I have to be honest, I wasn't too impressed with this audiobook. I usually binge his books, but this one didn't grab me and kept me engaged. Maybe I was in a mood. I will revisit this book again soon and hopefully my response will be different!

Cosby offers a Shakespearean tragedy disguised as a Southern Gothic featuring a family with secrets running into some terrifying gangsters.

This book is intense. Unfortunately as unrealistic as if like to believe it to be, I know there are places like this. There are plot twists I didn’t see coming. A little too much gore and death for my tastes.

A gritty, violent family drama with plenty of tension and danger. The premise kept me interested, but I struggled with the audiobook narrator, which pulled me out of the story—I suspect I might have enjoyed it more in print. Be warned: it’s very graphic, so not for the faint of heart.

Oh my! SA Cosby has done it again. His books are very intriguing and suspenseful. You really are taken for a ride so just buckle up
and settle in. SA Cosby has become an auto buy author for me. Thanks NetGalley for the eArc.

An S.A. Cosby crime novel is always a reading event. Cinematic in scope—rich with vivid description, unflinching violence, and layered themes—it grips you from start to finish. Personally, I think audio is the best way to experience it all.

Narrator Adam Lazarre-White--the narrator of all of Cosby's books--is fantastic. His deep, resonating voice not only adds realness to the characters' plights, it also gives the action-packed scenes of violence extra depth. When I said "cinematic in scope," I mean it--and I think a lot of that power comes from Lazarre-White's voice.

This story follows Roman, the eldest son of a fractured family from a small Virginia town. Now living in Atlanta as a (sometimes shady) investor, he’s pulled back home after his father falls into a coma from a suspicious accident and his younger brother, Dante, finds himself in the crosshairs of a local drug gang. Neveah, the sister caught between them, becomes entangled with a crooked cop. And all three siblings still struggle with their mother’s mysterious disappearance when they were teenagers.

The violence and tension build relentlessly, yet Cosby balances the action with deeply emotional, character-driven storytelling. Roman’s desperate maneuvers to save his brother and protect his family take the spotlight, but every character’s arc feels gripping and essential.
I especially liked the unexpected subplot of Roman falling for the sister of the gang’s sociopathic leader—a twist that adds depth to his already complicated choices. As in his earlier work, Cosby excels at capturing rural Black life, admits a frame of tragedy, tenderness, and raw, pulse-pounding drama.

While Razorblade Tears remains my personal favorite, this novel is still a powerful and invigorating addition to Cosby’s growing crime oeuvre.

This audiobook was a five stars. The narrator did such a good job playing all the different voices of all the characters in the book. This story was everything I wanted it to be and more. It was so moving, so sad, and made me angry at times. This was my first novel by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. Thank you so much to netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to experience this traumatic story in audio.

Now listen to me, I am a SA Cosby FAN! This book did it again for me. I don't think this man could write a bad book if he tried. I was collecting clues and got to the end and still couldnt guess the twist. That was so unexpected and soooo good. He did it again! 10/10 do recommend.

Roman Carruthers is successful and working in Atlanta when he is called to his hometown in Virginia after his father gets into an accident. His sister Neveah is trying to keep their family business, a crematorium, afloat in a dying town, but she's also trying to solve her own mystery related to her father. Roman's brother Dante is an addict who has got himself into a terrible situation that puts their whole family at risk. Roman is forced to deal with the criminal underbelly of the town in order to protect his family. The family is forced to descend more and more into conflict and violence in a perfect, terrifying thriller.

S.A. Cosby is the modern master of the rural noir and King of Ashes does not break his streak. With some stomach-turning sequences that shocked even me as a horror-lover, but also a real understanding of the Carruthers family and their traumas, Cosby has created a wonderful novel. Its no surprise that I enjoyed another S.A. Cosby novel, but he keeps writing complex and entertaining novels. King of Ashes is another entry into his dark, gritty canon. And Adam Lazarre-White does wonderful work on the audiobook that brings all of the characters and the setting to life.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a copy of King of Ashes in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, this book is a 10 out of 10. I absolutely loved. It definitely kept me engaged and I was quite surprised when certain things came to light. The ending definitely makes it seem like there’s going to be a second book, and if there is, I will be reading it.

King of Ashes is a true crime thriller by S.A. Cosby. This story is full complex characters, violence, and secrets that will keep you turning the pages. When reading this book, you truly will not know or guess how everything will turn out with the Carruthers. Each of them have their own demons that they are trying to deal with. There are jaw-dropping twists that will surprise readers. King of Ashes is a perfect book for those who love crime thrillers.

I have been addicted to S.A. Cosby's writing ever since reading/listening to Blacktop Wasteland back in 2020. I've read/listened to every book he's written since then and he never disappoints!! I recommend them al!!!

King of Ashes is a blistering southern noir packed with raw emotion, tangled family secrets, and unforgettable characters.

The Carruthers siblings, each marked by their own past wounds, are drawn into a relentless spiral of crime and confrontation, told with Cosby’s trademark blend of emotional resonance and sharp, unforgettable storytelling.

The story follows Roman Carruthers, a sharp-witted Atlanta financier drawn back to his rural Virginia hometown to help save his brother, but instead gets pulled into a dangerous web of buried family secrets, betrayal, and escalating violence.

The result is a fierce, character-rich captivating thriller that sears itself into your memory. A must-read for fans of literary crime and deeply flawed characters.

🎧Adam Lazarre-White who has narrated all of Cosby’s novels, is nothing short of extraordinary. Each performance leaves a lasting impression, and in King of Ashes, his rich timbre and nuanced delivery once again pulls us deep into the gritty, shadowed world Cosby crafts. He moves effortlessly between male and female voices, bringing each character to life and making the story seamless to follow.

This book was a great thriller. I enjoyed listening to it and felt as though the narrator added to the story and suspense.

I love how much action S.A. Cosby incorporates into his books and the way that Adam Lazarre-White narrates them so well. I did not really care much for this plot though.

The past is a spark; the present, a wildfire.

Roman Carruthers built a comfortable life in Atlanta, but guilt has haunted him for years. A desperate call from his sister drags him back to Virginia, where the Carruthers family faces ruin. With enemies closing in and his siblings in danger, Roman risks everything to pull them from the fire—because in his family, nothing lasts forever. Everything burns.

This was my first S.A. Cosby novel, and it didn’t grab me right away. I almost quit at my 50% rule—but something made me keep listening. I’m glad I did. By the end, I realized Cosby had been laying the clues in plain sight, painting the scene so vividly I never saw the truth coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for allowing me the pleasure of listening to this story in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Book was out for publication June 10, 2025.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing. Released June 10, 2025.

This was an absolute work of a literary genius. It was so raw, emotional, gripping and authentic. I mean this man can write a story. I don't even know how to describe how I feel but this was just pure perfection.

S.A. Cosby has easily made it to auto-buy author status. I absolutely love the way he tells a story and this one is no exception. I really enjoyed the setting and the crematorium aspect was different and I really liked that too. Overall, great read!

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

Dang, y'all. That's all I could think as I read this book. Dang! I've heard so many good things from so many readers (including my daughter) about S. A. Cosby and kept putting off starting one of his books because other shiny things got in the way. So going into this one I was a bit afraid of being disappointed because of my high expectations, but I needn't have worried. As I expected, the story is raw and dark and gritty and tough to listen to at times. And as I read I was sure it would break my heart at some point or other, and I wasn't wrong on that point either. But in the midst of all the grit and violence and tough subject matter is some truly gorgeous writing. At times It made me wish I'd also had the written text to follow along with, so I could go back and savor certain passages. But I must say I was happy that I was listening to the audiobook, because Adam Lazarre-White's voice and narration is one of those perfect matches for the writing, and there's just nothing better than that combination when it comes to audiobooks. So now I'm a fan, and his other books have moved way up on my TBR list.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

This book smolders...and not just because it's set around a creamatorium.

Cosby doesn't shy away from the dark side of a story. In fact, I'd say he lives in the gritty, the violent, the tense and the rawness of the human experience.

In King of Ashes, Roman Caruthers comes back to his hometown after his father is in a devastating hit and run car accident. Leaving his life of excess and privilege as a financial advisor, he returns to the life of smoke and sadness of the family crematorum business. Was his father's accident truly an accident or was it the result of his brother's nefarious connections and deep debt to a dangerous criminal?

Pulled into the world of crime, debt, and gang turf wars, Roman will do anything to protect his family, including using his crack smart math skills in an attempt to pay off his brothers debt. It gets ugly. It gets vicious. Secrets are unearthed and lives are upended.

Think the Godfather if the Godfather took place in virgina and was the story of rival black gangs.

I read one review that said :" At its core, King of Ashes is a story about how trauma smolders in families like embers in dry grass—how old secrets can ignite new devastation, and how loyalty, love, and vengeance can all wear the same face. The emotional depth here is staggering. Cosby doesn’t just write gritty thrillers—he writes about what pain does to people. And he does it with prose that cuts like a blade and burns like truth."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

I don't know how he does it but Cosby manages to have me turning pages as fast as I can even while my stomach is turning.