***GUARDIAN BEST CRIME AND THRILLERS OF 2023*** THE TIMES - THRILLER OF THE MONTH*** *** MAIL ON SUNDAY - BEST NEW FICTION*** FINANCIAL TIMES - BEST NEW CRIME BOOKS *** 'A crackling good police procedural.fresh and exhilarating' STEPHEN KING 'Gripping' MICHAEL CONNELLY 'Titus Crown is one of the most compelling characters I've read in a long time.' STEVE CAVANAGH A BLACK SHERIFF. A SERIAL KILLER. AND A SMALL TOWN READY TO COMBUST. Titus Crown is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County, Virginia. In recent decades, Charon has had only two murders. After years of working as an FBI agent, no one knows better than Titus that while his hometown might seem like a land of moonshine, cornbread, and honeysuckle, secrets always fester under the surface.

But a year to the day after Titus's election, a school teacher is killed by a former student. The student is then fatally shot by Titus's deputies.As Titus investigates the shootings, he unearths terrible crimes, and a serial killer who has been hiding in plain sight, haunting the dirt lanes and woodland clearings of Charon. With the killer's possible connections to a local church and the town's harrowing history weighing on him, Titus tries to project confidence about closing the case while concealing a painful secret from his own past. At the same time, he also has to contend with a far-right group that wants to hold a parade in celebration of the town's Confederate history.Charon is Titus's home and his heart. But where faith and violence meet, there will be a reckoning.'Richly textured, this is elegant, fierce storytelling at its absolute best.

' DAILY MAIL 'A distinctive, thrilling new voice in crime writing.will linger long after you've closed the book' DAILY EXPRESS 'American crime fiction has found its future and his name is S.A. Cosby' DENNIS LEHANE 'O ne of the most important new voices in crime fiction. I won't read a better book this year. Incredible. ' M. W.

CRAVEN 'A powerful crime thriller that pulls no punches' VASEEM KHAN 'An uncompromising, blistering Southern Gothic with a compelling, beautifully drawn protagonist in Titus Crown. Cosby's writing sings.' MASON CROSS Praise for S. A. Cosby: 'Sensationally good' LEE CHILD 'I loved BLACKTOP WASTELAND' STEPHEN KING 'Stunning. Can't remember the last time I read such a powerful crime novel' MARK BILLINGHAM.