-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
by S.A. Cosby
Beauregard "Bug" Montage is an honest mechanic, a loving husband, and a hard-working dad. Bug knows there's no future in the man he used to be: known from the hills of North Carolina to the beaches of Florida as the best wheelman on the East Coast.
He thought he'd left all that behind him, but as his carefully built new life begins to crumble, he finds himself drawn inexorably back into a world of blood and bullets. When a smooth-talking former associate comes calling with a can't-miss jewelry store heist, Bug feels he has no choice but to get back in the driver's seat. And Bug is at his best where the scent of gasoline mixes with the smell of fear.
Haunted by the ghost of who he used to be and the father who disappeared when he needed him most, Bug must find a way to navigate this blacktop wasteland...or die trying.
Like Ocean's Eleven meets Drive, with a Southern noir twist, S. A. Cosby's Blacktop Wasteland is a searing, operatic story of a man pushed to his limits by poverty, race, and his own former life of crime.
"Cosby never misses a note in this high-energy read...A superb work of crime fiction, uncompromisingly noir but deeply human, too, much like Lou Berney's November Road." - Booklist (starred review)
"Bug's got a conscience not typical of the thriller genre, but other than that, this debut novel recalls almost perfectly the classic heist thriller in the vein of Richard Stark's 'Parker' novels. It'll go like hot cakes." - Library Journal (starred review)
"The gritty, brutal narrative is complemented by the author's sublime use of sensory description and regional imagery. In addition, the epic, jaw-dropping chase sequences that figure prominently are reason alone to read this pedal-to-the-metal but profoundly sorrowful novel. Cosby is definitely a writer to watch." - Publishers Weekly
"Beauregard's anguish makes him a sympathetic lead. But the supporting cast isn't nearly as compelling...The at-times action-packed ride can't hide the fact that this one doesn't fire on all cylinders." - Kirkus Reviews
"Sensationally good―new, fresh, real, authentic, twisty, with characters and dilemmas that will break your heart. More than recommended." - Lee Child
"It's fitting Blacktop Wasteland opens with a drag race. This is the literary equivalent of a muscle car―sleek, a little dangerous, and when it kicks into gear, you hold on for dear life. Lucky for you, Cosby is an expert wheelman." - Rob Hart, bestselling author of The Warehouse
"Every once in a while a writer comes along with an incredible voice. Think Elmore Leonard, or Chester Himes. With Blacktop Wasteland, add S. A. Cosby to that list." - Steve Cavanagh, bestselling author of Thirteen
"Powerful, gritty, and lyrical, S. A. Cosby's Blacktop Wasteland is the unflinching portrayal of a man who's deeply aware he needs to make a better life for himself and his family, but can't ― or won't. This story is an emotional gut punch, and you'll find yourself rooting for Beauregard while he's ripping your heart out. Cosby is a mesmerizing new voice in crime fiction you won't soon forget. This is literary noir at its finest." - Jennifer Hillier, award-winning author of Jar of Hearts and Little Secrets
"With Blacktop Wasteland, Anthony award-winning author S. A. Cosby cements his position as one of the leading crime fiction voices of his generation. The story crackles with a dynamically flawed main character, vivid description, unexpected reveals and dialogue so real you'd swear you were eavesdropping. I couldn't wait to finish yet never wanted the book to end at the same time. There's no doubt that Cosby is an authentic and much needed voice in today's crime fiction." - Kellye Garrett, Anthony, Agatha, and Lefty award-winning author of The Detective by Day series
"This book shook me in the best way possible. Cosby's gritty, powerhouse novel evokes some of the modern masters - Mosley, Pelecanos, and Lehane - with a tone and vibe that is wholly unique. Epic but also grounded and painfully relevant, Blacktop Wasteland is a crime novel for today, and S. A. Cosby is a writer we'll be hearing from for quite some time. I loved this book." - Alex Segura, acclaimed author of Blackout and Miami Midnight
This information about Blacktop Wasteland was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
S. A. Cosby is a writer from Southeastern Virginia. He recently won an Anthony Award for Best Short Story. He resides in Gloucester, VA. When not writing he is an avid hiker and chess player.
If you liked Blacktop Wasteland, try these:
by Jess Walter
Published 2026
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins—and in the propulsive spirit of Charles Portis' True Grit—comes a hilarious, empathetic, and brilliantly provocative adventure through life in modern America, about a reclusive journalist forced back into the world to rescue his kidnapped grandchildren.
by Paul Murray
Published 2024
From the author of Skippy Dies comes Paul Murray's The Bee Sting, an irresistibly funny, wise, and thought-provoking tour de force about family, fortune, and the struggle to be a good person when the world is falling apart.
by Stuart Archer Cohen
Published 2016
Part satire, part revenge tale, part wilderness adventure - with a heavy dash of noire espionage - This Is How It Really Sounds explores the seductive power of the Other Life, and what happens when you finally grasp it...
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
One spring morning, a stranger arrives in the small southern city of Golden. No one knows where he has come from…or why…
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
