Bug's father was a getaway driver who disappeared years ago, but Beauregard (Bug) owns a respectable if struggling auto repair shop and has a wife and two kids. He's hardworking and loves his family, and he isn't planning on going anywhere.

But competition for his business is pinching his ability to help support his family, and some old, bad-news acquaintances show up with a promising, straightforward job that might offer some financial breathing room--if the others on the job can keep their heads on straight, and that's looking like a big if.

Blacktop Wasteland took a little while to get going for me, but just shy of halfway through, the setup is complete and the action started singing along.

This is a fantastic blend of realistic complications, mistakes, adjustments, and spunk. It's action-packed but character driven. I'm not inherently interested in the preparation and modification of vehicles or in skillful evasive driving. It seems like it would be difficult to write those descriptions compellingly, but S.A. Cosby wrote it so that I was all in.

Bug is a faulted character who when not in crisis takes stock of himself and aims to be a better person. He's forced to consider what loyalty means, and to face how dark the path ahead might become when the bad guys are truly evil, very powerful, and the stakes couldn't be much higher.

The ending is abrupt and a little opaque, but not without hope.

I received an advance copy of this book from Flatiron Books and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Absolutely Loved This Book!

I don't know that I would have chosen it for myself but after reading the reviews of the people that I follow I crossed my fingers and requested it and got it. I am so happy I did.

This is a fast-paced, action crime thriller that breaks your heart. You fall in love with Bug and understand why he is doing what he is doing not that you agree with it. You feel his struggles like you are going through them with him. You feel all the emotions he and his family feel which brings me to the writing.

The writing was wonderful. You could picture it all playing out like a movie. Just enough detail and emotion to make you take your time and enjoy every page. No fillers and needing to skip pages to just get to the point is what I am trying to say I guess.

So pick up this book and go sit somewhere alone and buckle up!

Blacktop Wasteland is a powerful novel that is already being touted as the best American crime novel of the year.

As others have noted, the story is an emotional variation on the classic 'heist' plot of a former crook who is forced, through unfortunate circumstances, into taking on one more job. Beauregard “Bug” Montage, a former getaway driver with exceptional skills agrees to take on one more job, with a tricky background, to keep his business afloat and his family intact. It is a decision which comes with considerable risk and brings him up against some very nasty characters. It also makes him revisit his past and his emotionally charged relationship with his father, a crook who went missing many years ago.

This is a pitch perfect tale that invests familiar old tropes with new perspectives and intelligence. The writing and the dialogue is very assured and although it is primarily a crime novel, Cosby uses his story to explore issues of family, poverty, racism and the relationships between fathers and sons. These issues, however, do not slow the plot and it races along at quick pace, with plenty of action and violence.

Bug is a fully fleshed out and interesting character and it is easy to feel for his plight. Cosby, however, does not turn him into a saint and is honest about his failings and his tendency to violence. The secondary characters are also well sketched and the dialogue crackles off the page. There is also some great writing and terrific descriptions.

Blacktop Wasteland belongs in that same category of high quality American crime fiction as Lou Berney's November Road, and is a gripping, powerful novel that easily captures the reader up in its thrall. There are, perhaps, some quibbles, but overall it is a superior piece of fiction that I suspect will dominate award discussions for 2020.

Thanks to Flatiron and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.

See my full review at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/blacktop-wasteland-by-s-a-cosby-flatiron/

Man oh Man oh Beauregard......

"Listen, when you're a black man in America you live with the weight of people's low expectations on your back every day. They can crush you right down to the goddamn ground. Think about it like it's a race. Everybody else has a head start and you dragging those low expectations behind you. Choices give you freedom from those expectations. Allows you to cut 'em loose. Because that's what freedom is. Being able to let things go. And nothing is more important than freedom."

There's Bug and then there's Beauregard, the same man with conflicting sides within himself. One part is the loving devoted husband and father, the other is a fast car driving outlaw.

Bug thought he left his past behind, he thought he could move on and run his business and be there for his family, but he couldn't leave the ghost of who he used to be and the memory of his father who disappeared when he needed him the most.

With mounting bills and stress, Bug cannot walk away when he is presented with the opportunity to make some money. All he must do is drive the getaway car. Bug is drowning in bills, stress and obligations and it seems like easy money, but is it?

S.A. Cosby put the pedal to the metal with this one. Blacktop Wasteland is raw, gritty, dark and action packed. It's a character study of one man's last-ditch effort to make a better life for his family but at what cost? It is beautifully written in vivid, raw and descriptive prose.

Thought provoking, gripping and raw. This book is not to be missed.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for and honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Beauregard, Bug for short, owns an auto repair shop in a small rural town. But what he loves is driving—driving fast. Street racing for money. Driving criminal gangs away from the scene of their crimes. Because the only fun in this Blacktop Wasteland is speed.

Life has hit Bug hard. After turning away from his life of crime—luckily before going to prison, Bug is hard-pressed to pay his business’ rent, his son’s braces, and his mom’s overdue nursing home bill. His only option? To do one more big job with Horace, the person who has already screwed him out of money in the past. Bug needs the money now and can’t afford to wait for better choices. And nothing can go wrong with this job, right?

If a young Quentin Tarantino wrote a book, it would be Blacktop Wasteland. It has the same gritty and realistic feel like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. The feeling of dread and the inevitable failure of both plans and hopes suffuses the book. If you like your thrillers bleak, you will enjoy this book. 4 stars!

Thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a ride!? This book is like if Fast & Furious, Ocean’s Eleven, and a complicated family drama mixed. There’s action, there is father/son relationship angst, there is social commentary, and there is great writing.

The characters are deep and relatable and Bug was someone you could really root for. I am hoping that this is the beginning of a series or that there is at least one more books involving him and his family.

Blacktop is emotional and violent, but it is also beautifully done, and I am still thinking about the characters days after I finished this story. I also think this would make a great, action-packed movie!

Reneck noir isn't a genre that particularly attracts me, but this was such a beautifully written book that I couldn't stop reading it. It is prose wrapped in poetry, and it reminds me of how common and ordinary most published fiction actually is these days. Thank you for providing me with the ARC. It made me feel better about the state of writing and publishing today in the United States.

Wow! Wow! Wow! What a GREAT thrilling story. Very original and refreshing. "Bug" is one of the most fascinating and original characters I've ever come across. A man who walks the line between husband and father and the thrill of the outlaw life. But that life comes with a price as we see in this exciting and emotional story. This book surpassed the hype and early praises. I absolutely loved it!

Wow- this was one hell of a ride! (Heh). Beauregard "Bug" Montage is a business owner, mechanic, and family man in rural Virginia. He's also known as the best getaway driver on the East Coast. He came into the game through his father, but unlike him, he gave it up to make an honest living and provide for his family. That is until, one by one, what he's built begins to crumble and he sees no choice but to take on one more high paying job to get rid of his debts.

Make no mistake- this story is brutal and violent. Yet the writing is beautiful and cuts to the heart of things like fatherhood, generational trauma, racism, and poverty while still giving you an action packed story that you won't be able to put down. Bug is an unforgettable character and once I got a handle on all of the players, I raced to finish. I can definitely see this being made into a movie!

If you like gritty Southern noir (just a fancy way of saying thriller!) with a memorable story and characters you'll care about- this one is for you.

I don’t normally read a lot of crime novels but I was drawn to S.A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland because it’s set in my home state of Virginia. Whatever my reasons for initially picking it up though, I’m so glad I did because Blacktop Wasteland really blew me away. It is both an action-packed thrill ride that features a high stakes heist and an emotional journey about a man who is caught between the sins of his past and what he desperately wants for his future.

Blacktop Wasteland hooked me from the very first chapter when we meet the protagonist, Beauregard “Bug” Montage. If you like complicated characters, you’re going to love Bug. When we first meet him, Bug is drag racing for cash and it becomes immediately clear that Bug’s driving skills are unmatched. Think “The Fast and the Furious” and you’re on the right track. For years, Bug was the go-to wheelman for anyone out there who was trying to pull off a heist. He’s now trying to leave that life of crime behind though. Bug has a wonderful wife, great kids, and he owns his own auto body shop. He loves his life as a family man and business owner, living on the up and up, and wants to do right by his family no matter what. Bug is also haunted by memories of his father, who led a similar criminal lifestyle but ultimately abandoned his family rather than stick around and take care of them. Bug is determined not to be like his father.

Life gets complicated for Bug, however, when for reasons beyond his control (unexpected expenses, new competition from a rival shop, etc.), he starts struggling to make ends meet and fears he won’t be able to provide for his family. As he exhausts all of his non-criminal options, his old way of life starts calling to him and when a former associate approaches him about a can’t miss heist, Bug agrees to take part, rationalizing in his mind that he’s doing this one last time and that it’s all for his family. Things unfortunately don’t go according to plan as Bug and his associates realize they’ve stolen from the wrong person and that things are about to go from bad to worse for them.

There’s so much tension and suspense building as Bug finds himself in an increasingly impossible situation. When the heist goes wrong, Bug’s life spirals down a dark and dangerous path that leaves him and his family more vulnerable than ever before and he has to figure out a way to fix it once and for all. And what made Bug such an especially compelling character for me is that no matter how deep he found himself in trouble, he never loses sight of his family. He truly is willing to do absolutely anything to protect them and secure their future, even if it means possibly sacrificing himself. S. A. Cosby does such an incredible job with painting Bug as both morally gray and completely sympathetic that I actually found myself rooting for Bug to do whatever he had to do to take out all threats to his family, even if it involved violence. I was just that invested in Bug and his family.

S. A. Cosby’s writing in Blacktop Wasteland is phenomenal as well. Whether he’s describing the back roads of rural Virginia, muscle cars and action-packed driving scenes that would easily fit into a Fast and Furious script, exploring the landscape of poverty and racism that is ever-present in our society, or laying out an emotional discussion between a husband and wife about the challenges that are facing their family, Cosby’s characters are both authentic and unforgettable, and his imagery is vibrant, powerful, and sure to resonate. This is my first time reading one of S. A. Cosby’s novels and I very much look forward to reading more from him. If you’re in the mood for a fast-paced crime thriller that is raw, gritty and will leave you on the edge of your seat, Blacktop Wasteland is a must-read.

I ADORED this book. Jam-packed from the first page, I could not put it down. I was hooked immediately & became so immersed in the story. Emotionally charged, this one will probably make my top 10 of the year. I highly, highly recommend.

Blacktop Wasteland follows Beauregard as he struggles to protect his family from his past and keep his business open. When he has the opportunity to be the driver for one last job that will solve all of his financial problems, he takes it but could never imagine the consequences that will come.

I was absolutely blown away by this book. I was drawn to it by the cover and the synopsis because I work in the automotive industry, but this book ended up being so incredible. Take the racing/heists from The Fast and the Furious or Baby Driver and turn it up to eleven and you'll have an idea of what Blacktop Wasteland is like. Yes, it's about driving fast cars and pulling off a heists but it's also about so much more. It's about family and who you are vs who you want to be. It's about how family can haunt you and discusses whether violence and ruin can run in a family with no escape. Beauregard struggles to be more than his father was and begins to think maybe he was always destined to be just like his father.

I loved the characters. I loved Beauregard and his struggles. He was generally a good guy but he could also tear someone up and not look back. I loved his wife and their children. There were several things that happened that I did not expect at all and the book did tear out my heart a bit. It did have some graphic violence and language, although the language was absolutely realistic for the automotive industry. This book went beyond all my expectations and totally surprised me.

This is an excellent crime thriller that will stay with you long after you finish it. The author perfectly captured the Bug's dilemma and his road to a new start. I am going to check out the author's other book, as this one was so well written.

Beauregard “Bug” Montage tries to go straight for his beloved wife, sons, and daughter, but his business is failing and the bills keep piling up. His every move seems to drive him deeper into debt, but he refuses to sell his dad’s muscle car. On the verge of losing everything he’s built, he accepts an offer to be the wheelman in a robbery. He hopes one last job will be enough to get his finances back on track, however, the robbery sets off a chain of dominos that threatens his loved ones and his identity as a loving husband and father.

Bug makes a great noir protagonist. He is scarred by the abrupt departure of his dad. He cherishes his family, trying his best to be a good husband and father, while solving many of his problems with a mixture of hard work, intelligence, and violence. Each of the characters in this book are lovingly rendered from Bug’s moody mama, to his wife and kids, family friend Boonie, cousin Kelvin, and the various antagonists. His two boys Javon and Darren, for example, have quite different personalities, making them stand out. Bug hopes Javon’s love of art will give him opportunities that weren’t available to him. Darren’s sweetness and good humor shine through in his dialogue. Ariel, Bug’s daughter from an earlier relationship, has her daddy’s love for fast cars and trouble.

The story is full of tension and conflict, with a driving pace that makes the novel a page turner and exemplifies everything I love about the noir and crime genres. Cosby’s lush writing is packed with beautiful imagery and emotion. Hollywood needs to option this novel stat!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing an Advance Reader Copy.

What a ride!!! Blacktop Wasteland was just what I hoped it would be. Fast paced, edge of your seat, thrill ride. There were many times that I would catch myself leaning forward in my seat, I would get that anxious!! Just when you think you figured out where this story was going, Mr. Cosby would take another direction, much like Bug in his Duster, and take you for another ride!

Bug, husband and father has trouble leaving his old life behind. He has a struggling business, and decides to do one more job, to help feed his family and keep his business afloat. What happens after that is one of the best stories I have read this year!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Beauregard “Bug” Montage is your average guy: a mechanic, a husband and a father. He's also a retired getaway driver that's known as one of the best drivers on the east coast.

Bug is going through a really rough time when a former associate approaches Bug with the offer to drive for a jewelry store heist. Bug then makes the hard decision to come out of retirement to drive again for one last heist. Will everything go as planned or will something go wrong like it did when Bug's dad was a getaway driver?

This book covered everything: race, family, poverty, and crime. I couldn't stop reading it and it was hard to put down! The writing was amazing, S.A. Cosby really knows how to weave a story together and make you feel all of the emotions. The pacing of the book and the plot were also 100% on point. I'll definitely be reading anything else he writes in the future!

The thing I loved most about this book was how it read like a movie! If you love crime, thrillers, or mysteries or you were a fan of the movie Drive or Ocean's Eleven, you'll really love this book too! You won't want to miss out on reading this one, I HIGHLY recommend it!!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc!

Awesome! Amazing! Bug worked so hard to make a good life for himself and his family only to have it crumble in his hands. Full of everything from drama to suspense it's a must read. Also a little heart breaking. Happy reading!

Book Review
Blacktop Wasteland
By: S.A. Cosby
…

“Listen, when you’re a black man in American you live with the weight of people’s low expectations on your back every day.”
…
Fasten your seatbelts for this fast paced crime thriller with Beauregard “Bug” who is the fastest getaway driver around! 5 ⭐️ ’s. This is a phenomenal read!
…
Beauregard “Bug” Montage is an honest mechanic, a loving husband to Kia, and a hard-working dad. For 15 years, everything is going right. Until it’s not. The loan on his mechanic shop is past due, one of his boys need braces, and his mother is going to be kicked out of her nursing home if he doesn’t pay the bill.
…
Kia suggests he sells his vintage custom car “The Duster” that was his father’s. (A father he puts on a pedestal despite the fact he ditched him, but not before getting him involved in crime and a stint in juvie.) Bug has a better idea. He’ll return to his former days of crime for just one more job. Enough money that they’ll be set up and then he’s out.
…
This book has so many thrilling twists and turns and reads like a movie. But it’s more than that. Like the quote I highlighted above, this book feels very deep at times of the struggles of a Black man; Being conflicted between being good and what everyone assumes you are anyway.
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Heads up . . . This book contains a lot of vulgar language, the use of the “N” word, drugs, and alcohol.
…
Thank you to Flatiron books via netgalley for this eARC for my honest opinion.

Terrific Southern noir crime fiction that I can highly recommend--perfect for these times in which we need to recognize the ways in which racial issues still hold people back in our society:

"Listen, when you're a black man in America you live with the weight of people's low expectations on your back every day. They can crush you right down to the goddamn ground. Think about it like it's a race. Everybody else has a head start and you dragging those low expectations behind you. Choices give you freedom from those expectations. Allows you to cut em loose. Because that's what freedom is. Being able to let things go. And nothing is more important than freedom. Nothing."

Beauregard 'Bug' Montage owns an auto-repair shop in small-town Virginia which has fallen on hard times due to competition from a newer, slicker auto shop in town. He has a wife and two kids who need glasses and braces, a mother dying from cancer in the nursing home, and finds one problem too many piling on his financial woes. So when an old friend contacts him with an opportunity for an easy heist with a big payoff and needs a great get-away driver, he is sorely tempted to fall back into the life of crime he's tried so hard to leave behind.

But there's more to that heist than they could have foreseen and one thing leads to another and gets messier as it goes, threatening everything and everyone Bug holds dear. Is violence an innate part of his family tradition or can Bug turn things around and be the family man he so wants to be?

Lots of violence and action keep this story humming. What a great action movie this would be! Terrific characterizations too--these people really come to life on these pages: the good, the bad, the ugly. So well done. I think this just might be my favorite book of the year so far.

I was offered an arc of this new thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks!

This plot line rocks - main character, Beauregard, needs money to dam up the burgeoning financial hole in his family and professional life so he returns to his old criminal role as a getaway driver. Along with that decision comes an aggressive number of issues, piled one on top of the other: idiotic partners, a rebellious son, a reluctant wife, and ghosts from the past. This author deals with the issue of generational violence and lack of opportunities for a Black man in American society, giving us a rollercoaster ride of a book.