S. A. Cosby is an author I discovered a couple of years ago from a conversation taking place on Twitter (before the name change). Then I read Razorblade Tears, which I enjoyed. He released his current mystery thriller, All Sinners Bleed in 2023, which has similar themes of racism, corruption, and small town society.

In All Sinners bleed, we follow the newly elected, Black sheriff, Titus Crown as he deals with his historical win, obligations to his community, and a recent high school shooting that involved a fatality at the hands of a deputy officer. All eyes are watching how the newly elected, Black sheriff handles the subsequent shooting, making sure that he appeases the Black community, while also getting justice for a presumed beloved schoolteacher.

As the investigation gets underway, you learn that the teacher has skeletons in his closet that paint a different picture of his life outside of his high school position. Could his sins have led to his murder? Was he the intended target or was this a drug-induced, senseless murder? There are so many questions that keep you reading on, but one question, outside of the story, piques my interest as well.

Is S.A. Cosby going to ride this wave of Black victims, corrupt law enforcement, and racist citizens for his entire author career?

Cosby is doing well as a Black author in a genre dominated by White male bestsellers. However, is this what he wants his legacy to be? On the other side of this argument, there is no need to change a working formula; after all, it could have detrimental consequences for a writer who is experiencing commercial and critical success. However, his talent as a storyteller, would be underdeveloped if he continued down the predictable path when there are so many other stories to tell.

This is not to say that I don’t recommend All Sinners Bleed. It is a unique and familiar story in a way that proves Cosby’s talent as a novelist. The narrator, Adam Lazarre White does an exquisite job of depicting the small town vibes and slang that let you know the kind of story you are reading without it having to be announced to readers.