I have already enjoyed this author's other novels - Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears, which was open of my top reads of 2021, so I was looking forward to reading My Darkest Prayer and seeing what came before.

When a local minister is found dead, some of his parishioners are not convinced of the cause of death, so they approach funeral home worker Nathan asking him to find out what really happened. An ex-police officer and marine, he is well places to do some investigating, but what he finds out is way more complex than he could have ever imagined.

This was a dark and violent read that was excellently narrated by Adam Lazarre-White.

Nathan Waymaker is a big, intimidating guy, an ex-marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now he’s back in his small home town in America’s Deep South working at his cousin’s funeral home. He’d had a spell as a Sheriff’s Deputy after leaving the army, but that ended when in quick succession his parents were killed by a drunk driver and the evidence to convict the the man responsible for their deaths was ‘lost’. Was this error down to incompetence or was something else going on? Either way, Nathan demonstrated his thoughts by throwing one of his colleagues through a window. It was time for a career change.

When a local minister is found dead and is reported to have committed suicide, a pair of ladies from his parish approach Nathan requesting that he root around a bit on their behalf as they fear that foul deeds may have been at play. An offer of two thousand dollars for what seems, on face value, to be a simple task of asking a few questions of his ex-boss turns out to be anything but a bargain. The minister, it seems, once owned a local barber shop and dealt drugs on the side and there’s something about his church that smells distinctly off, too. A bunch of gangsters, a feared crime lord, a porn star and an assortment of other undesirables enter the stage – yes, I’m afraid this is going to get messy!

Having already experienced the power of the author’s writing in Razorblade Tears I wasn’t surprised by the profanity, violence and explicit sex here. But be warned, this is Southern noir at it’s rawest. If you can accept that then this story is is likely to grab you as it did me - I found it totalling compelling. It’s amazing to think that this was the author’s very first novel. But best of all in my view, the audio version I listened to was superbly read by Adam Lazarre-White, whose deep lilting tones could not have been better suited to the task. It’s definitely one of the best readings I’ve ever come across. I’ve already lined up another of the author’s books and my only complaint is that I’ll have then exhaust the supply, for now. But S. A. Cosby is a writer I will definitely be keeping a close eye on, I’m already a long-term fan.

This is S.A. Cosby's debut novel, having read both Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears, all the elements of his future success can be found here, and it is clear that his development as a writer can be seen, as an author he will go on to become subtle, and more nuanced in his creation of characters, action and plot in his novels. I listened to this on audio, ably narrated by Adam Lazarre-White in a style that effortlesslt grips, it is 9 and a half hours long approximately. Once again, the reader is immersed in a gritty, brutally violent and corrupt Southern small town world and its blatantly unequal communities where race is a central issue. The mixed race Nathan Waymaker is a former marine and ex-Sheriff's Deputy, he now works as an assistant to his cousin, Walt, at his funeral home.

He is a man with a presence and stature that cannot be ignored, a fact that can make him a target and get him into trouble. When a popular local minister is found dead, rumours swirl of it being a suicide, but a couple of his parishioners are far from convinced that this is the case. They take their reservations to Waymaker, offering to pay him to dig a little deeper, including finding out what the Sheriff's office is doing about it, something he is not happy about. He had left his post as a Deputy after evidence was lost pertaining to the death of his parents, which led to him throwing one of the Deputy's through a window. Nevertheless, Waymaker thinks he will ask a few questions and that he will be able to leave it at that. How wrong he is, his plan disintegrates as he becomes aware he is looking at murder, that the Sheriff is reluctant to engage in any form of investigation, and finds himself passionately involved with the victim's daughter, Lisa, a porn star who has nothing but pure hate for her father.

Waymaker is going to the need the help of his friend, Skunk, as he finds himself in the gravest of danger with powerful forces intent on doing anything it will take to stop him uncovering the murky secrets and truths hidden below the dark underbelly of the town. Skunk has similar characteristics to Walter Mosley's Mouse in his Easy Rawlins series, he kills without the blink of an eye. This was a compulsive and engaging listen which I think many fans of Cosby will enjoy, but I must warn readers that there is plenty of violence, profanity and explicity sex scenes. I can definitely recommend listening to the audio. Many thanks to Headline Audio and Netgalley.

I have to say I wasn’t a fan of this book, it was an okay story but for me I felt it suited a more male audience but I have to applaud the person who chose the the narrator Adam Lazarre-White he was absolutely perfect for this story as his drawling voice really set the mood for the tale.

As a rule audio books aren’t my first choice of reading (listening) books. The narrator can kill a book dead for me no matter how well plotted and character driven it is. I have had audios where the narrator is making the murder mystery sound like a Mills and Boon. Sometimes their accent overshadows the story, and the nasal twangs make me stop listening all together. But…….. SA Cosby was worth taking a chance for me. I absolutely loved his other two books so I was pleased to have a chance to listen to his first book now re released in light of his growing popularity and readership.
It was so wonderful to listen to him do an intro to the book, what a nice guy. The biggest bonus was the narrator was 100% perfect for the story.. his drawl and his cadence were so perfect.
Nathan Waymaker, a former marine and sheriffs deputy, works at a funeral home. When a much loved minister is found dead, two ladies from the parish want Nathan to make sure the death is looked into as they suspect foul play. Thinking this will be easy money for himself, Nathan soon finds himself in the murky world of gangsters, porn, blackmail and corrupt police. It’s a colourful and brutal story and it’s easy to see how quickly Cosby is becoming established as a must read author, and gaining accolades and awards with each book. His next two novels Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears are outstanding and I am looking forward to his next book.

Set in the Deep South, this is an atmospheric and gritty debut novel for S. A. Cosby. Nathan Waymaker is an ex-cop, who works in his cousins’ funeral home. On the side he often works as muscle, but is approached by some churchgoers to investigate the death of their pastor who is involved in some less than holy activities.



Violent, sexy and thrilling. The rich, poetic descriptions really immerse you into the scenes, as Nathan becomes far more entangled in his own investigation than he ever imagined. For me it could have been a bit faster paced to start, but that was really my main criticism. The writing style was gripping and I would certainly listen to more from this author, I could see Nathan Waymaker being a recurring character in future.


The narrator was amazing, his deep gravelly voice really lends itself to this moody storyline.

My Darkest Prayer by S.A Cosby
Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White
Listening length- 9 hours and 23 minutes
I give this audiobook 4.5 stars

Nathan Waymaker is a man who knows how to handle the bodies. A former marine and sheriff's deputy, Nathan has built a reputation in his small Southern town as a man who can help when all other avenues have been exhausted.
Nathan must use all his varied skills and some of his wit to navigate the murky waters of small town corruption even as dark secrets of his own threaten to come to the surface.

This is the author’s first book and l found it raw and rough around the edges but in a good way. Nathan is a flawed but layered protagonist with morals and Skunk and Lisa were standout for me.. S.A Cosby is a natural born storyteller he sets the small town scene so you can visualise it and all the characters,whose backstories which are integral to the plot. Full of grit, violence and dark humour this packs a punch and l couldn’t put it down.

The authors note at the start is interesting..I found myself enveloped in Adam Lazarre-White‘s easy narration, he has such great voices for the characters and it made the story come to life for me,l was totally immersed in the listening experience.

With thanks to Netgalley,S.A Cosby and Headline Audio for my chance to listen and review this audiobook

Absolutely awesome, spine tingling suspense with a great narrator that really added to the tale superbly. Carefully designed and well written with just the right amount of menace!

I am a huge fan of this author. This is the third book from this author that I have read and fully enjoyed. They're very easy to read, or listen to! Interesting stories, gritty characters and well written.

S A Cosby is an incredible author. On this audiobook, he gives a short introduction about the way in which he moved from short stories to a novel and My Darkest Prayer is the result. You have to wait to the final sentence to understand the meaning of the title and it’s real food for thought.

This is dark, gritty, sexy, visceral and filled with violence. But it’s presented in such a way that it’s easy to understand the characters, their motivation and there’s nothing gratuitous, The best thing about the story is the detail around the physical attributes of each character. I could picture the cops,, good and bad. The preacher turned bad seemed real and the porn star from LA is an absolute delight. She literally leaps off the page and in some later scenes, I physically felt her pain, she seemed so real. There’s balance too; much throw away one line humour makes this a real delight. Powerful writing all round.

Cosby has an exceptional talent for depicting people and events. It’s a real mush mash of individuals; the central character is badly scarred both emotionally and physically and he’s on a revenge mission. But he’s also compassionate, has retained a moral compass and I just loved him. I’m hoping there’s going to be more because this is a belter of a story from start to finish. I didn’t want it to end and I could listen to the narrator all day long. Brilliant construction that builds and builds to an explosive ending.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley

My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby and Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White was so good I just fell in love with the narrator's voice. This is the first book by S.A Cosby and WoW what a brilliant book this was. it took my breath away. Every chapter was so beautifully written I just didn't want this audiobook to finish!

Whether it's working at his cousin's funeral home or tossing around the local riffraff at his favourite bar, Nathan Waymaker is a man who knows how to handle the bodies. A former marine and sheriff's deputy, Nathan has built a reputation in his small Southern town as a man who can help when all other avenues have been exhausted. When a beloved local minister is found dead, his parishioners ask Nathan to make sure the death isn't swept under the rug.

What starts out as an easy payday soon descends into a maze of mayhem filled with wannabe gangsters, vicious crime lords, porn stars, crooked police officers, and a particularly treacherous preacher and his mysterious wife. Nathan must use all his varied skills and some of his wit to navigate the murky waters of small town corruption even as dark secrets of his own threaten to come to the surface.

I highly recommend this Book. I loved it and was gripped from the beginning till the end. This audiobook was one of the Best audiobooks I have listened to in 2022. I am looking forward either reading more from this author or listening to his next audiobook. S.A Cosby deserved a 5 star review and the narrator was also excellent.

Having loved previous books by SA Cosby, I was keen to go back and read his first book, My Darkest Prayer, which is being republished. This man can certainly write! Once again, we have a gritty and very dark crime story, full of dodgy characters and plenty of violence. I couldn’t get enough. The narrator was fantastic on the audiobook, his switching between characters was flawless. I got a vivid picture in my head of Nate as he read the story to me as ai drove to and from work. If you have not read this author before what are you doing? seriously.. he is a brilliant storyteller and you will be thinking about his books long after you finish them.

Thanks to Headline audio and NetGalley for my audiobook and o read and review. Throughly enjoyed it.