The BLUE Review 🖊

Brief: Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby is the noir thriller of the summer! Beauregard “Bug” Montage is a man trying to break free of his life as a getaway driver, but his last job proves there is more to a life of crime than the simple act of stealing diamonds.

Likes: Authentic, tough, gutsy characters trying to live a straight life despite poverty and racism.

Utility: It’s where the grey bleeds into black. When life beats you down, what do you do to get back up?

Experience: This book is fast, daring, angry, violent, loud, and all the “bad” things I’ve never before experienced in a novel. I could not put it down! 🦋

{Many thanks to Flatiron Books for the gifted ebook.}

Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby is a gritty, violent, Southern noir mystery novel. It’s set in rural Virginia and North Carolina. The protagonist, Beauregard “Bug” Montage, is an African American man who used to be in the “Life” and is now trying to live a non-criminal life. It’s a fantastic read.

When Beauregard was in the Life he was a wheelman, the guy who drives the getaway car. His reputation is known along the east coast. And — wow — the chase scenes are gripping. I’ve never been excited about reading a chase scene before and don’t particularly care for them in movies, but the initial getaway scene was off the charts exciting. I felt like I was driving along with Beauregard. And there’s this great maneuver that I’m still thinking about weeks after reading the book.

Shepherd’s Corner, VA is a town that was doing well until the recession. The whole county took a hit. Businesses folded and there’s not much economic opportunity. Beauregard is a good mechanic and an honest businessman, but that isn’t enough.

Beauregard now owns his own repair shop and is married to a woman with whom he seems to have a good relationship. They have two young sons. One needs glasses, the other needs braces. Beauregard’s mother is in a nursing home that’s going to kick her out because she owes almost 50K. His daughter from a previous relationship won’t be able to afford college. Another garage opened in town which took some of Beauregard’s business and also won a lucrative county contract both shops were pursuing. Beauregard wants to do the right thing, but he is out of money. Along comes a guy from his past with a job that could set them both up for a long time to come.

The opening scene depicts an evening of illegal drag racing on a deserted road. “In addition to the Chevelle, there was a Maverick, two Impalas, a few Camaros and five or six more examples of the heyday of American muscle.” My heart went pitter-patter. My first car was a 1972 Maverick (well, technically it was my Mom’s car but she let me borrow it a lot. It was not modified in any way other than the big rust hole that developed on the passenger floorboard, but I loved that car even when I had to use a pencil to keep the choke open to get it going. But I digress).

Beauregard is there that night trying to make money to pay some bills. He’s driving his beloved Duster, which isn’t much to look at on the outside but is tricked out on the inside. The car action and dialogue between the men is vivid and alive. When the cops show up to break things up, you get a clear picture of the world Beauregard inhabits.

There’s also Beauregard’s family tradition of violence which is something that pulls at him. His internal conflict that’s been shaped by generations of violence and racism has him cornered. At one point he lectures his older son,

“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. You hear me boy?”

So Beauregard makes a choice. He knows that just about everyone underestimates him and he uses that to his advantage. Still, there’s “no honor among thieves” and no matter how well you plan, there’s always the unexpected. And the Sword of Damocles.

Which gets me to Cosby’s writing. There are other classical illusions and comparisons throughout the novel. One that comes to mind is when Beauregard and his wife, Kia, are dancing: “She was a caramel-dipped Aphrodite to his chocolate-covered Pan.” There’s a sense of honor when the reader is in Beauregard’s head, as if he’s almost a mythological Greek or Roman warrior. It’s not that blatant, but you feel it.

This is in stark contrast to how other characters are portrayed through their word choice and dialogue. One of Beauregard’s associates uses derogatory terms regarding a lesbian character and another makes fat jokes about a different woman. Here’s an example from the opening scene, spoken by a man who is Beauregard’s rival, “Ain’t none of y’all motherfuckers ready for the legendary Olds! Y’all might as well go on back home to your ugly wives and try and get some Tuesday night pussy.”

Overall, the reality of these characters' lives is depressing. They’re in a world where there aren’t many choices and those that are available ain’t the best. They’re all in survival mode and some aren’t particularly good at thinking through what’s best for their own interests. What kept me turning the pages even in this bleakness is the character of Beauregard and the writing style, which practically crackles with energy.

Some of the lines are real kickers. Here are a few:

“He likes to play dumb, but he as slick as two eels in a bucketful of snot.”
“He so crooked they gonna have to screw him into the ground when he dies.”
“She was wearing a tank top and shorts so tight they would become a thong if she sneezed.”
And my favorite:
“Pockets of rust covered the hood like some oxidizing eczema.”
I’ll never look at an old car in quite the same way.

I’ll also never drive the backroads of Virginia or North Carolina in the same way either.

This is a mystery/thriller in the noir tradition that takes you out of the city and into rural black America, specifically the southeast where blacks and whites might coexist, but slavery and the confederacy still linger. There is some extreme gun violence which I didn’t think was gratuitous. It and the language seemed to fit the time, place, and world that the author created. I highly recommend Blacktop Wasteland and want to read more from Cosby.

I also talked about this book on Episode 106 of the Book Cougars.

Blacktop Wasteland was a perfect title for this book by S. A. Cosby. A book about choices and desperation centered around family love and loss. Some real shady characters but a well written story that pulls you in chapter by chapter.

I feel this book will be on a least a few short lists for award(s) this year.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

4.5 stars rounded up

I've waited almost an entire day before I wrote this review to provide enough time to ruminate on all there is to unpack with this story. Beauregard “Bug” Montage, is the guy you root for. He has a troubled past, but is a devoted father and husband trying to make an honest living. When his past comes knocking, he is pulled back into a life he had sworn off.

What stands out to me the most about this book is that a lot of the substance can be overlooked because of the many action scenes (this book was jam packed with them!!). While this isn't a bad thing - (sometimes subliminal messages about how someone else lives are helpful in nudging a reader to think differently about the world) - it definitely takes work on the part of the reader to truly digest all that is within the pages. However, what resonated with me the most was that it highlights the systemic issue of poverty and how that infects every part of your life and makes it ten times harder to overcome a problem that comes your way. It forces an individual or family to make a choice between bad and terrible. Food on the table or medication for your child? Rent for the month or a car repair bill so you can get to work? Life saving medication for yourself or long term care bill for your ailing parent? So many people in our country and across the world face these decisions every day and have no help. Everything that takes place in this book stems from issues with money and it is passed on from generation to generation because no one is able to get ahead enough to stop it completely. It further opened my eyes to how important it is to yes, have compassion for people who are in these situations, but how much more important it is to work towards providing economic opportunities for communities that have been left behind. Bug and his family personified these circumstances and it could not have been written any better.

A few notes to the reader considering this excellent book. Please do not be swayed into thinking it is a thriller. It is pure and simple a crime drama and beyond that exploration of what I discussed above. Attica Locke and Steve Cavanagh come to mind for work that is similar so if you like those author's books, you should seek this one out. Lastly, take your time when reading this. It's easy to turn those pages as quick as can be because of how the action sucks you in and grabs your attention, but deliberate reading here is necessary. The author is writing brilliantly a story that is all too common. I urge you to add this to your reading list. Particularly, this summer. Don't walk, don't run - drive like your life depended on it (or in a quarantine - get to your computer) and order a copy as soon as you can. This book will blow you away.

Thank you to Flatiron Books for sending me an e-galley via Netgalley to read and provide an honest review. Thank you also to S.A. Cosby for sharing his motivation behind the process of writing this story, which I found on Edelweiss. It was an honor to read your work.

Review Date: 07/12/2020
Publication Date: 07/14/2020

Beauregard, aka Bug, is a former criminal who has gone straight. He owns an auto body shop, but business is down. He's worried about how he will provide for his wife and kids, keep his business open, and pay for his mother's nursing home care. He needs money... and he is the best wheelman around. When a former associate tracks him down, he decides to take one last job.

Bug is a complex character. He is haunted by memories of his father, who was also a wheelman, and left when Bug was a boy. Bug doesn't know if his father is dead or alive, but he knows he wants to be the man that his father never was. He wants to be a good husband and father, and provide well for his family. Bug has tried to leave the old days as a wheelman behind him, but he is drawn back when he sees no other way to get the money he needs for his family.

While Blacktop Wasteland has wonderful character development, it also has plenty of action and suspense to keep the reader wanting more. Of course, Bug's "one last job" isn't as simple as that, and he is pulled in so deep that it puts his family in harms way.

A novel about one man's struggles with family, poverty, and crime. Recommended for fans of literary fiction and crime fiction. Gritty, compelling, and authentic.

I received a digital copy of this book from Flatiron Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ok friends, this one is a MUST read! This is especially true if you’re fan of action packed, dark, gritty, emotionally charged thrillers. The writing is painfully beautiful and evocative and while it’s exciting and bold, it also examines race and poverty through a sharp lens. It’s also highly atmospheric and so well described, it’s basically begging to be made into a movie, I really can’t say enough good things about this one.

Bug is the type of character that is so well crafted you wouldn’t be surprised to see him jump off the pages, hop into a car and drive like the wind. Never before have I read about a character that is more conflicted than he is, he’s a good man who wants what’s best for his family but he has demons, he can’t escape his past and he can’t quite get rid of the feeling that being a getaway driver is what he’s made to do, it’s who he is, it’s in his blood. It’s a constant struggle for him and that’s even before you touch on his struggles as a Black man trying to provide for his family in a world that is constantly pushing him backwards for every step forward he manages to take. His conflicts and issues were so well written they were a tangible thing, at times his pain and brutal honesty took my breath away.

Between the vivid and action packed scenes and the deep and complex characterization of Bug and his family I just couldn’t get enough of this one. If you enjoy dark noir style crime fiction that may break your heart a little one minute and then have you on the edge of your seat in anticipation the next you cannot miss this one!

Calling all fans of the Fast and the Furious, or anyone looking for a fast-paced adventure!⠀
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This was my very first ARC, which I won in a giveaway sponsored by @ohthebooksshewillread, and because of that, it will always hold a special place in my heart ❤ Thank you to @flatiron_books for making this happen! ⠀
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The book centers on Bug, a man who has finally got his life turned around, but whose financial pressures are causing him to consider taking on a driving job, one that will put his family and himself in jeopardy. In deciding what to do, he has to grapple with who he really is and how his past relationships have affected him. The book is action packed, and you can’t help rooting for Bug whenever he and his car “fly!”⠀
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Although it is outside my normal genre, I’m glad I picked it up because, once I did, I couldn’t put it down!

Beauregard “Bug” Montage is having money problems. The mortgage on his mechanics shop is behind, his children need braces and college tuition, and his elderly mother needs his financial support. These situations come up in everyone’s lifer sooner or later. For some the solution is easier than others. Some would just write a check, others may have to take out a loan or borrow from a parent. However for some, none of these options are available. Their only option is to do something illegal. While it is very easy to past judgement on such a person the truth of matter is; it is very easy to find yourself on the wrong side of the law. While there are people who do bad things because they are jealous, greedy, or angry ; there are a large number of people in prison for life because they did something out of desperation. Cosby does a fantastic job driving this point home.

Bug now leads a normal life as a husband, father, and business owner. However he has a past and is known in the criminal world as a legendary get away driver, just like his father before him. When he was a child Bug’s father abandoned him and his mother. Bug struggles with emotions of wanting to be different from his father but he also wants to live up to his legacy. This emotional swing of admiration and anger occurs through out the book giving Bug depth and complexity.

In most movies the get away driver appears to have the easiest job. They sit in the car appearing relaxed waiting for their fellow robbers to leave the bank or jewelry store. After reading Blacktop Wasteland, I realize the get away driver actually has the hardest job. To be “successful” there is loads of research that goes into planning an escape. How close is the nearest police station? How many ways are there to the nearest highway entrance? What is the police response time? What are the busiest times for the target? How many people work there? The list goes on. Seems like a much harder job than yelling at people and waving a weapon around.

Bug’s story is a cautionary tale warning those who are quick to judge people who commit crimes out of desperation. What if you or someone you loved needed something? What if getting a loan, charging the cost to a credit card, or borrowing from family members were not options? What would you do if there was a quick way to make the money you need?

After reading Blacktop Wasteland, I have pondered these questions frequently. Each time coming up with a different answer. Honestly, I still do not have an answer. This is a true sign of an excellent book. When a book makes a reader closely examine their life circumstances and put themselves in the place of others; minds and more importantly hearts begin to open up.

Poignant yet uplifting, thought provoking yet entertaining, Blacktop Wasteland is a socially relevant tale of a man, despite being dealt the toughest of hands, is determined to take care of his family and run a successful business. A one man Fast & Furious movie, Blacktop Wasteland packs just as much heart as it does thrills.

Murder and Moore Rating:
5 out of 5 Stars

Beauregard “Bug” Montage wants to make an honest living and support his wife and children. But as business at his mechanic shop slows thanks to a new competitor in town the bills start to add up. Bug finds himself drawn back in to a life he thought he had left behind, acting as a wheelman in the hopes of coming up with a big payday on the other side.

Billed as “Ocean’s Eleven meets Drive, with a Southern noir twist,” Blacktop Wasteland does serve up some cinematic thrills. Bug serves as the brains and the driver; descriptions of his planning would easily find a home in a movie script and his driving will leave readers at the edge of their seats. Excellent option for readers looking for something outside of a formulaic crime thriller.

Yes, this amazing novel is a caper story, a heist book. Yes, the testosterone is almost palpable, as evident as the engine grease under Beauregard Montage's fingernails. If it's filmed, it will top many aficionados' lists of "best car chase scenes ever."

I have a different take, though, on what this novel is "about." It's about poverty, and it slams the reader with the gut-level certainty that for some of us, no amount of backbreaking, skilled labor is enough to get by, even under the most modest circumstances.

Beauregard's mechanic shop can't keep up with the needs of a wife and three children, plus a mother in a nursing home. He scrambles and he juggles and he pushes himself, but it's soon obvious he'll have to fall back on his other auto-related talent: he can drive like a demon, a highly marketable skill among the criminal element that surrounds him.

A lot goes wrong. That one last job turns into two, and the body count is shocking. And yet we keep cheering Bug on, urging him to somehow survive so he can once again utilize his highest and best skill set: loving and taking care of his family.

Full disclosure: I'm a Mopar fanatic, so the car scenes were indeed thrilling. Still, I'll remember Bug the husband and dad as vividly as Bug the fiendish wheelman.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an advance readers copy.

If you put Gone in 60 Seconds, Fast and the Furious, and Ocean’s Eleven in a big pot for a low country boil, you’ll end up with this fast-paced, action-packed thriller set in Virginia.•
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Beauregard aka “Bug” was born in to the seedy, thrill-seeking lifestyle and destined to follow in his father’s footsteps. This becomes rather difficult when trying to balance a family life and legitimate mechanic business, but Bug thinks he can have it all, and soon isn’t given much of a choice. Money problems make that low-hanging fruit called trouble all too tempting...•
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Set in the backwoods of Virginia, this book is non-stop action from beginning to end! Often times I thought it would make an incredible movie script. I’ve honestly never read a book quite like this one, and I had a hard time thinking of any other books that compare. I enjoyed the duality of Bug’s character, and the classic bad guys vs. good guys plot theme. Although the ending was somewhat overall predictable, I still enjoyed reading how it all played out.

tl;dr: A crime thriller that's as gripping and unpredictable as it is depressing.

Summary: Beauregard 'Bug' Montage is one of the best drivers on the East Coast but he's left that life behind to open his own garage and care for his wife and two sons. But his new life is tough, the bills are piling up and his garage has new competition in smalltown North Carolina. Backed up against a wall he sees no choice but to do one more job.

Thoughts: This may be one of the first (if not, one of the few) crime thrillers I've read told from the perspective of the criminal, and I found Cosby's execution of this genre to be excellent. Bug is a very sympathetic character, you will get attached to him and his family and you will feel sorry for them. You'll understand his motivations for what he does. But that doesn't mean Cosby glorifies crime or violence, quite the opposite in fact. Despite liking Bug I was often disgusted by his attitude towards what he was doing. It was impressive. The other characters in the novel are good too, but Bug really stands out.

I was also impressed by how unpredictable the novel was. There were maybe a couple of twists and turns I should have seen coming, but for the most part I was completely surprised when these cropped up. These twists certainly helped keep the book interesting and I was glued to my Kindle for much of my time reading the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy.

Reads like a movie script with it's energy, action, character-development and heat. Fantastically paced story of Beauregard his story of poverty, race, and crime. He struggles to decide is he a good guy or a bad guy in his own heart. Does he follow the path of his father who left him at an early age, likely following a life of crime or shrug off the bad guy persona and settle into the life he's built with his wife Kia and their two young boys. The pace of fast cars, guns, robbery and struggle to survive are an amazing backdrop of this story of finding oneself.

Each of our stories looks different. Through this one you can feel the blood, sweat and tears of the characters as they struggle to survive. Must not miss this fast-paced, dramatic story!

Equal parts thrilling, heartbreaking, and staggering, and wholly entertaining.

There are so many layers to this story; family dynamics, the daily struggles of a black man raising two sons in an openly racist society. Economic woes, sins of a father, marriage trials, dealing with an often corrupt and broken justice system, but written in a way that teaches and is simultaneously entertaining. It brought to mind Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me when Beauregard is talking to his oldest son.

The violence is real and raw but it’s done well enough to be palatable for the average reader but may be auto accident bit much for those that are more sensitive. I was definitely cringing while reading some parts, but it was all necessary to the story and never excessively grotesque.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is the vocabulary. I was glad I was reading on my Kindle so I could highlight unfamiliar words.

Blacktop is the breakout novel in what I am now calling the newest genre of books, “action”, recently only used by movies and television. Never before have I white-knuckled a book while reading. It has all the elements of a blockbuster hit and was a wild ride to the very end.

Thank you, Flatiron Books for the galley copy. The opinions are my own.

I was delighted to be invited by the publisher to review one of the most anticipated thrillers of the summer, S.A. Cosby’s debut novel, Blacktop Wasteland. In a recent essay, Cosby wrote: “In my book I address many issues that I faced growing up in poverty in the South. And while I never resorted to a life of crime to try to grab my piece of the American dream, I know people who did. I did my best to examine those people and deconstruct the choices they made while acknowledging the systemic barriers that give so many of us so few options.”

Beauregard “Bug” Montage is trying his best to live an honest life as a husband, father and small-business owner. His own dad, a legendary getaway driver, left when Beauregard was a teenager, and never came back. His son inherited his souped-up Duster, and his almost preternatural ability to drive fearlessly and with finesse.

As the book begins, Beauregard needs money desperately—business is slow at his car repair shop ever since a bigger, slicker operation opened up in town; his mom’s nursing home is demanding thousands of dollars; his daughter’s about to start college; his son needs braces. “He had a credit card with about $200 left on it. He could use that to pay the light bill. But that would burn up his budget for supplies. He was’t robbing Peter to pay Paul. They had both ganged up on him and were mugging him.”

He decides to do One Last Job in a last-ditch effort to solve his financial problems. What could possibly go wrong?

Beauregard agrees to serve as the wheelman for a couple of criminals who are planning to rob a jewelry store. It seems like an easy payday, but one mistake leads to another, and Beauregard finally has to confront his ultimate nightmare: by trying to provide for his family, he’s put them in jeopardy.

This is primarily a sleek, fast-paced crime novel, but it’s suffused with tragic elements, too; it tells a story of trying to overcome your family history, and never quite being able to come to terms with the ghosts of your past. Beauregard, who served time in juvenile hall, desperately wants his children to have the opportunities he never had. He remembers his old guidance counselor, who “had tried his best to get him to consider going back to school when he got out. Maybe college. Beauregard knew Mr. Skorzeny had meant well. Unlike a lot of the staff at Jefferson Davis Reformatory, he didn’t view boys like him as lost causes. What Mr. Skorzeny didn’t understand, what he couldn’t understand, was that boys like Beauregard didn’t have the luxury of options. No father. A mother who was one flat tire and a bad day away from a nervous breakdown, and grandparents who had lived and died in a constant state of abject poverty. For boys like Beauregard, college was the stuff of dreams. Mr. Skorzeny might as well have told him to go to Mars.”

Beauregard makes some bad decisions and does things many people would find unforgivable, but by the end of the book, my heart broke for him nevertheless. This is a bravura performance from a new author to watch.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel of a man trying to deal with both his past and his future and not succeeding in a way that satisfies him. Beauregard aka Bug's hard earned business is in trouble as are various family members. He owns a garage but he also drag races on the side. And, in the past, he was a getaway driver. Finances (and maybe a little need for speed) send him back into the game, which is not a good thing. The bad guys are, well, bad guys. This has a lot of info on cars which meant that I learned something (car engines and racing are not my thing but Cosby made it interesting). It's also, oddly enough, best described as a literary chase novel. Make no mistake, it's action packed but Crosby has written it so that the Beauregard/Bug character is the important thing, not the driving. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Give it a try.

If you haven't put Blacktop Wasteland at the top of your must-read list for 2020 you need to fix that now.....don't worry, I'll wait....

I can honestly say I didn't know what to expect, but this story blew me away.  The heart of the story revolves around Beauregard, aka Bug, who has a shady past but is trying to create a better future for his wife and kids.....but does he want it for himself as well??  

This has it all---souped-up muscle cars, gunfights, love, hate, retribution...... It will kickstart your heart one page then break it the next.  I can't even begin to put into words how much I loved this story! S.A. Cosby has created a masterpiece, and I don't say that lightly.   Highly recommend for everyone.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

I read a lot of crime fiction but never have I read a book that kept me as engaged as this one did. And not only did it have action, but it had heart. This is a book that should be on everyone's reading list - it for sure will be one that I will be talking about for a long time!

Right from the start, I was pulled into this book and I never felt that intensity let up. This book kept me engaged and completely invested in all the characters we meet, but most especially Beauregard "Bug" Montage. Here is a man trying to do the right thing, to stay true to his family and keep his past and those demons from getting out, but times are tough and when opportunity comes knocking it's hard to say no. Can you ever keep your past from your future? Is it possible to completely change who you really are? This is something Bug thought he had done, but once a getaway driver, always a getaway driver. The problem is, will be risk be worth the cost?

This book is dark, gritty and full of action. At times, it is a pure adrenaline run, and at other times, you feel the suspense and tension dripping off the pages as you are not sure what is going to happen next. It's as much a thrilling read as it is an emotionally charged one. You find yourself rooting for Bug to figure things out without doing too much irreparable damage to himself or his family.

The characters leap off the pages in this book. They might not all be likeable, but they will be memorable. My favorite is Bug. His loyalty to his family is so evident and his internal struggle with what to do is palpable. I loved that he was such a take-charge guy. His desperation was causing him to make choices between who he was and who he wants to be and he finds that that line between the two is not as clear as he wants it to be.

This book is one that will stay with me for a long time. It's got so much to unpack and one that I think would make a fantastic book club pick. While it might not be a read for everyone, it certainly is one for those who can handle dark, gritty tough reads or who want to challenge themselves. I highly recommend picking up this one...you won't regret it!

Ride with Bug through Blacktop Wasteland, a gritty, addictive tale of survival, resilience, and redemption. Ready your senses for Bug’s masterful driving. Cosby’s style immediately captures the reader’s attention and does not let go until the end. Blacktop Wasteland is must read for the summer, a breath of fresh air in anyone’s TBR stack.

Fantastic crime novel...right up there with James Sallis and Don Winslow.

Bug is trying to leave his life of crime behind him and end the legacy of his father before him....but economic opportunity comes knocking and things get complicated.

Loved the story line and the way Bug thinks his way out of problems while hes surrounded by idiots.

Definitely would read more SA Cosby in the future!