The truth had a strange way of ending an argument

 Don't you love when a book comes out of nowhere and it turns into one you just can't put down? I hadn't heard of Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby before I got it through a book club. It was a wild ride!

I knew I liked (some) heist movies, but I don't think I've read many heist books. Blacktop Wasteland is a heist book, full of cars and action, twists and turns. Beauregard "Bug" Montage used to live a life that was bound to kill him. He was one of the best getaway drivers on the East Coast, but once he married Kia and had 2 kids (with one from a previous relationship), he turned straight: an honest mechanic, doing well with his own garage.

But times hit hard. A new, cheaper auto garage came in nearby, wiping out his clientele and causing him to fall behind on payments. Not to mention kids needing braces and glasses. His cousin Kelvin finds him a street race, in hopes of making some money. Bug's Duster is a thing of beauty - not much to look at, but beautiful where it counts. He wins but it's still not enough money to help his troubles.

We get background on Bug's childhood. Absent father, mom who takes her anger out on her son. The background on Ant, Bug's dad, helps us see how Bug's new decisions are pushing him right down the same path. Bug needs a "job" and ol' white trash Ronnie is there with a doozy. Against everything Bug SHOULD be doing, he takes it and plans out the robbery. All would have been well, Bug is smart and knows his shit. Except....

Everything starts hitting the fan in crazy ways that take the book from just a robbery to a full on heist and possibly redemption. It's another book that is worth your time on the ride, even if it means a book hangover in the morning. You really have it all: fully fleshed out characters that you are invested in, a plot that doesn't stay in a straight line, and a world that you can be immersed in, taking the hits with the characters.

I don't say this often, but I really hope this becomes a movie.

S.A. Cosby, a Writer of Violent Noirs, Claims the Rural South as His Own

Interview with S.A. Cosby