Review of All the Sinners Bleed

I like police procedurals and decided to try this very dark and gritty thriller that follows the first Black sheriff in a small Virginia town as he navigates family issues, racism, and tries to catch a very creepy criminal! Check out my Review of All the Sinners Bleed, which I put on my Best of 2023 list!

All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby

To be published on June 6, 2023 by Flatiron Books. Thanks so much to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.

Titus Crowne is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County. A former FBI agent and security expert, Titus came home to look out for his father and troubled younger brother. He ran for Sheriff to make a difference.

But a year to the day after his election, a tragedy rocks the town. A beloved teacher is shot by a former student, and as Titus attempts to deescalate and get the boy to surrender, his deputies open fire.

In the investigation leads to buried bodies—and secrets. While Titus tries to track down evil hiding in plain sight, he must face what it means to be a Black man wearing a police uniform in the American South.

What Books Has S.A. Cosby Written?

This is my first book by S.A. Cosby, but he has published My Darkest Prayer (2019), Blacktop Wasteland (2020), Razorblade Tears (2021)

Review of All the Sinners Bleed

I love a good noir book. Give me all the cynical PIs, the tortured-by-the-past police investigators, the gritty urban settings and claustrophobic small town settings.

All The Sinners Bleed was a hard book to read but also an impossible book to put down. Interwoven into this modern Southern noir is some tough and unflinching social commentary about American history and culture.

The story takes a harsh look at religious faith but also has deeply touching moments of humanity and compassion.

Plus humor! I firmly believe that all dark and gritty books need a touch of humor to balance things out. There was one part of the book involving Titus (the main character) getting strong-armed into going to a funeral with his elderly father that had me alternately tearing up and then cracking up. 

Titus was an amazing main character, a man who has made mistakes himself and is determined to give every citizen of the county the safety and justice they deserve.

But he’s got obstacles ahead. He misses his old work as an FBI agent. Living in Charon County again has brought up a lot of unresolved feelings of grief. On top of all that, many in the Black community think he’s a sell-out, while the white residents are either skeptical or openly hostile toward him.

The case that the book centers around is an interesting one, and the book is also in some ways a very traditional mystery in which you could solve the case. (I didn’t!)

One note: Titus keeps referring to a prior FBI case in such a way that kept making me think this was the second book in a series. But I investigated and I think not. (If I’m wrong, correct me in comments.) By the end of the book, the case and its relevance are explained.

One more note: this book covers some tough topics. I don’t think the main character would approve of trigger warnings, but if there are topics you really can’t read about, feel free to email me with any questions or check out my Goodreads review of the book.

All the Sinners Bleed is a beautifully written book that will stay with me, even though as a reviewer I read many books a year. I’m eager to try other books by S.A. Cosby, as well as whatever he writes next.