Two conservative southern fathers of gay sons come together to support their sons. Very powerful. Very violent.

This novel follows two fathers bounded together by the murders of their married sons. This fast pace story shows what happens when regrets and vengeance cross paths. The old fathers go through many obstacles as they hunt down the killers and learn acceptance of all people along the way. Love is truly all that matters.

This is one of the best audiobook narrations I have heard. The narrator's deep voice is the perfect fit for this book and his voices are so believable it feels like you're really hearing different characters speak. He truly did justice and even enhanced an already excellent, complex and thought provoking book.

Razorblade Tears was an awesome read and great narrators! This was one of the best books I read all of 2021 and my first book I read by the author!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Ground breaking! This story kept me on the edge of my seat.

A heartbreaking story of murder and coming to terms with truths that hurt.
I couldn't stop listening. I cried. I laughed. I got angry.
A rollercoaster of emotions.

Best book I read all year long!

I loved the audio for this! I felt like the narrator did such a great job of bringing the lines to life. I loved how he delivered the funny lines with such humor that i couldn’t help but laugh…
I know this book has some heavy topics, and it does an amazing job of discussing racial and social injustices and hate crimes. But it was layered. There was heavy and there was humor as well. I loved how the two dads got along.. or didn’t. They brought no shit with each other and kept it real. They also had real growth and i appreciated that. It was shameful how they felt about their sons until it was too late. It’s sad that it took losing their sons for their dads to accept them for who they were.

This book really highlights a lot of troubling things with our society. And how hateful we can be to one another and how wrong it is to be in that mindset. It also shows how far some are willing to go for their kids. This was action packed and i was not expecting that much violence. I expected more a heart wrenching story, but what i got was more of an adrenaline inducing action filled story where these two fathers are out for blood to avenge their sons deaths and possibly their own hatred that was in their hearts. I think that part of this story is acceptance, Learning. Growth. And above all, love concurres. This book has so much and i love how the author writes his characters and the story. I love the sarcasm. I just love so much about this book and it’s definitely one to check out.

As an audiobook, Razorblade Tears was excellent. Adam Lazarre-White's narration was phenomenal, both in the way that he differentiated characters and brought life to the story. The production quality was spot-on, and this audiobook more than did justice to Razorblade Tears.

On the other hand, Razorblade Tears didn't work for me overall as a novel. The characters lacked development, and while I could appreciate what Cosby was trying to do regarding messaging related to racial justice and queer rights, these parts were often overwritten and came across as didactic and disingenuous as a result. This was fully plot driven, which just is not my own preference as a reader. I think Cosby's storytelling would lend well to film here.

Heart wrenching and captivating. You can’t help but get wrapped up into these two dads and what they will do for their sons. While some parts were very violent, I don’t think it took away from the story.

This was probably the best audiobook that I've listened to all year! The story itself - a good old revenge story - was really interesting. It definitely kept you on your toes! However, I would say that the voicing for the characters was a bit too stereotypical for our world today. If it weren't for that, I may have given it a full 5 stars.

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

I had really been avoiding audiobooks for most of the year, I couldn't really devote the time to get into one and one afternoon while raking leaves in my yard I decided to give Razorblade Tears a try. Having the time to really spend a couple of hours listening got me into the story and I was hooked, looking for opportunities to listen any chance I got.

The narrator did an excellent job with Cosby's book and I highly recommend both the book and the audiobook.

Ike Randolph has a good life these days. His prison days are fifteen years behind him and he owns his own landscaping business which is doing well. When he hears that his son, Isiah, has been killed along with his husband, Ike is devastated. All his revenge and violence rises to the top but Isiah has left a small daughter behind that Ike and his wife will now be raising. As a black man, Ike never accepted his son as a gay man, nor did he have any relationship with his white husband, Derek. Now both are gone along with any chance to heal the relationship.

Buddy Lee, Derek's father, has the same issues. Disbelief that this tragedy could have happened and lifelong regret that he allowed Derek's sexual identity to rob them of a relationship. Buddy Lee's time in prison is much more recent and he hasn't thrived once released. He still has connections to the outlaw world and is determined to revenge Derek.

The first time Buddy Lee approaches Ike, Ike turns him down flat. His need to be there to raise his granddaughter has to be his first consideration. But when he is pushed too far, he goes back to Buddy Lee and the two agree to work together to avenge their sons. Their investigation puts them afoul of a local motorcycle gang and the influential men who are connected to the gang. Can they find peace by bringing the killers to justice?

This novel is fast-paced and full of violence. But there are positive aspects also. The love of these men for their sons who they never could accept is searing. Their growing acceptance that they were at fault and it can never be put right is redemptive. Their friendship as they fight together, forgetting their racial differences, is hopeful. This book has won high praise and I'd add my voice to that chorus. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and thrillers.

Sooo good - one of my favorite books of the year. Wow wow wow, you must read this book ASAP. It’s so much more than just a mystery thriller, there’s so much character development between these two fathers who lost their sons.

Gosh, this book had me all emotional. It’ll leave you in tears by the end of the book and you’ll grow a connection with these characters.

I can guarantee you’ll love this book and I highly recommend it.

I have mixed feelings about this audiobook. It was well written and the main characters were very well developed, but I absolutely could not wait until it was over. The violence felt overdone and the plot line didn’t seem realistic.

On the other hand, the narrator was fantastic.

3/5 stars

I’ve seen lots of love about this book, and I am adding to the praise. I know it’ll be on my “top 10” this year. The intersection of S.A. Cosby’s immersive storytelling and the current moment captivated me. Issues of racism, homophobia, and the criminal justice system are explored alongside gripping suspenseful plot lines.

I call this sort of book a “suspension of belief” narrative. I could absolutely see this being made into a movie and read comparisons between the book and a Tarantino film.

It’s a rollicking, violent book of vigilante justice. It’s a story of fathers Ike and Billy Lee seeking redemption for their murdered sons the only way they know how, and it’s at the end of the barrel of a gun.

It’s two men who don’t have anything in common grappling with long-held demons to make amends for their treatment of the sons they loved but couldn’t accept.

It’s a book where the plot could only exist in fiction, but you wish it could exist in reality, even though you know the rage-fueled chaos of the hunt for justice would burn everything to the ground. (Because don’t we all want to burn it all down at times?)

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Okayyyyy. Just wow. This book has me all kinds of mixed up emotionally and psychologically. A part of me felt like this book was all violence and no depth; or just violent for the sake of being violent. But behind all the gore is a deeply tragic story with depth and soul. The writing is vivid and at times so theatrical that you feel like you're watching a movie. It's incredible. And the narrative itself is soul shattering sad. Read at your on risk.

"Folks like to talk about revenge like it’s a righteous thing but it’s just hate in a nicer suit"

I knew this would be an emotional read. The beginning was tough - such a tragedy for these 2 fathers to meet at their son's funerals. But as they band together and become fierce and determined, I was so hooked on the story it was hard to stop.

The two fathers are hard to love at first but then, you can't help but love them and root for them. I was so emotionally sucked in to the story that I already miss Ike and Buddy Lee. The narrator on the audio did a great job of differentiating between the voices and really pacing out the story that I think I enjoyed it even more because I had an audio book. I'm so glad I read this, it was so good!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I absolutely loved this book. It married the classic vigilante justice story with intelligent social justice commentary. The book is fast paced with clever twists and lots of action, but there are also moments of introspection on fatherhood and what it means to really love someone for who they are. I don’t always like film adaptations, but Razorblade Tears is screaming for one.

If you are one who enjoys gritty no holds barred crime thrillers then look no further. This odd couple discovers they have more in common than they knew team up to track down the murderers of their sons. This kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to see what would happen next. I especially loved the message of acceptance and trying to understand different viewpoints. The narrator did an excellent job reading this. I

This is my second S.A. Cosby book and I really enjoyed it. The story follows two fathers with a history of crime looking for answers about the murders of their gay sons. I love the way SA Crosby tells his stories.

This was a high octane mystery/thriller than just demands to be made into a movie!! I finally got around to reading this booksta favorite and it was SOOOOO worth the wait!

Ostensibly a story about two fathers dealing with their grief over the brutal murder of their gay sons, it is also about vengeance/vigilante justice and taking the law into your own hands when the authorities give up. The two fathers, one Black man, and one Red neck white man, reluctantly team up to get to the bottom of their sons' deaths getting mixed up in more than they bargained for.

This was an unputdownable book and excellent on audio narrated by Adam Lazarre-White who did an amazing job voicing both Ike and Buddy Lee's alternating perspectives. This was my first book by SA Cosby and I can't wait to dive into his backlist starting with Blacktop wasteland. If you haven't yet read anything by this author you really need to start!!

CW: transphobia, homophobia, some graphic scenes of violence