The gang get away with the diamonds, but shots are fired and the loss of lives means extra attention from the police.
It’s a bad choice and sets him off down a path which will become increasingly difficult for him to get off. The plan they have is full of holes, but in his desperation Bug convinces himself he can make it work. Ronnie and Reggie Sessions are two small-time criminals too stupid and greedy ever to make the big time and the last time Bug worked with them, stealing a thoroughbred horse, the job went south quickly. Seeing no way other way out, Bug accepts a job driving for an old acquaintance on a jewellery store robbery.
The opening chapter also reveals the themes which run through the novel including the trap which many poor or marginalised people find themselves in caught in – an uncompromising capitalist system, the impossibility of leaving the past behind and how the sins of the father are passed to the son. He followed his father, Anthony, into a career as a getaway driver, and even though Anthony disappeared and is most likely dead, Bug has never found a replacement for the thrill he got from it. Bug has much more in his past than just illegal drag racing. His garage is losing money to the local franchised competition, his mother has care home bills, one son needs braces and his daughter has college fees to pay. He wants security for his family and to honour his promise to his family, but cannot provide one without failing in the other. Bug is revealed to be a skilled driver, calm under pressure but facing difficult choices. It’s a great opening scene that thrusts you straight into the action and introduces its antagonist. He wins the race but loses his stake when the race is broken up by two sheriff’s deputies. Bug had promised Kia and their children that he had left behind this part of his life behind, but he needs money. The last time I can remember a noir novel generating such a buzz was Lou Berney’s November Road, which went on to win the Anthony Award, the Hammett Prize and was picked up for a film adaptation.īlacktop Wasteland begins with Beauregard ‘Bug’ Montage taking part in a late-night illegal drag race through the back lanes of Virginia.
The hype, especially considering that Blacktop Wasteland is only Cosby’s second novel, is quite something. Blacktop Wasteland has generated a lot of interest over the preceding months with both veteran and new writers queuing up to sing its praises on social media.
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