King of Ashes AUDIO by S A Cosby is an exciting read, full of love, hate, crime, longing, nostalgia, violence, and more. Roman Carruthers has been called home as his father had been in an accident and was lingering between life and death. When he arrived, he found his sister, but his brother was no where near. When he finally caught up with him it was a story no man wants to hear: he had received drugs to sell, had not, and had no money to pay up. The picture became clearer when the thugs arrived at his family’s crematorium and cut off Dante’s little finger and beat Rome so hard that they had broken four of his teeth. Rome was a financial manager for some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment. He was not a thug. But, he had someone on his payroll that could become one, if necessary. To complicate matters, the woman he had just met and liked a lot was the half-sister to these gangbangers, although not involved herself.

Rome felt responsible for his siblings and his father. He had to act. His sister was, understandably, angry about being left out of whatever was going on, but he was doing that on purpose. She had spent too long and worked to hard to destroy her life. Rome had a plan and he knew just the guy to help him carry it out. Neveah was too wound up in her father’s injuries and what had happened to her mother years ago. She did not know the truth of any of it. S A Cosby can draw a character better than just about any writer out there. He reveals them and their secrets slowly and at just the right time. The plot is not all that different from many gangbanger plots, and yet his mastery takes it to a higher level. This is an indescribably good book with a very complicated story.

The narrator is Adam Lazarre-White and it is almost as if the book was written for his voice. He is able to become any of the characters involved, male or female, and then effortlessly move on tho the next. Excellent!

I was invited to listen to King of Ashes by MacMillan Audio. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #MacMillanAudio #AdamLazarreWhite #SACosby #KingOfAshes

Returning home due to his father entering a coma after a car accident, Roman finds his brother, Dante, deep in debt to criminals and his sister, Neveah, struggling to manage their family crematorium. When the crash is revealed as no accident, Roman tries to use his financial expertise to save them, but to do so he has to work with gangsters who are after his brother. While Roman secretly plans to do whatever it takes to protect his family, Neveah begins investigating their mother's years old disappearance, but they all need to be prepared for deep family secrets that threaten to destroy them.

S.A. Cosby can do no wrong. If you still have yet to read him, I have no idea what you are waiting for. Such a brilliant writer who perfectly mixes elements of crime, thriller, and family drama to tell engaging stories that make you feel something. Roman, the MC, is such a badass who, though highly flawed, makes for a great character who you can't help but root for. I was so enthralled by where this story was going and in true S.A. Cosby fashion, it is filled with beautifully written figurative language and punchy humor. This book didn't rely on a twist to carry the suspense, but a twist was still delivered expertly and my jaw was on the floor by the end. When I first finished this, I wasn't sure about my rating, as I do remember feeling a little bogged down in the middle, but upon reflection over the past few days, I think the pacing was just right, as the gas and brake pedals were pushed simultaneously.

How far would you go to save your family is the question that Roman Carruthers has to deal ith in this violent story that S.A. Cosby created.

Roman, a very successful investor is called back home because his father was involved in a devastating car accident. The Carruthers family owns a crematorium and his sister, Neveah, tries to hold it and the family together. Dante, the younger brother is heavily involved in drugs and his mistake in a drug transaction lands him and his family into dire straights. Bubbling in the background is the mysterious disappearance of their mother years ago.

Roman tries to remedy the threats but this tough group of gangsters who make any remedy impossible. They want their pound of flesh and will do heinous things to get it.

Roman must resort to his street creds, and in the process much blood is shed in often very violent an graphic ways. However Roman is smart and he has the wits to outsmart this rugged group of thugs. Will he lose this battle for his family or will they all perish at the hands of evil?

A thrilling story of family, secrets, and chaos. King of Ashes tells the story of a man returning to his hometown to go to great lengths to protect his family.

This story revolves around the love three siblings have for one another. Roman, Dante, and Nevaeh have been looking out for each other since their mother disappeared and their father devoted more of his time to his crematorium. Now their father is in a coma and Dante has gotten himself into trouble, leading Roman to take charge and dirty his hands to keep his family safe. There seem to be no limits to what Roman will do to keep his family safe.

This had the classic gritty, dark feeling of S. A. Cosby’s novels. The characters were all deeply flawed but human. The writing was fantastic as well. Reading novels like this just takes so much energy and feeling, leaving me feeling exhausted by the end!

Highly recommend to fans of S. A. Cosby’s previous works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

There are no lines, only choices. There is only one way for things to end … in ashes. Everything burns.

Oh y’all, this book. If you’ve never read S.A. Cosby before, this is where you start. This story epitomizes his writing; it’s dark as night and it’s gritty and it’s so HUMAN. It blurs every line of morality and leaves you questioning your own judgment, while still feeling deeply for the characters. The audiobook performance by Adam Lazarre-White was perfection.

Roman is the oldest brother, with the weight of the world on his shoulders. His sister Nevaeh is the responsible one, staying home to take over the business and care for her father after their mother’s disappearance. Dante, the youngest, is the unreliable troublemaker. When their father is in a car accident and Roman returns to Virginia, he finds the situation in his home town to be more volatile than he expected, and Dante is in danger. Roman uses his strengths to take control of the situation, digging himself in deeper with every decision he makes. Convinced he is saving Dante, Roman may just be unleashing his truer self.

I was stunned when I finished this book. It took a while to form my thoughts, it was that good. This book will be bid as a thriller, and it is because there is a lot of action and it’s suspenseful and there are some twists, but it’s really more of a Southern crime noir. But honestly, who cares what the genre is, just trust me and read it, ok?

“Because everything burns.”

Pub day is DAYS away & I highly recommend y’all queue this one up! I listened to the ARC on audio—because Adam Lazarre-White + Cosby is the duo I’ll never shut up about.

This book? Gritty. Grim. And giving Southern mafia vibes. 👀 Roman battles with the question: Can you do bad things for the right reasons and still be a good man? I highly recommend it. It’s a slow burn (pun fully intended 😏), but once the fire starts? It scorches.

We’ve got:
🔥 Prodigal son returns to messy roots - Roman’s return sets the story in motion.
🔥 Small-town with a dark underbelly
🔥 Daddy issues and dirty secrets
🔥 Momma missing 🫢🫣🤫
🔥 Family crematorium
🔥 Siblings knee-deep in drama
🔥 Broken people trying to survive
🔥 Vengeance, grief, and violence with feeling
🔥 Moral ambiguity that had me side-eyeing everyone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️from me—Cosby never misses with that blend of heart + homicide. He did a phenomenal job depicting family, loyalty, and the lengths one will go to protect loved ones.

Stay tuned book besties, this has adaptation rights already acquired by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Higher Ground Productions for a Netflix series.

S. A. Cosby does it again. This one is everything we’ve come to expect from his novels—dark, gritty, and morally complex.

There are a lot of moving parts to the plot—the disappearance of the Carruthers matriarch, the patriarch’s comatose state, rival gangs, financial corruption, a couple of affairs, multiple relationships… It’s a lot, but Cosby is a master when it comes to plot. My one complaint (and this is coming from someone who reads for characterization) is that too few of the characters are fleshed out. We never really get to the heart of WHY behind some of the major character’s decisions (I’m thinking a lot of the women in particular). And, if I’m honest, Roman was a bit of a disappointment after Titus in All the Sinners Bleed. Roman is fundamentally morally ambiguous, and this becomes more and more clear through the course of the story. I like a little more heart in my stories, but this is nevertheless a deeply engaging read that will definitely still leave you thinking long after you’ve put it down.

4.75 out of 5 (rounded to 5)

S.A. Cosby has done it again. King of Ashes pulls you straight into the grit and fire of its pages with lyrical prose that elevates even the rawest moments into something hauntingly poetic and grasping the reader to not want to put this book down. A powerful example of Southern American Noir, this novel is packed with emotionally complex characters, morally gray decisions, and a slow-burning intensity that builds into something unforgettable.

As with Cosby’s previous works, the characters in this story are deeply multidimensional—each shaped by the consequences of their past. Flashbacks to the main character’s childhood, as well as those of his brother and sister, provide a rich, layered understanding of who they are and how they got here. These glimpses into their pasts add emotional depth and context that make their adult choices all the more compelling.

I found the structure of the novel incredibly well done, and the pacing was perfect. Their are two main storylines, in my opinion, that are tightly woven, and Cosby’s ability to blend them into a cohesive narrative arc is masterful. Any lingering questions or potential plot holes are addressed by the end, leaving a satisfying and complete conclusion. The plot twists were impactful without being predictable, which kept me engaged the entire way through.

I highly recommend both the book and the audiobook. The narration perfectly matches the tone and emotional weight of the story, making it an immersive listening experience.

Themes: Family, Loyalty, Trauma, Sibling Dynamics, Resilience, and Power/Control Dynamics .

Trigger Warnings: Explicit sexual content, violence, death, drug use, and strong language.

This is a dark, gothic crime drama with an intriguing cast of characters that I thoroughly enjoyed. The depiction of gang life and violence rang true. So did Roman’s struggles to be a good person and do the right thing while surrounded by bad people and embroiled in crime. I just couldn’t stop reading this one.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the early audiobook.

I loved, loved, loved this book. This is my third S.A. Cosby book and my favourite. I loved the characters, the story, the direction this book went. If you know anything about S.A. Cosby books you know they are dark and violent and this was no exception but it worked so well with this story.

This book was dark, violent, had deeply flawed characters and some parts were hard to read but I couldn’t put the book down. The way the characters were developed throughout the book I was so invested in this family. I wasn’t expecting a big twist but there was a great one in this book.

The narration for this audiobook was amazing. Highly recommend.

I honestly don’t have anything negative to say about this book and I think it’s one of my favorites so far this year.

⚱️ S.A. Cosby really said hold my cremation urn and delivered one of the rawest, most gripping books of the year.
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🔥 King of Ashes is brutal and brilliant- equal parts family drama and gritty crime thriller- and I couldn’t stop listening (especially thanks to Adam Lazarre-White’s phenomenal narration).
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🔥 Roman Carruthers left his past behind, but when a suspicious accident puts his father in a coma, he’s forced back home. His sister is barely keeping the family crematorium alive, and his little brother? Neck-deep in dangerous debt. What unfolds from there is a pulse-pounding spiral of secrets, vengeance, and survival.
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🔥 This one doesn’t hold back- there’s blood, betrayal, and heartbreak- but if you’re into high-stakes thrillers with depth and emotion, King of Ashes delivers. A powerful, unflinching story of what we’ll do for the people we love.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
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Out 6/10/25. Thanks @netgalley @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copy!
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Have you read anything by S. A. Cosby? If so, what’s your favorite book written by him?
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#KingOfAshes #SACosby #CrimeThriller #BookReview #Bookstagram #ThrillerReads #FamilyDrama #SummerReads2025 #AudiobookRecommendation #BookRec #FlatironPartner #ReadWithMe #MustRead2025 #BookLover #GiftedBook #CrimeFiction #GrittyReads #DarkAndTwisty #BookObsessed #AudiobookLove #ThrillerBookstagram #BooksToRead #BlackNarrators #NarratorLove #RomanCarruthers

One thing S.A. Cosby is gonna do is write really well! His books are so intricate in their details. He captures the culture, societal dynamics, and environmental conditions so well that I genuinely feel like I am in the story.

He also writes the characters so detailed that you can’t help but get so swept up in what’s going on for each of them.

I will say though that sometimes the books feel a little long - if they were a few hours shorter I’d find it to be much more faster paced which I enjoy.

That being said, the ending of this book was DIABOLICAL and I legit had my jaw on the floor. Multiple plot twists and I was applauding by the end - so good!

Cosby with another feather in his fedora, King of Ashes is the perfect crime read for the summer. A dark, unflinching family drama written by a virtuoso of modern noir. Oh, and throw in sensational narration by Adam Lazarre-White for good measure.

S.A. Cosby is a master! I will read everything he releases. I also LOVE Adam Lazarre-White's narration! Lazzarre-White narrates most of Cosby's thriller audiobooks and his voice creates the atmosphere and tension required for these books.

Roman Carruthers returns home when his dad gets into a severe car accident. Upon his arrival he quickly discovers that things at home in Jefferson City, VA are a mess. Roman does everything it takes to clean up the mess his younger brother, Dante, has created. I was instantly sucked into this plot and could not put it down but had to take breaks because the level of intensity overtook my whole existance. This book is dark and dirty and gory so if those aren't your jam, don't read this book. But if you love a morally grey character whiling to do anything for his family, this is for you.

When eldest son Roman Carruthers is summoned home after his father’s car accident, he finds his younger brother, Dante, in debt to dangerous criminals and his sister, Neveah, exhausted from holding the family―and the family business―together. Neveah and their father, who run the Carruthers Crematorium in the run-down central Virginia town of Jefferson Run, see death up close every day. But mortality draws even closer when it becomes clear that the crash that landed their father in a coma was no accident and Dante’s recklessness has placed them all in real danger.

Roman, a financial whiz with a head for numbers and a talent for making his clients rich, has some money to help buy his brother out of trouble. But in his work with wannabe tough guys, he’s forgotten that there are real gangsters out there. As his bargaining chips go up in smoke, Roman realizes that he has only one thing left to offer to save his brother: himself, and his own particular set of skills.

Roman begins his work for the criminals while Neveah tries to uncover the long-ago mystery of what happened to their mother, who disappeared when they were teenagers. But Roman is far less of a pushover than the gangsters realize. He is willing to do anything to save his family. Anything.

Because everything burns.

Fantastic book, fantastic narrator.

n King of Ashes, S.A. Cosby delivers a gripping, high-octane thriller that masterfully explores themes of crime, power, loyalty, family, and betrayal. Roman Carruthers, a successful financial advisor from Atlanta, returns to his troubled hometown near Richmond, Virginia, after an urgent call about his father’s accident. This return forces Roman to confront not only the violent underworld of the town but also the fractured relationships within his family. His younger brother Dante is entangled with a dangerous gang, and Roman, driven by love and an unbreakable sense of duty, becomes deeply involved in trying to save him.

Cosby expertly weaves a tale of suspense and tension, creating complex, multi-dimensional characters that pull the reader in. The dynamic between Roman and his siblings is particularly compelling, as the deep emotional scars of a shared, traumatic past shape their actions in often unpredictable ways. The sibling relationships evolve through the novel, reflecting the burdens of loyalty and the dangerous paths they each take. Roman, as the eldest, is determined to protect his family at all costs—even when it means descending into a world of violence and corruption. The stakes are high, and Cosby masterfully keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout.

The novel is intense and occasionally disturbing, but it’s also thought-provoking, exploring the harsh realities of gang violence and systemic crime. Cosby’s vivid descriptions and sharp prose give the narrative weight, and the final reveals are truly shocking, leaving readers with a sense of both closure and awe at how skillfully everything has come together.

Cosby’s writing is raw, visceral, and unflinchingly real, with moments of lyrical beauty amid the darkness. His portrayal of crime and its impact on individuals and communities is stark and authentic. Fans of The Godfather will recognize echoes of that epic saga, but King of Ashes is a uniquely modern take on the genre, exploring the intersections of crime, family, and morality in a way few crime novels do. Cosby’s detailed understanding of financial markets and the blurred line between legal and illegal dealings adds depth to the story, giving it a grounding in reality that is both fascinating and sobering.

The Narrator(s) performance is exceptional, bringing the characters to life with nuance and intensity, perfectly complementing Cosby’s powerful storytelling.

In conclusion, King of Ashes is a thrilling, thought-provoking ride that leaves a lasting impression. It’s a must-read for fans of crime fiction, especially those who enjoy stories that dive deep into the complexities of family dynamics, the consequences of violence, and the lengths one will go to protect loved ones. Highly recommended for those seeking a crime novel that not only entertains but also challenges the reader to reflect on the deeper societal issues at play.

5 Stars!

5 stars. I wasn’t for sure if this book was for me after reviews saying it’s not for the faint of heart. Well I like a challenge and jumped with both feet in and loved it!! This is my first S.A. Cosby book, and can I just say what an incredible writer. How someone can compose such an engrossing, intense, dark and gritty narrative that so many readers (of all genres) find unputdownable was beyond me until now, and I can’t wait to read his backlist. The story was so twisted in the feelings of doom, danger and distress, I absolutely loved the characterizations and was very surprised how quick this hooked me. Sooo good!! Loved the audio! Pub. 6/10/25

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

S.A. Cosby’s writing reads like you are watching a movie. Each book I finish leaves me wanting more and King of Ashes was no exception. The narration was amazing. If you like crime drama that is raw and unfiltered S.A. Cosby is for you.

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby is one of those books where you sit back after finishing and think, “Woof. That was so good.”

Let me start with the audiobook because WOW. It’s over 13 hours long, and somehow I blew through it like it was a quick listen. I still can’t believe there was only one narrator. He did all the voices and nailed it. It was seamless, distinct, and elevated the whole experience. Highly, highly recommend the audio version if you’re thinking about diving in.

Now, I’ll be honest. I don’t usually reach for crime fiction with gangsters vibes. It’s not typically my lane. But I really enjoyed other books by Cosby, and when I saw the ARC for this one, I jumped on it. And I’m so glad I did.

Cosby’s writing? Chef’s kiss. He paints characters with so much intensity, raw emotion, and complexity you can’t help but get pulled in. The Carruthers family feels real flawed, fractured, but loyal. This isn’t just a story about crime and consequences. At its core, it’s about family. What you’ll do for them. What they’ll do for you. And how eventually, everybody lets someone down, even the people who love you the most.

The setting? Genius. A crematorium as the family business? Talk about atmosphere. It adds a whole new level of eeriness and metaphor to the story. Everything burns, right?

This book is dark. Heavy. Visceral. Some scenes are chilling, some characters are downright depraved, and there’s definitely no sugar-coating here. But if you can handle the heat and some serious morally gray areas, what you’ll find is a raw, emotionally charged story that hits hard and lingers long after.

Also, let’s be real. This could easily be a movie or a series. Someone option this, please.

Bottom line: King of Ashes is smart and smoldering. It’s not a feel-good read, but it is a feel-deep one. Cosby doesn’t hold back, and the result is an unforgettable story about loyalty, loss, and how far you’ll go for the ones you love.

🔥🔥🔥
It’s a hell yes for me! 🖤

DeAnn @deannsreadingriot

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Net Galley and S.A. Cosby for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.