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Razorblade Tears

by S. a. Cosby Publisher: FLATIRON BOOKS

Critically Recognized

Vengeance, grief, and the limits of regret

Regular price $18.12 USD
Regular price $30.21 USD Sale price $18.12 USD
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Paperback New English

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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    Book of the Month's Book of the Year finalist

    Book of the Month's Book of the Year finalist.

  • Bestseller

    Instant New York Times bestseller

  • Editorial selection

    New York Times Notable Book

    Named a New York Times Notable Book.

AlbakiReads Editorial

Vengeance, grief, and the limits of regret

After their sons—Isiah and Derek, a married couple—are murdered, their fathers join forces to pursue those responsible. Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee share criminal histories but little else, and the description places their uneasy partnership alongside a reckoning with the prejudice and distance that shaped their relationships with their sons. The revenge-driven crime thriller connects its violence to questions of fatherhood, acceptance, and whether the men can make amends, even after loss. Its premise gives the pursuit a personal stake: the fathers are seeking justice for their sons while confronting what they failed to understand about them in life.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Adult readers interested in crime thrillers built around a revenge pursuit.
  • Readers drawn to stories about family relationships, grief, and confronting prejudice.
  • Readers interested in protagonists whose shared loss forces an uneasy alliance.

Themes

Grief and revengeFatherhood and regretPrejudice and acceptancePossibility of redemption

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* One of Barack Obama's Recommended Reads for Summer - New York Times Notable Book - NPR's Best Books of 2021 - Washington Post's Best Thriller and Mystery Books of the Year - TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2021 - New York Public Library's Best Books of the Year - Goodreads Choice Award Nominee - Book of the Month's Book of the Year Finalist
"Provocative, violent -- beautiful and moving, too." --Washington Post
"Superb...Cuts right to the heart of the most important questions of our times." --Michael Connelly

"A tour de force - poignant, action-packed, and profound." --Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A Black father. A white father. Two murdered sons. A quest for vengeance.

Ike Randolph has been out of jail for fifteen years, with not so much as a speeding ticket in all that time. But a Black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid.

The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah's white husband, Derek. Ike had never fully accepted his son but is devastated by his loss.

Derek's father Buddy Lee was almost as ashamed of Derek for being gay as Derek was ashamed of his father's criminal record. Buddy Lee still has contacts in the underworld, though, and he wants to know who killed his boy.

Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge. In their quest to do better for their sons in death than they did in life, hardened men Ike and Buddy Lee will confront their own prejudices about their sons and each other, as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys.

Provocative and fast-paced, S. A. Cosby's Razorblade Tears is a story of bloody retribution, heartfelt change - and maybe even redemption.

"A visceral full-body experience, a sharp jolt to the heart, and a treat for the senses...Cosby's moody southern thriller marries the skillful action and plotting of Lee Child with the atmosphere and insight of Attica Locke." --NPR

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Customer reviews

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AlbakiReads
Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

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Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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Olivia

Smooth.