Οι Αμαρτωλοί Στάζουν Αίμα
S. A. Cosby, 2023
★ 4.19 from 154.4k ratings on Goodreads
A Black sheriff returns to the county his family has bled into — and to a father who cannot stop believing things might change. A slow-building dread runs under plain, tender sentences about family and a town's racism, with violence never far from the surface.
Feels like dread, tenderness and unease. About society, identity and family.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you want a gritty Southern crime novel with a Black sheriff at its center and heavy themes of racism, religion, and family. Some readers found the ending rushed and the large cast crowded, so the final stretch may feel less controlled than the build-up.
Why read it
It gives you a sharp, humane look at a man caught between duty to his county and loyalty to a father who still hopes things can change.
A page from the book
A father is proud. The son knows what the pride cannot see.
«Το πολυκατάστημα Walmart δεν είχε κάρτα για όταν είσαι περήφανος που ο γιος σου είναι ο πρώτος μαύρος σερίφης της κομητείας. Όμως, είμαι στ’ αλήθεια περήφανος. Τ’ αγόρι μου γύρισε σπίτι και αλλάζει τα πράγματα. Δεν ξέρεις τι σημαίνει για τους ανθρώπους να σε βλέπουνε μ’ αυτή τη στολή, Τάιτους. Αν ζούσε η μαμά σου, θα ’τανε κι αυτή περήφανη», είπε ο Άλμπερτ, και η φωνή του έσπασε λιγάκι. Η μητέρα τού Τάιτους είχε πεθάνει πριν από είκοσι τρία χρόνια, ωστόσο ακόμα και με μια απλή αναφορά σ’ αυτήν ο πόνος του πατέρα του ανάβλυζε σαν πίδακας. Θα ήταν στ’ αλήθεια τόσο περήφανη αν ήξερε τι είχε συμβεί στη βόρεια Ιντιάνα, στην υπόθεση ΝτεΚρέιν; Δεν νομίζω, σκέφτηκε ο Τάιτους. Όχι, πιστεύω ότι δεν θα ήταν καθόλου περήφανη. «Δεν είναι όλοι οι δικοί μας περήφανοι. Αλλά σ’ ευχαριστώ για την κάρτα, μπαμπά», είπε ο Τάιτους. What readers say
Readers found this gritty, dark, and suspenseful, with a compelling sheriff and heavy themes of racism, religion, and violence. Many were gripped and moved, though some felt the ending rushed, the cast crowded, or the pacing and protagonist less convincing.
S. A. Cosby.Cosby set his Charon County novels in a landscape of Virginia tidewater, hush puppies and sheriffs’ radios; he was a bartender and construction worker before his books became bestsellers.
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Questions readers ask
- Is Οι Αμαρτωλοί Στάζουν Αίμα for me?
- You may like it if you want a gritty Southern crime novel with a Black sheriff at its center and heavy themes of racism, religion, and family. Some readers found the ending rushed and the large cast crowded, so the final stretch may feel less controlled than the build-up.
- What is Οι Αμαρτωλοί Στάζουν Αίμα like?
- A slow-building dread runs under plain, tender sentences about family and a town's racism, with violence never far from the surface. Feels like dread, tenderness and unease. About society, identity and family.
- What should I read after Οι Αμαρτωλοί Στάζουν Αίμα?
- If you liked Οι Αμαρτωλοί Στάζουν Αίμα, try The Road (Cormac McCarthy), The Institute (Stephen King) and The Client (John Grisham).
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The most dangerous people are the ones who sigh at bad news.
There was a perfunctory knock at the door, and then Rosalind stuck her head in, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry to disturb you, ma’am, but it’s Fred Clark, asking to see you. He seems-” “Refresh me. Who is Fred Clark?” Mrs. Sigsby took off her reading glasses and rubbed the sides of her nose. “One of the janitors.” “Find out what he wants and tell me later. If we’ve got mice chewing the wiring again, it can wait. I’m busy.” “He says it’s important, and he seems extremely upset.” Mrs. Sigsby sighed, closed the folder, and put it in a drawer. “All right, send him in. But this had better be good.” It wasn’t. It was bad. Very.
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It was miserable, wet-bone March and I was lying in bed thinking about killing myself, a hobby of mine. Indulgent afternoon daydreaming: A shotgun, my mouth, a bang and my head jerking once, twice, blood on the wall. Spatter, splatter. “Did she want to be buried or cremated?” people would ask. “Who should come to the funeral?” And no one would know. The people, whoever they were, would just look at each other’s shoes or shoulders until the silence settled in and then someone would put on a pot of coffee, briskly and with a fair amount of clatter. Coffee goes great with sudden death.
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