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Razorblade Tears

Written by: S. A. Cosby
Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White
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Publisher's Summary

“Lazarre-White's commanding performance is equally riveting. He creates an irresistible listening experience” –AudioFile Magazine 

“Superb...Cuts right to the heart of the most important questions of our times.” —Michael Connelly,
#1 New York Times bestselling author

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 his father was a criminal. 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 Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books

©2021 S. A. Cosby (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

What the critics say

Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year, 2021

NYPL Best Books of the Year, 2021

Washington Post Best Books of the Year, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, 2021

Thriller Awards - Winner, 2022

Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2021

Time Magazine Best Books of the Year, 2021

L.A. Times Book Prize - Finalist, 2022

New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year, 2021

Shelf Awareness Best Books of the Year, 2021

NPR Best Book of the Year, 2021

Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominee, 2022

What listeners say about Razorblade Tears

Average Customer Ratings
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story

Loved the narrator which is so important. We drove south for 20 hours and this story sure make the time go by quickly!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic book!

narration was great and the story was phenomenal. the characters were beautifully fleshed out.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Engrossing

This was very violent and very good. Well written and narrated. It enter worlds I am not familiar with and did so with grit and what I can only assume is accuracy. The world it touched upon that I am familiar with rang true and authentic. It’s hard for those who have to come out but we sometimes overlook how hard it is for their loved ones as well. They have their own journey to acceptance. This told one such journey and did it well. My second book that I’ve listened to by Cosby. I’ll need a break but look forward to the third.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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  • LK
  • 2022-01-20

Interesting story but

While the story line was engaging there was an excessive amount of foul language. Deleting half of it would not have altered the impact of the story and would have allowed for greater consistency of the overall of the writing.
Best book of the year? I don’t think so!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent audio version

A roller coaster thriller. Highly recommended. I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a long time. Brilliantly read.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

loved concept...but too much violence

liked the general story and the characters, but I would have enjoyed it even more if there wasn't as much detailed description of the violence and fighting.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Great narration, extremely violent and thin story

Starting with the positive: I loved the narration. That’s about it. The story had so much violence and in such a detailed manner that I had to skip parts of it. The storyline was mildly interesting with lots of cliches.

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  • Overall
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Book of the Year?

Time will tell, but quite possibly the best book of the year! Very highly recommended. I will likely listen again in a few months, after I recover from the emotional ups and downs of the story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

excellent

really enjoyed this. from start to finish it had me not wanting to stop. very likable characters and a story that's filled with substance.

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  • shelley
  • 2021-07-11

AMAZING!!!!

This is such a captivating story. Once I began listening I couldn’t stop. I’m not sure if I would have purchased this book and the author’s name didn’t ring any bells even though I have his first book.
Luckily I follow about 1/2 dozen people and stuartjash is one of them. After reading his glowing review of Razerblade Tears I knew I had to get this book. I am so very glad I did. If you read his review you’ll understand. If you still don’t get this then nothing will convince you!
Adam Lazarre-White is a phenomenal narrator. I would love to listen to him more.
This book has my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.
If you found this review helpful please indicate so.
Thank You.

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103 people found this helpful

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  • stuartjash
  • 2021-07-06

My new favorite audiobook!

Wow! All I can say is Wow! This is an instant classic.

Last year, I read SA Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland, and I absolutely loved it. I didn’t think that he could top himself, but Razorblade Tears is phenomenal. This book features two men, one black and one white, named Ike and Buddy Lee, looking to find out how their sons, who were married to one another, were murdered.

This book is gritty, raw, and real. Cosby doesn’t inflate his novels with extra fluff. It’s not Clancy length with never-ending descriptions. Instead, it’s to the point. It has beautifully woven sentences that form a picturesque, vivid painting of the novel. It has characters that, regardless of the pitfalls and struggles, are some of, if not the most, unforgettable characters I’ve read about it years. Ike and Buddy Lee will forever be cemented as these two completely opposite characters thrust into this extraordinary situation. This book is timely and touches on some of the most difficult topics society is faced with right now. I knew after reading Blacktop Wasteland that my expectations were going to be high with this one, but I never dreamed it could be this good.

This book needs to be a bestseller. It is the best book I’ve ever read, and I mean that honestly. I’ve read thousands of books over my lifetime, and this one has become the best in mere days. I don’t think there is a higher praise I could give a thriller than saying it’s my favorite book, so there it is. It’s a must-read that will be the best book in 2021.

Adam Lazarre-White is a great narrator. He was great in SA Cosby's Blacktop Wasteland, and he's just as good here.

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50 people found this helpful

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  • Alo
  • 2021-07-11

Way Too Much Woke Preaching

Way Too Much Woke Preaching-with different tribes arguing over who was the most oppressed.

But I kept having hope for the Story but just fizzled into “fertilizer bomb sorting out the bad guys” ending.
Good Narration.

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20 people found this helpful

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  • Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com
  • 2021-07-28

Timely and entertaining

This is the most unputdownable audiobook in recent history. I found it myself waking up in the middle of the night wondering what’s going to happen, putting my AirPods in and continue listening. With a blurb from award-winning author Michael Connelly and recommendation from Stephen King, this was a very easy purchase for me. Congrats to both the author and the amazing narrator for bringing this captivating work of literature to life with such vivid details.Highli recommending!

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18 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2021-11-18

Not the Audience for this Book

I normally don’t read the description on the back of the book and only start reading based on the ratings. Because of this book, I will not be doing that again. I do not agree with the overall ratings and I did not like this book. I truly believe I was not the audience this book was intended for. Race and LGBT was over mentioned and I personally thought this book was slow with very minimal excitement. There was also a lot of inappropriate language and a sexual scene that I prefer not to read about. In addition, I personally prefer reading from one perspective. This book had many. Again, this book was just not for me.

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11 people found this helpful

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  • Tod M. Clark
  • 2021-07-09

Intense Thriller

RAZORBLADE TEARS is an intense thriller with multiple jaw dropping twists. Two fathers team up to find out who killed their sons and are willing to go to extremes to find avenge their murder. RAZORBLADE TEARS is the follow up to the amazing BLACKTOP WASTELAND and does not disappoint. SA Cosby is the real deal and I will continue to anticipate each new book release for years to come. Adam Lazarre-White is also becoming a favorite narrator as well, simply amazing how great he is.

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  • Megan V.
  • 2021-10-17

Narration was confusing

So the story as a whole is good. Wasn’t a fan of the unbelievable violence. Not because I don’t like violence but because it seemed soooooo far fetched. I really thought it would be more emotional and deep. Though it was good to see how two “macho” men got past their differences and bigotry and learned lessons. I both read and listened to the book and the audio needed work. I could tell they were recording at different times because the quality kept changing. Also, the author used almost the same voice for everyone including women so I was continuously confused on who was speaking.

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9 people found this helpful

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  • tracy
  • 2021-07-13

Excellent

Excellent real world writing with a story anybody who has ever had a child will carry with them for a long time. After reading it I just kept thinking that I wish things or life were not so terribly hard...but they are and that is that.

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9 people found this helpful

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  • Kindle Customer
  • 2021-07-10

What a Story!

I am speechless as this book was so good. Mr. Cobsy is a great writer. Keep touching our souls.

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9 people found this helpful

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  • MDC
  • 2021-07-14

Terrific story and great narration

I was hoping this book would be as good as Blacktop Wasteland. It was even better. I did not expect the flashes of humor from Buddy Lee. Terrific narration!

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7 people found this helpful