S. A. Cosby

S.A. Cosby is an American crime fiction author from Gloucester County, Virginia, known for his hardboiled crime novels set in the American South. He is one of the most celebrated voices in contemporary crime fiction, praised for his kinetic prose, complex characters, and unflinching depictions of race, class, and violence in rural Virginia. Cosby worked a variety of jobs—including funeral home employee, handyman, and cemetery worker—before his breakthrough with the story 'The Grass Beneath My Feet,' which won the Anthony Award for Best Short Story. His debut novel Blacktop Wasteland (2020) was an instant critical sensation, winning the Anthony Award and being named a Best Book of the Year by numerous publications. He went on to win the Anthony Award three consecutive times: for Blacktop Wasteland (2021), Razorblade Tears (2022), and All the Sinners Bleed (2024). He also won the Gold Dagger shortlist nominations multiple times and received the Macavity Award. Cosby is widely cited as one of the defining crime fiction voices of the 2020s.