'All Sinners Bleed' by S.A, Cosby is among best crime novels of the year

Here's quick look at a pair of unusual crime novels full of highly emotional scenes and distinctly memorable characters.

Both books deal with challenging searches for serial killers — dead bodies galore and so much more ...

"All the Sinners Bleed" by S.A. Cosby ($27.99, Flatiron Books) is a powerful tale by the highly-acclaimed author of "Razorblade Tears" and "Blacktop Wasteland."

It showcases Titus Crown, a hard-working former FBI agent who is elected as sheriff of Charon County, Virginia.

He's the first Black sheriff in the area; he and his deputies are called to a local high school where former student Latrell Macdonald has murdered a well-respected teacher.

Crown's deputies kill Macdonald; the teacher's cell phone reveals that both were part of a child pornography ring and there's a third person involved.

The sheriff's life gets much more complicated as he digs further into the case, dealing with angry politicians, church members, racists and drunks.

Cosby's gripping tale is definitely one of the best crime novels of the year.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for "Murder for Liar" by Verlin Darrow ($17.95, Wild Rose Press) which is a confusing tale starring former private eye Tom Dashiel, who's been a psychotherapist for 15 years.

Dashiel notes, "Unlike virtually every other therapist in Santa Cruz, I saw absolutely any client, regardless of how bizarre, obnoxious or hopeless."

There are so many sessions and unexpected plot twists, it's tough for the average reader to keep track of them all, let alone try to figure out what's really going on.

There's a serial killer on the loose, Dashiel is dealing with multiple personalities, an angel (maybe) and a variety of other assorted individuals with mental issues.

And the body count keeps rising ...

"Murder for Liar" is a strange 287-page novel that's likely to leave readers amazed, bothered and bewildered.

Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing's Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987. His email address is raywalsh@voyager.net.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: 'All Sinners Bleed' by S.A, Cosby is among best crime novels of year