By S.A. Cosby (Amazon's #11 Best Book of 2021) ★★★★★
Ike is a Black man with a checkered past who has been on the straight and narrow for the last 15 years. Buddy Lee is a white man from the rural south who’d never have had a reason to cross paths with Ike, were it not for the love and marriage of their two sons. When the young men are murdered and it’s obvious to Ike, Buddy Lee, and everyone but the police that this wasn’t a random mugging, the unlikely duo join forces to take solving the murders of their sons into their own hands.
In a vacuum, I might have liked this even more. But I’m just going to say it: this is "Blacktop Wasteland 2”. A tough-as-nails Black lead character; a redneck white acquaintance who he has to reluctantly work with; plenty of violence; and very bad men trying to take out our not-quite-heroes. To Cosby’s credit, he tackles the uncomfortable reality that, broadly speaking, certain segments of the two main groups (Blacks and rural whites) generally are not as accepting of their homosexual sons as some other communities. The main characters work through that, and it adds a layer of social introspection alongside the plot, something that was a little less present in the action-packed Blacktop Wasteland.
The story was wholly enjoyable, and had I not felt like it was a bit of a retread of what I had just read in Blacktop, I might have it rated even higher. That being said, Blacktop Wasteland was my favorite book of last year, so getting to relive the enjoyment of that story with a newish plot and (sort of) new characters is not a bad thing by any stretch. If you liked Blacktop, you’ll definitely like this as well.
Previous Best of 2021: #5 - The Last Watch / The Exiled Fleet
Next Best of 2021: #3 - Project Hail Mary