King of Ashes is a gripping, dark and extremely gritty story that grabbed me and would not let go until the very end. The setting of this book was so vivid it felt like a character in and of itself. And the ending? I honestly get chills just thinking about it.

Cosby's characters have a raw depth to them that makes them feel real, and Adam Lazarre-White, narrator of the audiobook, did an incredible job bringing them to life!

5/5
amazinggg!!
The thrill, mystery, crime, family ties, and drama was EATING!!
S.A Cosby is now an auto-buy author of mine. Make sure yall pick this one up June 10th 2025!
Thank you NetGally & Macmillan audio for my ARC!

In King of Ashes, S.A. Cosby delivers a gritty, emotionally charged crime saga about family, loyalty, and the cost of legacy. When Roman Carruthers returns home to a crumbling family business and dangerous secrets, he’s forced to confront the darkness he thought he’d left behind. Intense, raw, and unforgettable.

When Roman received the call from his sister about their father's terrible accident, he had no idea he was about to enter a fierce battle for the safety and well-being of his family. Will he find an easy way out, or will everything end in ashes?

S.A. Cosby is an incredible author; I loved this book, even with the reckless little brother who just wouldn’t listen! There were moments when I wanted to choke him myself! Once again, Adam Lazarre-White does a phenomenal job of bringing these characters to life. This is a story you don’t want to miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced listening copy.

I loved "King of Ashes" and Adam Lazarre-White's narration was excellent! This is probably my favorite of S.A. Cosby's novels. The narration is what made this book so AMAZING!! The ending I didn't see coming, soo good! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of King of Ashes! I hope any thriller lover reads it!

Jeeeesus this was dark 😅 It was twisty and interesting and all of the characters were so real - all complicated and un/likable and making decisions you want to scream at them for but totally understand. I did not see the ending coming but it was satisfying in a dark, dark way.

As always, Adam Lazarre-White's narration is impeccable and lends itself perfectly to Cosby's story-telling.

Highly recommend for Cosby fans especially and gritty murder mystery/crime fans in general - a fantastic idea for a vaca read.

4.5🔥⭐️ “King of Ashes” - ALC Review 🎧
Release Date: June 10, 2025

Sometimes it's not good for your benefit to know every part of a person and I learned that by reading King of Ashes. Wow. 
This novel is now tied with All the Sinners Bleed as my favorite SA Cosby novel. I cannot wait to put it on my shelf and read it again. 

Roman, Dante and Naveah, are siblings from Virginia who own Carruthers Crematorium  with their father who is currently comatose. Their mother disappeared 20 years ago and they never heard from her again. Roman moves back to VA from Atlanta to help out with the family business and to get his little brother Dante out of a messy financial situation with local deviants. 
Roman was the most dynamic character for me. The desires he fulfilled in Atlanta made me wonder about his past and his current situation. Once he returns home to Virginia, Roman is a different person. Those desires are still there but his focus and his demeanor is softer and calmer, especially when it comes to his siblings. He will do anything for either of them.  

Cosby points out three things through Naveah's observation of life now that Roman is back and trying to get Dante back on the right path for life. The Unknown, Secrets, and The Truth. So many secrets. So many lies. So much truth to tell but to whose detriment? 🔥🔥

"The more you love somebody, the more a broken heart turns that love into hate.” 🔥🔥

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of King of Ashes.

WOW!!! What an incredible book from SA Cosby and a fantastic audio performance from Adam Lazarre-White.

“Oldest son, Roman Carruthers, is called home after his father is in a truck accident that leaves him in a coma. His sister, Neveah, is struggling to keep the family business afloat - a crematory. And youngest brother, Dante, has gotten on deep with the wrong people. Roman will have to use his particular set of skills to save the family.

Because everything burns.”

Cosby wastes no time getting you into the story. Roman is called back home and finds his family in trouble with local gangsters. They are scary people. and borderline psychopaths. ALW is terrifying as Torrent and Tranquil. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a narrator as scary as ALW with a character voice. One of Cosby’s gifts as a writer is to put all of the reader’s senses in a story. You can hear the music, hear the gunfire and feel the crematory ovens burning.

Adam Lazarre-White gives another Audie-worthy performance in this audiobook. You are fully immersed in the story with his voice.

This is also a story about the evolution of Roman. He’s morally gray
and has his own secrets.
Another wild, explosive ending that you won’t see coming.

Thank you very much Flat Iron Books and Netgalley.

S A. Cosby is hands down one of my favorite authors. I never mind waiting for his books to be released because I know when they drop, it'll be a banger. King of Ashes was no exception. This is a story of addiction, corruption and dysfunctional families (those created out of blood ties and those born of gang ties). We meet Roman, Navea and Dante who's mother went missing one day when they were kids. Her absence left them with their workaholic, alcoholic dad who ran a crematorium. We witness how their mom's absence affected each of the siblings and the life choices they've made. A tragic event brings Roman back to his hometown and we see the unraveling of Dante's actions (caused by his addiction and immaturity) have a dangerous domino affect on those he loves. As with any S.A. Cosby book you're going to get graphic violence yet, Adam Lazar White's soothing voice makes it digestible. Cosby and White are the equivalent of Wakanda and Vibranium, extremely rare and powerful. This book is my 2nd favorite Cosby book right after Razorblade Tears. I would have loved a little more interaction between siblings Jealousy, Torrent and Tranquil but overall what an incredible gut wrenching story.

I have yet to read a book less than 5 stars for this author. He’s impressive with his writing chops of tight storylines and rich characters.

In this book it’s a mob, sopranos type book. Full of family, drugs, money and the cover up.

Cosby’s ability to weave intense, emotionally resonant narratives around controversial—and often deeply uncomfortable—subjects like racism, class, masculinity, and violence gives his work both grit and grace. He doesn’t shy away from moral complexity, yet his prose remains sharp, lyrical, and deeply human.

In King of Ashes, we follow Roman Carruthers, a man with a sharp mind for finance and an even sharper instinct for survival. After years away, Roman is dragged back to his small-town roots when his father is left in a coma following a suspicious attack. The Carruthers family—fractured but fierce—has been holding on by a thread. His sister Neveah bears the weight of the family’s crematorium business, left behind by a mother who vanished years ago under scandal. His younger brother Dante carries a more immediate burden: he confesses that his choices led to their father’s attack, and now the BBB gang is circling, demanding a payment that could cost them everything.

Roman remembers the hardship his siblings were spared, the quiet sacrifices their parents made, and the harsh truths his father once shared with him in secret. Now, with danger mounting and their father unconscious, Roman must step into the chaos. Armed only with his wit, his financial savvy, and a will to protect what’s left of his family, he digs into the gang’s motives—and the long-buried secrets they’ve unknowingly carried for years.

The Carruthers siblings—Roman, Neveah, and Dante—are so richly developed and emotionally layered you feel every blow they take and every impossible decision they face. The stakes are high, and the twists. Brutal in the best way. Cosby’s writing is so cinematic you can practically see the action unfold. Every chapter tightens the tension, only to shatter your expectations. Roman is the kind of reluctant hero who stays with you: fiercely loyal, quietly dangerous, and full of heart.

Will their father wake in time to tell the truth? Can Roman outsmart the BBB gang before it’s too late?

In the end, one thing is certain: everything burns.

The narrator for this book never disappoints. I love when he does S.A. Crobys books.

Sweet baby jeebus and holy shit, S.A. Cosby has done it again. 🔥 King of Ashes was violent and dark AF and so beautifully written I almost forgot people were getting mangled and murdered and burned up left and right. Audiobook narration by Adam Lazarre-White was spectacular, and I think I (definitely) have a new narrator crush. Wowza. If you already love Cosby, read this. If you don’t already love Cosby, read this.

S.A. Cosby has done it again. He took me on the roller-coaster ride I did not know I needed.

King of Ashes is gritty, emotional, and brutally honest. This book had me from page one. The mystery of the missing family member all the way to the end I had my jaw on the floor. I highly recommend this book just like all of S.A. Cosby's books!

This is my first from author Cosby and it certainly won't be my last. The action in King of Ashes takes place in the southern town of Jefferson Virginia where the Carruthers family lives and operates the Carruthers Crematorium--run by the family patriarch (who is currently in a coma) alongside sister Naveah.

The characters are so well drawn, each with their own strengths and weaknesses with eldest son Roman trying to tie everything together while sibling Dante is deep in debt to a dangerous crew.

It is a dark story filled with acts of violence and mystery. Narrator Adam Lazarre-White does a great job creating individual characters voices and transporting the listener to the southern locale. 4.25 stars.

I received this advance audio copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

King of Ashes was an amazing book! Cosby had a way of detailing things so will that you feel like you’re really there with the characters. Dante, Nevaeh, and Roman were such complex characters that you really didn’t love or hate them. I will say that I spent most of the story mad at Dante because HS decision making was the absolute worse, but the way Cosby tied it all together was genius. The book showcased how anyone can be the villain and showing how Roman paralleled with Torrent and Tranquil at the end was powerful. There wasn’t a happy ending like we tend to look for in these types of stories… just rawness. The end was heartbreaking though… Roman did a lot of tons to preserve his family for it all to be for nothing.

"King of Ashes" is peak SA Cosby: full of family drama, suspense, and of course, violence. It's creative enough to feel like a new story but will be very familiar to and on point for his existing fans who enjoy his work. The audiobook narrator was great and really conveyed the intensity of the book.

Another banger from SA Cosby with incredible narration. I was so invested in this story, the characters especially the idea of someone wanting pain physically inflicted upon them to process their trauma.

S.A. Cosby does it again! King of Ashes is a dark and disconcerting tale of family, violence, and revenge. Roman and his siblings grew up with their family owning a crematorium in a town riddled with gang violence. Roman moved out for college and rarely visits, but when his dad ends up in the hospital, his sister calls him to come home. Roman finds out his little brother got mixed up with the BBB, the most ruthless gang in town, over a drug deal. To save his brother, Roman makes a deal with the devil. King of Ashes got me hooked and wouldn't let go. There were twists and turns in every chapter, and an ending that will stick with me for a long time. The narrator, Adam Lazarre-White, does an excellent job of telling the story and drawing the listener in. This is one of my top 3 audiobooks of 2025. 5/5 Stars!

Warning: As with all of S.A. Cosby's work, this audiobook is deeply disturbing, violent, and some scenes will have your stomach turning. There are graphic descriptions of torture.

His voice is exactly how I pictured Roman narrating his story. Thank you to NetGalley and McMillian Audio for this arc in exchange for my unbiased review.

At this point, having read 2 of his books, I feel like SA Cosby is an automatic read for me. He just tells his stories in such raw and realistic ways. I also am a huge fan of the narrator of his audiobooks, Adam Lazarre-White. He captures the myriad characters he portrays expertly.

This story kept me guessing and I couldn't stop listening. I am left feeling lots of feelings about the resolution of the story, and while they may not all be good feelings, they all mean I loved this book.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

With King of Ashes, S.A. Cosby has again swept me completely off my feet as I binge-listened to all 13 hours and 20 minutes of the audiobook in two days. I have listened to each of Cosby's novels, with narrator Adam Lazarre-White, who IMHO embodies each of the characters with perfection. I cannot imagine experiencing this novel through any other media than audio.

Roman Carruthers is a fascinating main character, and the lengths to which he must go to save his family are unimaginable. He is educated, a financial whiz, and yet he doesn't hesitate to take on some extremely violent criminals and try to beat them at their own game. I loved how Cosby interweaves the mystery of what happened to Roman's mother with the action-packed, violent crime saga of gangster revenge. There are a few good twists and a lot of brutality, mixed in with a little romance just to keep things interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC of King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby. The opinions in this review are my own.