A Black father. A white father. Two murdered sons. A quest for vengeance.

Ike Randolph has been out of jail for fifteen years, with not so much as a speeding ticket in all that time. But a Black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid.

The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah’s white husband, Derek. Ike had never fully accepted his son but is devastated by his loss.

Derek’s father Buddy Lee was almost as ashamed of Derek for being gay as Derek was ashamed his father was a criminal. Buddy Lee still has contacts in the underworld, though, and he wants to know who killed his boy.

Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge. In their quest to do better for their sons in death than they did in life, hardened men Ike and Buddy Lee will confront their own prejudices about their sons and each other, as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys.

After reading (and being blown away by) S.A. Cosby’s “All the Sinners Bleed” last year, I knew I had to dive into his backlist. I went into this one with high expectations and wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I think I may have enjoyed it even more than “Sinners”.

This book follows two fathers, Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee Jenkins, whose sons, Isiah and Derek, were married and recently murdered in what appears to be a hate crime. Both fathers are ex-cons, hardened by years of violence and regret. But despite their shared grief, they aren’t exactly kindred spirits. Ike is a Black man who has worked tirelessly to leave his criminal past behind, while Buddy Lee is a white man whose life has been shaped by alcoholism and several missteps. But the two share a common regret – neither fully accepted nor supported their sons while they were alive, mainly due to their prejudices – and now they are dead.

The pain of these unresolved relationships sets the foundation for a brutal and deeply emotional journey. Ike and Buddy Lee team up, not just to get answers but to exact bloody revenge once they learn that their son’s graves have been desecrated with homophobic slurs. This kicks off a brutal and bloody quest for answers and a good, healthy dose of vigilante justice. The novel’s plot is driven by revenge, and Cosby doesn’t hold back when it comes to action. The violence is often brutal and shocking, yet it never feels gratuitous. He has a gift for writing action sequences that are both cinematic and emotionally charged.

What I love most about this author’s books is that he doesn’t sugarcoat anything. This time around, he forces his characters and readers to sit with the uncomfortable truths about race, class, toxic masculinity, and homophobia in America, and he does it all through the lenses of two very complex characters. Ike and Buddy Lee are rough around the edges, hardened by life’s trials, and quick to resort to violence. But beneath their tough exteriors are men who loved their sons in their own imperfect ways. Their grief feels raw and honest, and as they wrestle with their pain and regrets, it’s impossible not to feel for them.

What makes their arc so compelling is how they begin to change as they work together. Their relationship is tense and uneasy at first, but through shared experiences and mutual suffering, they slowly develop a bond built on respect and understanding. Watching Ike and Buddy Lee learn to let go of their hate and embrace a broader definition of masculinity and fatherhood is very moving.

Another standout element of the book is its exploration of race and privilege. Cosby examines how Ike and Buddy Lee’s experiences are shaped by their racial identities. Ike is hyper-aware of the dangers he faces as a Black man, especially when dealing with law enforcement or navigating predominantly white spaces. Buddy Lee, on the other hand, is forced to confront the ways his whiteness has shielded him from certain consequences, even as he’s suffered in different ways due to his poverty and criminal past. Their differing perspectives add nuance to their relationship and highlight the complexities of systemic racism and oppression.

Overall, I loved this book and devoured it in a day. Cosby has once again crafted a powerful and gut-wrenching crime thriller with the emotional weight of a family drama. This is a novel that’s both hard to read and impossible to put down. For readers who appreciate stories that are gritty, thought-provoking, and deeply emotional, this is a must-read. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

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