Ike Randolph, who is at the center of S.A. Cosby's (Blacktop Wasteland) brutal and beautiful Razorblade Tears, has no illusions about his mission to avenge the death of his son. Ike has been out of prison for 15 years and is making good money when his only child, Isiah, is fatally shot, as is Isiah's husband, Derek. At the funeral, Ike meets Derek's father, ex-con Buddy Lee: neither man could say that his behavior toward his gay son was supportive. When the murder case stalls out, Buddy Lee proposes to Ike that they take charge. Ike is reluctant at first, but not for the reason Buddy Lee suspects: "He wasn't afraid to spill blood. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop." Buckets of blood are spilled in this novel--which became an instant New York Times bestseller--but in a volume that's proportional to the amount of soul-searching going on and the number of jokes being cracked. --Nell Beram, author and freelance writer