Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby
An award winning, violent revenge thriller with two memorable leads and real emotional weight.
The short version
- Fans of gritty Southern crime fiction in the vein of Joe R. Lansdale
- Readers who want a thriller with emotional depth about fathers and sons
- Book clubs willing to discuss race and sexuality through a crime story
- You avoid graphic violence or slurs in fiction
- You want a cozy or puzzle style mystery
What owners like
- Two flawed lead characters that readers end up rooting for
- Fast, lean plotting that mixes brutal action with tender moments
- Strong dialogue and prose
- Takes on prejudice without letting the message bury the story
Common complaints
- Very graphic violence throughout
- The New York Times review noted that not every turn of phrase lands, while calling the hit rate high
Based on Editorial reviews from Kirkus and Criminal Element, plus the critical reception summary on Wikipedia (NPR, BookPage, The New York Times). No owner reviews were used..
Research scores
Scored from the maker's specs and what owners report. Drew's own notes and photos will refine these.
Ownership
- Dec 2025
First bought.
Drew's hands-on notes for this product are on the way. Long-term updates will be added to this timeline.
What it does
A crime novel about two ex-convict fathers, one Black and one white, who team up to avenge their murdered sons.
- Two grieving fathers, Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee Jenkins, hunt the people who killed their sons, a married couple
- Pits the pair against a white nationalist biker gang
- Deals directly with race, homophobia, fatherhood and regret
- Starred Kirkus review and a Kirkus Best Book of 2021
- Won the Barry, Hammett, Macavity and ITW awards and was an Edgar finalist, per Wikipedia
- Debuted on the New York Times bestseller list
A strong pick for readers who like violent, character driven Southern crime fiction with real emotional weight. The trade-off is heavy, graphic violence and hard themes of racism and homophobia that some readers will find too much.
How it compares
Specs
- Author
- S. A. Cosby
- Publisher
- Flatiron Books
- Format
- Paperback (this ISBN); also hardcover, mass market, large print and audio
- ISBN
- 9781250252715 (paperback)
- Pages
- 336 per the Parnassus Books paperback listing; Kirkus lists the hardcover at 320
- First published
- July 6, 2021 (hardcover); paperback April 5, 2022
- Setting
- Richmond and rural Virginia
- Genre
- Crime thriller
Worth knowing
- Contains graphic violence and depictions of racism and homophobia.
Questions
What is Razorblade Tears about?
Two ex-convicts in Virginia, one Black and one white, team up to find and punish the people who murdered their sons, who were married to each other.
Is Razorblade Tears very violent?
Yes. Reviewers describe it as a bloody revenge story with frequent, graphic violence.
What awards did Razorblade Tears win?
Per Wikipedia, it won the Barry, Hammett, Macavity and ITW awards and was a finalist for the Edgar Award.
Is Razorblade Tears being made into a movie?
Wikipedia reports that Jerry Bruckheimer's company optioned it for Paramount.
Do you need to read other S. A. Cosby books first?
No. It is a standalone novel.
Sources
- Kirkus Reviews: Razorblade Tears
- Wikipedia: Razorblade Tears
- Criminal Element: Book Review, Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby
- Parnassus Books: Razorblade Tears
- Amazon: Razorblade Tears: A Novel
Researched 2026-10-02. We bought this product; our page is built from the maker's details and what owners report across reviews and forums. We never copy Amazon customer reviews.