy who is constantly stoned, high, drunk, and screwing around with little thought to consequences. Naveah is the family's rock trying to hold it all together while Roman tries to keep her above the fray. In some ways, she is the heroine whose quiet strength is needed by both brothers. This isn't a tale of drugs and greed. No, that's too eash. This is a story about the extremes one will go to protect family . . . with a little help from Khalil.
Bottom line? Another in an unbroken line of winners from Sean (SA) Cosby. Run out and get this one, boys and girls. No joke. Get it.
East Coast Don
PS. Cosby can really put words together that makes his prose an entertaining read. To wit:
'Dante was as high as the price of gas.'
'Her dress clung to her like an insecure lover.'
'I used to be afraid the universe was evil. Now I almost wish it was. Because evil can be bargained with, evil has a purpose, no matter how horrible it may be. But what I've come to realize is the universe is indifferent, and that is so much more terrifying.'
'At night it was as dark as a politician's soul.'
'Sometimes the man wearing the crown ain't the man that's supposed to be king.'
'Roman had lost a lot in life, but he knew one thing. He'd never been defeated.'
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.
