Audiobook Review:

All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby

Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

Summary from Goodreads:

A Black sheriff. A serial killer. A small town ready to combust.

Titus Crown is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County, Virginia. In recent decades, Charon has had only two murders. After years of working as an FBI agent, Titus knows better than anyone that while his hometown might seem like a land of moonshine, cornbread, and honeysuckle, secrets always fester under the surface.

Then a year to the day after Titus’s election, a school teacher is killed by a former student and the student is fatally shot by Titus’s deputies. Those festering secrets are now out in the open and ready to tear the town apart.

As Titus investigates the shootings, he unearths terrible crimes and a serial killer who has been hiding in plain sight, haunting the dirt lanes and woodland clearings of Charon. With the killer’s possible connections to a local church and the town’s harrowing history weighing on him, Titus projects confidence about closing the case while concealing a painful secret from his own past. At the same time, he also has to contend with a far-right group that wants to hold a parade in celebration of the town’s Confederate history.

Confession:

This was an amazingly well done crime thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat trying to find the killer as much as the main character was. I loved the small southern town setting and the writing and pacing were perfect. This is the first book by this author that I have read, but I don’t think it will be the last.

Titus was such a great character. He is haunted by his past as an FBI agent and by the loss of his mother at a young age. He has a solid moral compass that allows him to seek justice for everyone , even if it is someone he doesn’t like. He faces many challenges in his job and for the most part he handles them with strength and grace. He has a great relationship with his family and friends as well as the people he works with. He also has his work cut out for him as he struggles to catch this serial killer who has been hiding in plain site.

The plot and the writing are so well done. Each clue is laid out perfectly, but yet you are just as mystified as to who the killer could be until Titus is on the cusp of figuring it out. The writing is superb, at times I found myself so totally immersed in the setting and the story that I felt as scared of this killer as the townspeople did. This story is not just about the serial killer though, but also handles small town secrets, racism and many other issues facing our world today. There are a few dark and disturbing scenes that describe the murdered victims that are not for the faint of heart, and a few other violent ones, but the actual murders take place off page. The ending felt a little rushed once Titus figures out who the killer was.

The narrator, Adam Lazarre-White, did an excellent job. His voice was perfect for Titus and he does various voices and accents for the other characters. His southern drawl for some of the characters was spot on. His pacing and emotional tones for the intense moments in the story were perfect.

This was a really well-done crime thriller that is also a commentary on some of our more complex social issues. Titus is a well-crafted character that I would like to continue getting to know. This is a standalone, but I would love to see more books featuring him. If you are looking for a book with good characters, a chilling mystery, and are not too bothered by some disturbing scenes, this is a book I recommend you give a chance.