Blacktop Wasteland

A Novel

De: S. A. Cosby

Narrado por: Adam Lazarre-White

2020 LA Times Book Prize - Winner
2021 Anthony Awards - Nominee
2020 Amazon.com Best Books of the Year
2020 Library Journal Best Books of the Year
2020 NPR Best Book of the Year
2020 New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year
2020 LA Times Book Prize - Finalist

"Narrator Adam Lazarre-White's voice exudes confidence and depth; his performance is an example of how the best audiobooks deliver pure storytelling." (AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner)

A husband, a father, a son, a business owner...and the best getaway driver east of the Mississippi.

This program includes a bonus conversation with the author.

Beauregard “Bug” Montage is an honest mechanic, a loving husband, and a hardworking 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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books

“Sensationally good - new, fresh, real, authentic, twisty, with characters and dilemmas that will break your heart. More than recommended.” (Lee Child)

"A fast-paced, fresh take on noir that tears through the underbelly of Virginia." (New York Times)

“Blacktop Wasteland is a guaranteed thriller-of-the-year with muscle and heart and characters who will linger long after the last page is read. S.A. Cosby writes with grit and grace. Do not miss this one.” (Michael Koryta, best-selling author of Those Who Wish Me Dead)

©2020 Shawn A. Cosby (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Narrator Adam Lazarre-White's voice exudes confidence and depth; his performance is an example of how the best audiobooks deliver pure storytelling." (AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner)

I've found a new author to check for...

Great story, highly entertaining, I listened to the whole book in two days, couldn't turn it off. The characters feel authentic and the author did a good job of developing them, explaining their background story, etc. The narrator was on point, he brought the story to life. I will definitely be looking for more books from this author and would like a sequel to this one.

This Is Why Audible Is Great!

Many of us who have been long time Audible members have come to learn there are many mediocre books, many good books, but few truly great books. Blacktop Wasteland is one of the few.

Great story, great writing, and pitch perfect narration which not only entertains you but forces you to think, reflect, and be honest with self.

Fasten your seatbelt…or hell don’t

Gritty crime- I am usually on board with, but the action genre when combined can leave me in the dust….but not here! Everything about this Audible was superb. The narrator, let me listen to him reciting a list of Covid vaccine sites and I would be enthralled. That man can talk. Velvet.
The characters? OK so how did SA Cosby happen to know a lot of the same people I know? You might not hang with them anymore but you know them.
The plot? Totally engrossing.
So, I love this book. So much, that after I listened to the audio version I bought a hard copy and a paper back, for lending. Just let me say this about the character and plot development. Imagine you’re in a really, really good restaurant and they bring you one dish after another and each dish as you take a bite you taste more and more of what has gone into it. Layers and layers of flavor building for an experience not to be forgotten. Well, that’s what I thought about this book. A delicious tasting menu with no froufrou just a lotta yum.
So, no surprise he is on the front page of the New York Times book review this week for his new book.
All I can say is I saw that coming. What a really great read. Keep on telling those stories Mr. Cosby.
Readers, treat yourself with this.

One of the best ever!

Phenomenal story, flawless narration and characters you will love. This story sucked me in and never let me go. Beauregard, Bugs, or whatever, was such a real character in a real world and I I was rooting for him all of the way. The writing was some of the best I’ve ever read and I read/listen to at least 150 books a year.

Step into another world

S A Cosby shares the world of a rural black man trying to do good by his family. The book was a little slow to start, but then I couldn’t stop. One thing after the next goes wrong. Highly recommend this audio book.

Solid Crime Novel with believable characters

It's hard not to root for Bug, despite the things he's done, and is forced to do. Blacktop Wasteland gives a glimpse into a world where the things one would rather not even think about are essentials. A father, a husband, a hell of a driver and mechanic, Bug finds himself face-planting into the reality of "The American Dream," debts, business problems a mother on welfare... and a lot on his shoulders. The question you start with and follow through to the end is... can you walk a tightrope between normalcy and shadow, or do you have to (eventually) fall on one side or the other... and if so, how far do you fall. Great book.

Fast paced thriller

From the beginning I loved Beauregard. Don’t think I spelled it right. His heart was that of a good man. Over and over I can see where a person’s early childhood experiences mold their life. His father had his thumb on his whole life. I also enjoyed the side characters, not that they were good people, but I could envision them. The narration was excellent! Overall just an excellent book.

Great Story; Amazing Performance

This is the best book I’ve read in a long time. So much fun. Well developed characters, well paced action, and a good story line. (It also has some varied, accurate, and apt college-bound vocabulary — in addition to some colorful language.)

And the Audible performance is possibly the best I’ve ever experienced. The only competitor is Kenneth Branagh’s “Heart of Darkness” which is pretty amazing!

So if you are looking for a good read— not too serious, but well written— get the Audible version.

Great story telling

This is a great story, written in a way that goes beyond a simple thriller …you will be taken into this world of Blacktop Asphalt , by the characters , how their stories are intertwine , and how choices can have a ripple
affect across multiple characters. Excellent book!

Outstanding crime thriller

This was a red hot thriller that was as deep in character as it was in action and intrigue. I've never spent a minute in rural Virginia but I immediately felt grounded in this world. The heist elements were both clever and plausible. Bug is a bad man but not a super man. The deeper themes of loss, regrets and the relationships between fathers and sons gave the novel real resonance beyond the crime thriller elements. Couldn't put this one down.