Razorblade Tears

*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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336 pages

Average rating: 7.88

177 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

tarahigh
Jan 13, 2023
10/10 stars
I loved this book. It made me cry, it made me laugh. It was everything I wanted in a story without even knowing it. I couldn’t put this book down! Quick and easy!
Anonymous
Jan 10, 2023
10/10 stars
4.9 Great read- very different characters/protagonist I haven’t read before. Highly recommend- style is much different than I’m use to but truly enjoyed Ike and buddy Lee
Floie B
Jan 08, 2023
This book was awesome, raw and feisty!
ToriLeighLit
Nov 26, 2022
10/10 stars
Razorblade Tears evokes important conversations about acceptance, race, the LGBTQ community, and allyship in such a beautifully heartbreaking manner. I can’t help but find motivated by the conundrum that Ike and Buddy Lee faced of “what happens when we run out of time to make things right?”. I was completely blown away by the plot twist and satisfied with the unsettling ending. I’d recommend this book to any and everyone.
Allisonbean
Jun 27, 2022
5/10 stars
2.5⭐️s on Goodreads. Extreme stretch of violence for vengeance. Things lined up, and when I mean lined up, the 2 dads should have died 12Xs over but were barely scratched. The police should have arrested them 12Xs over but they were free. Killing people left and right, but the one they don’t want to die, stays unharmed.

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