Episode · The Book Review · 2025-06-06
S.A. Cosby on The Book Review: books mentioned (Jun 2025)
S.A. Cosby on Writing Southern Crime Fiction
Gilbert Cruz discussed King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby and On Writing by Stephen King. S.A. Cosby discussed Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper, Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier, Darkness, take my hand by Dennis Lehane, Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley and others, The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler, The chill by Ross Macdonald, If He Hollers Let Him Go by Chester Himes, American Pastoral by Philip Roth, and A thousand acres by Jane Smiley.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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King of Ashes
King of Ashes by S.
Discussed“His new work is King of Ashes and it's set in the state of Virginia where Cosby is from and where his previous books have all been set.”
Where to get it
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Everybody Knows
Discussed“Like when I read Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper, I read Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier.”
Where to get it
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Little Secrets
Discussed“Like when I read Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper, I read Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier.”
Where to get it
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On Writing
On Writing by Stephen King is a celebrated memoir and masterclass that blends the author's personal experiences with practical, no-nonsense advice for aspiring writers.
Discussed“But I think often about what Stephen King wrote in on writing.”
Where to get it
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Darkness, take my hand
Discussed“You read, I don't know, Darkness Take My Hand by Dennis Lane, right? That book feels epic.”
Where to get it
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Devil in a Blue Dress
Discussed“You read Devil in a Blue Dress. These stories that I find the most captivating, The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler or Lill by Ross McDonald or If You Hollow, let him go by Chester.”
Where to get it
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The Long Goodbye
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler is a celebrated hardboiled detective novel featuring the private investigator Philip Marlowe.
Discussed“The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler or Lill by Ross McDonald or If You Hollow, let him go by Chester. books that really move me, that really touch me...”
Where to get it
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The chill
Discussed“The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler or Lill by Ross McDonald or If You Hollow, let him go by Chester. books that really move me, that really touch me...”
Where to get it
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If He Hollers Let Him Go
Discussed“The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler or Lill by Ross McDonald or If You Hollow, let him go by Chester. books that really move me, that really touch me...”
Where to get it
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American Pastoral
American Pastoral is a critically acclaimed 1997 novel by Philip Roth that examines the disintegration of a successful American family during the turbulent social upheavals of the late twentieth century.
Discussed“So, you can read American Standing by Philip Roth and you may not understand or relate to an upper northeast professor who's passing for white...”
Where to get it
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A thousand acres
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley is a celebrated contemporary novel that reimagines King Lear on a sprawling farm in rural Iowa, exploring deep family fractures, dark secrets, and rural life.
Discussed“...or you can read A Thousand Acres by James Smiley and you may not relate to a family that owns a huge farm in Nebraska.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (3) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“This week I have on SA Cosby, Shawn Cosby, the crime writer behind All the Sinners Bleed, Black Top Wasteland, and Razer Blade Tears.”
“He was talking about a conversation he had with Amy Tan, author of the Joy Luck Club, and he said that she said, "No one ever asked about the language."”
“One, there's a writer named Craig Johnson who writes the lawmire series and I had a book come out, an independent book come out a few years ago called My Darkest Prayer.”