Helpful Score: 3
It would seem that author S.A. Cosby has included almost every hot button topic there is in his latest book, Razorblade Tears. A Black ex-con with a gay son? Check. A white ex-con with a gay son? Check. Gay marriage? Check. A transgender character? Check. A homophobic killer? Check. What Cosby also includes is his amazing storytelling talent that made me determined to find out how this story ended, to find out what happened to the characters Cosby created.
As Razorblade Tears progresses, Cosby serves up more than one home truth. Ike and Buddy Lee both come from backgrounds that have tried their best to pound them down into the ground. Their backgrounds have given them certain expectations as well as a penchant for using violence as a solution. Ike Randolph has kept his nose clean for fifteen years. Not even so much as a parking ticket, but when something ghastly happens, he's more than ready to join in with Buddy Lee to find out who killed his son. By any means necessary.
I will say that, if violence bothers you, I'd suggest that you give this book a miss. I tend to have a rather high tolerance for violence but even I was bothered from time to time in reading this book. I'd find myself putting it down and doing something else, but here's where Cosby's storytelling talent kicks in-- I may not have been reading Razorblade Tears, but the story was in my head, and I was constantly wondering how Ike and Buddy Lee were going to find the killer and still come out of it alive. Then I just had to pick up the book again. The only real weakness I found in it was the fact that it was way too easy for me to identify the killer. Fortunately, it was the relationship between Ike and Buddy Lee rather than the killer's identity that was at the heart of the book.
Ike and Buddy Lee had some learning to do while they searched for their sons' killer, and they passed their test. As Ike said, "...if all this has taught me one thing, it's that it ain't about me and what I get. It's about letting people be who they are. And being who you are shouldn't be a... death sentence."
Now if only more people would learn that lesson.
As Razorblade Tears progresses, Cosby serves up more than one home truth. Ike and Buddy Lee both come from backgrounds that have tried their best to pound them down into the ground. Their backgrounds have given them certain expectations as well as a penchant for using violence as a solution. Ike Randolph has kept his nose clean for fifteen years. Not even so much as a parking ticket, but when something ghastly happens, he's more than ready to join in with Buddy Lee to find out who killed his son. By any means necessary.
I will say that, if violence bothers you, I'd suggest that you give this book a miss. I tend to have a rather high tolerance for violence but even I was bothered from time to time in reading this book. I'd find myself putting it down and doing something else, but here's where Cosby's storytelling talent kicks in-- I may not have been reading Razorblade Tears, but the story was in my head, and I was constantly wondering how Ike and Buddy Lee were going to find the killer and still come out of it alive. Then I just had to pick up the book again. The only real weakness I found in it was the fact that it was way too easy for me to identify the killer. Fortunately, it was the relationship between Ike and Buddy Lee rather than the killer's identity that was at the heart of the book.
Ike and Buddy Lee had some learning to do while they searched for their sons' killer, and they passed their test. As Ike said, "...if all this has taught me one thing, it's that it ain't about me and what I get. It's about letting people be who they are. And being who you are shouldn't be a... death sentence."
Now if only more people would learn that lesson.
Helpful Score: 2
Two fathers looking for justice for their murdered sons - one Black and one white. The characters were developed well and I rooted for them all the way through. I cared about what happened to them and the out come of the story. I recommend it.
True fact: Razorblade Tears isn't my kind of novel. Also true: I enjoyed every minute of the audiobook!
I considered this title only because Annie Jones (a trusted recommendation source) talked about it on her podcast From the Front Porch. The narration by Adam Lazarre-White truly brought the characters to life; I wouldn't have enjoyed this nearly as much had I read a print copy.
The novel is like a great buddy movie with powerful LGBTQIA+ themes. These may not seem like they'd naturally work together, but S.A. Cosby created an outstanding novel with a lot to say about race, social status, family, and love. And I loved the moments of humor to relieve tension.
Readers experience it all through main characters Ike and Buddy Lee, ex-cons whose sons marry and are brutally murdered. The journey to vengeance for their sons' deaths takes Ike and Buddy Lee on a wild ride. I pictured Ike as Danny Glover (from the Lethal Weapon era) and Buddy Lee as Chris Elliott (as a much harder version of his Schitt's Creek character).
This is my first Cosby novel but won't be my last. I have Blacktop Wasteland on hold at the library and am eager to read his next creation.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing the ALC; all opinions are my own.
I considered this title only because Annie Jones (a trusted recommendation source) talked about it on her podcast From the Front Porch. The narration by Adam Lazarre-White truly brought the characters to life; I wouldn't have enjoyed this nearly as much had I read a print copy.
The novel is like a great buddy movie with powerful LGBTQIA+ themes. These may not seem like they'd naturally work together, but S.A. Cosby created an outstanding novel with a lot to say about race, social status, family, and love. And I loved the moments of humor to relieve tension.
Readers experience it all through main characters Ike and Buddy Lee, ex-cons whose sons marry and are brutally murdered. The journey to vengeance for their sons' deaths takes Ike and Buddy Lee on a wild ride. I pictured Ike as Danny Glover (from the Lethal Weapon era) and Buddy Lee as Chris Elliott (as a much harder version of his Schitt's Creek character).
This is my first Cosby novel but won't be my last. I have Blacktop Wasteland on hold at the library and am eager to read his next creation.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing the ALC; all opinions are my own.
Two ex-cons band together to seek vengeance. Ike Randolph had a distant relationship with his son after Isiah came out to the family. Ike realizes he will never be able to mend the rift in their relationship when the police tell him that Isiah and his white husband, Derek, have been murdered. Two months later the police say the case has gone cold. Derek's father, Buddy Lee, shows up on Ike's doorstep. Buddy Lee proposes that he and Ike work together to discover the person who killed their sons. Both men have criminal connections from the past. They begin questioning Isiah and Derek's friends and co-workers to learn if this was a random murder or were they targeted because of their sexuality or race.
Wow, this story packs a wallop. Both Buddy Lee and Ike want to make up for the way they treated their boys. As the two men shower violent retribution on the people behind the murders; they confront their prejudices about their sons and each other. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
Wow, this story packs a wallop. Both Buddy Lee and Ike want to make up for the way they treated their boys. As the two men shower violent retribution on the people behind the murders; they confront their prejudices about their sons and each other. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
