Shawn Andre Cosby (born August 4, 1973, in

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the U ...

) is an American author of " Southern noir" crime fiction. He resides in Gloucester, Virginia, on the York River. Cosby has published four crime novels: ''My Darkest Prayer'', '' Blacktop Wasteland'', '' Razorblade Tears'', and '' All the Sinners Bleed''.

Awards and accolades

Cosby's 2021 novel, '' Razorblade Tears'', debuted number 10 on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list. The book was featured on

Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The Ton ...

's ''The Tonight Show'' for Fallon's 2021 Summer Reads Book Club. The book was one of six contenders for a Jimmy Fallon read. It won or nominated for a slew of awards, particularly ones that promote or appreciate thrillers, suspense, and mystery, like the Anthony Award, Barry Award,

Edgar Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and '' gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, r ...

Gold Dagger The Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year. From 1955 to 1959, the organization named their top honor as the Crossed Red Herring Award. From ...

, ITW,

Macavity Award The Macavity Awards are a literary award for mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the " mystery cat" of T. S. Eliot's ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''. ...

, and

Lefty Award Lefty is a nickname for a person who is left-handed. Lefty may refer to: * Lefty Bates (1920–2007), American Chicago blues guitarist * Lefty Bertrand (1909–2002), Major League Baseball pitcher for one game *Steve Carlton (born 1944), Ameri ...

. It was received positively by critics and audiences. His previous novel, '' Blacktop Wasteland'' "...won a landslide of awards, including a ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize in 2020." It also was chosen as a 2020 ''New York Times'' Notable Book and charted at number 22 on that list. Additionally, ''Blacktop Wasteland'' is a 2021 Anthony Award winner. The

International Thriller Writers International Thriller Writers (ITW), was founded October 9, 2004, at Bouchercon XXXV, the "World Mystery and Suspense Conference", in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Six months later, some 150 authors with more than one billion books sold worldwide h ...

, an association spanning 49 countries, with a membership of 4,500 authors of the genre, voted ''Blacktop Wasteland'' the Best Hardcover Novel of 2021.

Bibliography

* * * *

Adaptions

''Blacktop Wasteland'' and ''Razorblade Tears'' have been optioned for films.

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, fantasy, and science fiction. His films include ''Flashdance'', ''Top Gun'', '' The Rock'', '' Cri ...

's company "was among the group that won the film rights in an auction" for ''Razorblade Tears''.

References

External links

S. A. Cosby
at

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

* *S. A. Cosby
Pain is Universal – That's What Binds all of Crime Fiction Together"
''CrimeReads'', July 21, 2020
"Interview With an Author: S.A. Cosby"
Los Angeles Public Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cosby, S. A. 1973 births 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers African-American male writers African-American novelists American male novelists American male short story writers American mystery writers Living people Novelists from Virginia People from Gloucester County, Virginia People from Newport News, Virginia