[go: up one dir, main page]
Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Explore 1.5M+ audiobooks & ebooks free for days

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Blacktop Wasteland: A Novel
    Blacktop Wasteland: A Novel
    Blacktop Wasteland: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    Blacktop Wasteland: A Novel

    Written by S. A. Cosby

    Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White

    4.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    A New York Times Notable Books of 2020

    "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 hard-working 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

    "If you’re looking for dark, gritty, nuanced heist thriller that feels like The Fast and the Furious + The Italian Job + the Starz show Power but set in the south with fantastic, immersive narration, pick this up." -- Book Riot

    Editor's Note

    Cinematic page-turner…

    Buckle up and brace yourself for a thrilling ride with this cinematic page-turner. Beauregard “Bug” Montage put his former life as the best getaway driver on the East Coast behind him. But his new life as a loving father and small business owner is starting to unravel, so when his criminal past reappears to lure him back for “one last job,” he thinks it might be the answer to his financial woes. “Blacktop Wasteland” is shaping up to be a modern classic.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateJul 14, 2020
    ISBN9781250751935
    Author

    S. A. Cosby

    S. A. Cosby is an Anthony Award–winning writer from Southeastern Virginia. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, was a New York Times Notable Book, and was named a best book of the year by NPR, The Guardian, and Library Journal, among others. When not writing, he is an avid hiker and chess player.

    More audiobooks from S. A. Cosby

    Related authors

    Related to Blacktop Wasteland

    Related audiobooks

    Thrillers For You

    View More
    View More

    Related categories

    Reviews for Blacktop Wasteland

    4.5/5

    338 ratings33 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a thrilling and gripping story with rich characters and magnetic narration. The book club loved it and many readers found it to be a great and different read that kept their attention throughout. However, there were some negative reviews about the audio narration, with some finding it slow and detracting from the story. Overall, this book is highly recommended for its exceptional storytelling, realistic scenes, and compelling struggle of the main character. It is a fast-paced and masterfully written noir with fantastic audiobook narration.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      This. Almost slept on it because the story line seems so simple and straight forward but wooweee this gets messy rather quickly and once this thing is set into motion it holds you hostage till the very. Well done. Nice author interview at the end.??????????

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Very thrilling story with rich characters and magnetic narration. My book club loved it!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Surprisingly, for a book in the thriller genre, it’s the depth and complexity of the characters that make this book great.
      The narrator does a great job bringing each characters. Individual personality to life.
      Be sure to listen to the interview with the author at the end of the book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      I read the book so can't say how this worked in audio. It has not been reviewed yet on my go to place for a heads-up on the narration and book, audiofilemagazine.com. I can see the narrator, Adam Lazarre-White, sounds like the right man for the job. I'll listen a bit and be back with an update.
      This reader was hooked from page one. Blacktop Wasteland never lost its momentum. Cosby sets the scene in the rural fictional town of Red Hill, VA (reminds me of Hampton Roads). The main protagonist, Beauregard, “Bug” is one of those bad guys you hate to love. Along with partners in crime, a crew of outright criminals, and others just trying to live the life, this cast of characters leapt off the pages while Beauregard presses the pedal to the medal in a deliciously complex heist. Blacktop Wasteland is fast paced, gritty, and written in dialog that fits its settings and improves its plot. Beauregard does get into some questionable scrapes. “Could that really happen?” and then I remember seeing something like that on Myth Busters and it could but “don't try this from home”. I might have had to suspend belief a bit but I was happy doing so. Fans and critics alike are saying “movie”. Blacktop Wasteland is one heck of a summer read, and one of the best thrillers I've read in ages. It's a h_ _l of a ride.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Masterful writing, heart-stopping suspense. A story that grabbed me from the start and pulled me right through to the end. Classic noir. The audiobook narration is fantastic.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      What a wild and beautifully detailed ride! I am now a staunch S. A. Cosby fan!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      This book is excellent. The author does an amazing job with his descriptions. You actually feel as if you’re watching a movie. The entire book held my attention. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work. I highly recommend this book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      It really reflected Virginia as I knew it and as it has change in the past 30 years — back them it was pot and ‘shine, not meth and oxy. He did an amazing job portraying rural coastal Virginia as a backdrop to an exciting Thriller with real characters. The voice artist did a great job on the voices and I appreciated the bonus interview with the author at the end.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      I have not read or listened to a novel in many years. For whatever reason, I chose this one to escape into. About halfway through chapter one, I was already deeply hooked into the characters. The writer was able to create realistic scenes in my head as the story went on, and the suspense was chest tightening at times. I loved this book!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      This was so good I had to inbox the author on FB! Crime thriller with a twist. I loved it!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Awesome!! This book was so so good! Read it now!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      This is an amazing book. Adam is awesome ❤️ This is a must read

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      A wild ride and thrilling read!! Audio narration was perfect

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Oct 8, 2025

      This author is a great writer. I love the way he let his audience know that there were strong men
    • 5/5

      Apr 15, 2025

      This book supersedes its genre and tropes. It is moves fast and hard but runs deep. Characters are rich and living. Narrator is also incredible
    • 5/5

      Sep 22, 2024

      One of my favorite authors with another incredible story. Challenges every judgement you've ever had about other people and challenges you to find sympathy for others while highlighting real issues. Makes you consider how nobody is all good or all bad and what it means. Really riveting and thought provoking. Gorgeously written to boot.
    • 5/5

      Jul 15, 2024

      Great read! Love the author’s work. I can’t get enough!!
    • 5/5

      Jul 10, 2024

      20/10 I would recommend ! I’m glad I read it.
    • 5/5

      May 16, 2024

      S.A. Cosby did it again ! This book is a new fave for me. It’s action packed and beautifully written.
    • 5/5

      Feb 24, 2024

      I listen to this book non stop I couldn’t wait to see how it would end. You ,left me hanging at the end I wanted more. Thank you for an excellent listen
    • 5/5

      Jan 7, 2024

      absolutely amazing! i could not stop listening to this book. fast and furious meets oceans eleven meets goodfellas. extremely entertaining with so much heart. beautifully written and narrated.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      A great read. You don’t just hear the story, you feel it. Highly recommended
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Such a great story especially for a father...the actor doing reading on the audiobook was awesome!
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Great plot, great performance. So Looking forward to a sequel.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Great story. Much different than what I usually read. Kept my attention throughout. Well done!
    • 4/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      I listened to this on audio. I wish I hadn't because the narrator detracted from the story. I'm probably in the minority there, but his reading was slow with many words overunciated. He made moments that shouldn't have been boring, boring. It's because of this that I wish I had read it myself. Because the story was exceptional, the dialogue (which the narrator excelled at to be fair) absolutely tremendous. This was a short book that due to the narrator took me far too long to finish. The book is high-octane (you'll see what I did there if you read it) from start to finish and I'd have finished it, reading it for myself, in the space of a day it was that cleverly written.

      Bug is described as a man trying to find himself, and I suppose that's correct. I did not like him, regardless of how much he loved his family. He was selfish and violent, and not worth a whole heck of a lot in my book. But he was superbly written. Ronnie too. I was madder about the decisions he made than Bug, and Bug is a piece of crap. That's how well-written Ronnie is. Bug's wife and the family dynamics were very realistic, I appreciated both aspects of the story.

      S.A. Cosby is a new fav, this book was tremendous. But I'm giving it a four out five because of something that happens in the story I found a little too unrealistic. It took me out of the story and annoyed me greatly. If it weren't for that, I'd have given it a five out five.
    • 4/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Righteous Justice- enough “car Details that guys who like cars would enjoy how cars are blended into the detail !
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      I am so impressed with the dialogue and clear description of each scene. As I listened I would laugh and alternately gasp and try to help. Truly a masterpiece of entertainment and education
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      The suspense was palpable and the thrill was real. The narrator made the audiobook a visual and visceral experience. I’m hopeful that “Blacktop Wasteland” is the beginning of along series. Well done!!
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Perfection. The story is gripping, the characters are deep, the language moves. The narration is without a doubt the best audiobook I have ever experienced. I feel I have found an author whose work I will read for the rest of my life