Former FBI Agent, Titus Crown, has returned his hometown, Charon County in Virginia, to become its first Black Sheriff. In a county, that has sixty percent Black population, racial tensions simmer and white supremacists’ zealotry looms large. He often finds himself at crossroads of doing the right thing of upholding the law and protecting the lives and rights of the Black community whilst ensuring that no one under his jurisdiction, irrespective of their race gets mistreatment or preferential treatment. His judgement and authority are put to test when there occurs a school shooting, wherein a black boy, Latrell, shoots county’s beloved white teacher, Mr. Spearman in public. Latrell is soon shot at and killed by Titus’s deputies when they see him raging, and assume him to be out of control and threat to everyone. The investigations following this incident, lead Titus and his team to a graveyard where the bodies of seven Black and Brown teenagers are found to be buried. Further probing makes Titus speculate the connections between the gruesome murders of the children, Latrell and Mr. Spearman, while also discovering the involvement of another person, who he nicknames as ‘The Last Wolf’, and soon believes to be the principal orchestrator of the murders.
Apart from the murders of the children, the book also features killing of two other characters in the most grotesque, violent and disturbing manner. Titus is faced with the urgency and obligation of catching the serial killer while the county and its people start doubting his ability of doing his job satisfactorily and impartially. At the same time, he is burdened with his own internal monologue about his relationship with his girlfriend Darlene, his bond with his estranged brother Marquis and the real reason for him leaving the FBI.
The plot is intriguing, the writing is engaging that keeps the readers hooked with the requisite twists and turns. However, things become tedious because of multiple subplots and umpteen inconsequential characters. The author seems to have lost his way through this complicated narrative of myriad happenings and fails to provide resolution to any of them. The climax is a letdown especially since it happens suddenly after the forever meandering on the innumerable murders and Titus’s never ending investigation. Also, the reveal of the murderer is tepid and their motive feels superfluous and incongruent with the brutality of the murders committed.
S A Cosby is a prolific Black writer and this book was my pick for Black History Month. He specialises in the ‘Southern Noir crime fiction’ genre and has received several awards for his writing. He has centred race and geopolitical issues in his work and All The Sinners Bleed, is no different. In this book too, racism remains the subtext. Through his titular character Titus, he takes the opportunity to educate and inform everyone how racism is present and still can be missed; how bigotry and fascism can disguise themselves as ignorance. Cosby’s authoritative Black voice lends gravitas to the forgotten Black History and the contemporary Black issues. If only he had also paid equal attention to the mystery that was supposed to be present in a murder mystery.
All The Sinners Bleed is a proverbial thriller that never had me thrilled. I was thrilled when it was finally over.
~ JUST A GAY BOY. 🕵🏽
the shiny diaries 