I spoke with him recently about the novel, and about what it means to be a black writer in this moment working to capture the rural and Southern experience. Cosby’s pedal-to-the-metal prose is not to be missed. His writing rips at the paper-thin walls that have always defined “the Southern identity.” And while he has long been respected and praised in the crime writing community - having garnered honorable mentions in Best Mystery Stories, and even winning an Anthony Award for short fiction - Blacktop Wasteland marks the premiere of him standing on the stage he deserves. Its propulsion is matched and even exceeded by a full cast of fleshed-out characters and an undeniable understanding of place.Ī born and raised Southerner with generational ties to southeastern Virginia, Cosby has a distinctive voice that screams from a land overlooked and ignored. But let this be certain: this novel is more than just a high-octane page-turner. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland roars to life in a street race fever pitch equal parts breakneck thriller and rural noir. WITH SMOKING TIRES, loud exhaust, and blue lights flashing, S.
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