Blacktop Wasteland (Cosby) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
A roaring, full-throttle thriller, crackling with tension and charm.… Cosby immediately displays a talent for well-tuned action, raising our heart rates and filling our nostrils with odors of gun smoke and burned rubber.… Cosby's voice is distinctive, and he plays a sharp-tongued Virgil as we descend into the Hades of bucolic poverty.
Daniel Hieh - New York Times Book Review


Violence-tinged heists, muscle cars, and dead-end poverty in America generate the full-on action and evocative atmosphere in this beautifully wrought tale.
Boston Globe


One of the year's strongest novels. The noir story quickly accelerates and doesn’t lose speed until it careens to its finale. It’s a look at race, responsibility, parenthood and identity via pin-perfect characters with realistic motives. Cosby invests Blacktop Wasteland with emotion while delivering a solid thriller.
South Florida Sun Sentinel


[A] high-octane neo-noir thriller…. The gritty, brutal narrative is complemented by the author’s sublime use of sensory description and… epic, jaw-dropping chase sequences…. Cosby is definitely a writer to watch.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review) Bug's got a conscience not typical of the thriller genre, but other than that, this debut novel recalls almost perfectly the classic heist thriller in the vein of Richard Stark's "Parker" novels. It'll go like hot cakes. —David Keymer, Cleveland
Library Journal


(Starred review) Cosby never misses a note in this high-energy read.… A superb work of crime fiction, uncompromisingly noir but deeply human.
Booklist


A gifted getaway driver desperately wants to go straight.… Beauregard’s anguish makes him a sympathetic lead. But the supporting cast isn't nearly as compelling.… The at-times action-packed ride can’t hide the fact that this one doesn't fire on all cylinders.
Kirkus Reviews