All the Sinners Bleed

A novel about a black Sheriff’s efforts to catch a serial killer in the fictional small town and surrounding area of Charon County, Virginia, where racism is real and visceral, and the Confederates are considered heroes by many.

The book brilliantly transports you inside the complex racial and religious realities of everyday life in a small Virginia town. Crosby’s ear for language and understanding of daily life in such a place take you there. You can picture not just the characters but also very much the place—from the town to the farms to the buildings to the rooms in them—and… show more.

I loved All the Sinners Bleed because of the gorgeous writing, the setting, and how the author spells out the long history of trauma in the place where he is the only Black sheriff. So, more conflict than finding a dead body.

As Titus meticulously does his job and shakes down villains, I respected the author’s page-turning writing and now can’t wait to read his other books.

Titus Crown is the moral center of this brilliant, gritty, thought-provoking crime novel.

Titus (the first Black sheriff in a town rife with past and present racism) is a complex protagonist who grapples with his own past trauma as he investigates a horrific school shooting in which a white teacher is shot, and the Black boy who shoots him is gunned down by the police.

But nothing is black and white in this drama; there is something way more complicated and sinister at play here. The action is nonstop as Titus hunts down a serial killer who has been operating… show more.

The story grabs you from the beginning. The pacing is great, and the plot was intriguing. It kept me turning the pages to discover who was involved in this small-town mystery.

I enjoyed the window dressing of his personal life, then watching as he maneuvered through the different red herrings to finally catch the guilty party. I was tempted to fast forward to the last chapter, but the buildup to the revealing the villain was too good to pass up. I was sad when it ended, I truly enjoyed all the characters.

All the Sinners Bleed was a rough read, and if the excellent writing hadn’t knocked me over at the outset, I probably would have let this one go.

This was my first Cosby, and it was a surprise. Titus Crown, a Black sheriff in a small, racist Virginia town, must find a serial killer of Black children. He’s got his work cut out. But he has a loyal crew, women who love him (I’m among them), and determination out the wazoo.

S.A. Cosby is a phenomenal storyteller and produces some of the best new writing around, a bit reminiscent of… show more.