SA Cosby never disappoints. Thriller. Suspense. He writes it. Cosby has a way of keeping you engaged and wondering what really happened. It’s never what you think. Narration is superb per usual. If you’re looking for suspense, crime, thriller and a roller coaster ride check this out.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC. I am voluntarily leaving a review.

S.A. Cosby knows how to reach right into your heart and rip it out while also scaring you. His books are packed with action and moral dilemmas. He writes so well but the violence in this one was a little too much for me.

This was my first book by S. A. Cosby and I get it. This book is dark and bloody, filled with family secrets and street drama. It is full of twists and surprises. The narrator of the audiobook was amazing; hearing the story from a Black voice (instead of my own white female voice in my head 😂) really enhanced the experience and added to the overall atmosphere of the book.

Thank you so much to @flatiron_books , @macmillan.audio and @pineandcedar_books for the gifted ARC and ALC❤️‍🔥!

4.5⭐️

AH! Another SA Cosby book and it's just what you'd expect at the level you hope for. Crime, good men pulled into its orbit trying to do the right thing, violence, blood, death, destruction. He's so very good at what he does.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby is becoming a must-read author for me. This is my second book by him, and I wasn't disappointed! This book explored deep-rooted issues between family members and kept me hooked from the first page. When Roman, the older son, is summoned home due to his father's car accident, he finds his younger brother, Dante, in debt to a dangerous gang, and Neveah, exhausted from holding the family—and the family business—together. Neveah and their father, who run the Carruthers Crematorium in the rundown central Virginia town of Jefferson Run, see death up close every day.

The audiobook is narrated by Adam Lazarre-White. He did a great job telling this story and bringing it to life. He was easy to listen to and understand. I listened at 2.5x speed.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I have loved everyone one of this author's novels and this one is no exception. The depth of characters and their necessity to live in a morally gray world had me riveted, as did the atmospheric setting. I would recommend this book to someone who loved the story in Razorblade Tears but found it too violent. Still violent, just less so in my opinion. The narrator was top notch as well!!!

I am usually a huge fan of S.A. Cosby - if he writes it I read it. Unfortunately I was disappointed in this book as there was no depth to the story and just gratuitous violence. In his previous novels you truly cared about the characters and there was none of that for me with this novel. The brother being completely ungrateful after getting his family tangled in this huge mess.

How far are you willing to go to protect the ones you love? 😭🔥 S.A. Cosby knows how to write a gripping action-packed story that will immediately pull you in and keep you HOOKED. He also knows how to make it hella dark yet emotional and this one did not disappoint!!!!

I loved everything about this story. The characters were layered and complex (and def need to go see a therapist ctfu) but you love them anyway. The antagonists were hella scary lol. The storyline was rich. The family drama, secrets, and dysfunction made for an emotional gut punch. The violence was disturbing and dark. And that ending?! Whew… I did not see that coming lol. The narrator, Adam Lazarre-White, was also amazing and brought so much the life to the story.

All I can say is….. everything burns 😭😭😭🔥🔥🔥🔥 Add this to your cart rn!!!!

Another homerun by S.A. Cosby! A propulsive crime thriller that grabs you from the beginning and holds on until it finally lets go as you close the book. Roman Carruthers is the money guy of the family and he comes in from Atlanta to fix his brother, Dante's, costly mistakes while protecting his sister, Neveah. The family owns a crematorium in a disintegrating town outside of Richmond, VA which serves as a base for the siblings. What Roman proceeds to do keeps you turning page after page to find out who lives and who doesn't.
Adam Lazarre-White is a fabulous narrator. He sounded like how I heard Roman speak in my mind. His narration made me carve out extra time to listen to this book.
The writing is superb, raw, and real. The characters have layers that are peeled back to reveal who they really are all the way to the last chapter.
If you are a crime thriller fan, I can't recommend this one enough!
Thank you Macmillan Audio and Net Galley for this complimentary audio copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
@macmillanaudio

This might be his best yet! I was entranced by this whole story from the first line to the last. Exiting, chilling and so fast paced you’ll have whiplash by the very end. The narrator is beyond great! Just a masterpiece. I would read Cosby’s grocery list tbh. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

Another hit from one of my favorites! S.A. Cosby does phenomenal work and that shows in the narrators of choice as well. Adam Lazarre-White brings a unique brooding mood to Cosby's narratives that I absolutely love. It pulls me into the narrative, further immersing me in the story.

The story itself reads like a "whodunnit" meets "slow-burn-physiological thriller". The Carruthers Family isn't new to drama and speculation in their small town of Jefferson Runs, Virginia but the latest drama will start to unearth skeletons from the past that are best left buried. Following an accident involving their father, Roman returns home to support his younger brother (Dante) and sister (Neveah) and the family business - a local crematorium. Upon returning home Roman leans that Dante has gotten involved into something he may not be able to get himself out of but big brother steps in to help. What Roman soon learns is that the boardroom and the streets are not the same and he quickly has to change his approach if he's ever going to free his family from the snares of a local street gang.

Rooted in family secretes, challenging family dynamics, small town drama, morally grey characters and an unreelable narrator, King of Ashes is a must read!

Explosive and fierce dive into a family on the edge. The family business is running a crematorium, so it all comes down to ashes when all is said and done, after all the battles for the safety and well-being of the family, and life is totally changed. Intense.
Totally unputdownable! Pub Date Jun 10, 2025
I requested and received a temporary recorded audio file from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.
#KingofAshes by S. A. Cosby #pineandcedar_books #flatiron_books #Macmillan.audio narrated by exceptional voice artist #Adam Lazarre-White #realadamlw #CrimeThriller #SuspenseThriller #drugtrade ##AfricanAmerican #Virginia #Contemporary #AfricanAmericanauthor #adultthemes

Love S.A Cosby and he definitely has a pen like no other. This was such a deeper and darker story that’s I have read from him, but still has this fast paced action suspenseful story telling like we are use too.

This story follows the 3 siblings from the Carruthers family after their father ends up in a coma after a car accident. As we get to learn more about the siblings, we learn that none of them are perfect and they have their vices. They are a complicated family

This was dark and gritty story that dives into this Godfather like family and gang war — but like all other Cosby books, feels like you are watching a HBO tv show with the writing style. I couldn’t guess where this was headed and enjoyed the twisty journey.Adam Lazarre-White is a phenomenal narrator and really brought this story to life. Such a deeper and rich voice that fit this story well.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing an early audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby is a searing, emotionally charged thriller that blends raw crime drama with deep character study. Cosby’s masterful prose and unflinching exploration of justice, grief, and vengeance make this a standout in contemporary crime fiction. It was a great read!!

Some families pass down heirlooms. The Carruthers pass down fire damage. In “King of Ashes,” S. A. Cosby doesn’t warm you up to the story; he throws you straight into the heat, where loyalty costs more than blood and legacy smells like a smoke you can’t scrub out.

Roman Carruthers fled Jefferson Run, Virginia, with ambition in his bloodstream and shame packed in his bags. In Atlanta, Georgia, he turned other people’s slightly dirty money clean and legitimized a few less legitimate income streams. But home has a gravity all its own, and this one leaves voicemails thick in childhood trauma.

His father’s in a coma after a car crash that smells like premeditated silence. His brother Dante is drowning in debt to men who don’t believe in fair interest rates. And his sister Neveah has been keeping the family crematorium running on sweat, grit, and a daily intake of grief most people couldn’t stomach for a day, let alone decades. She burns the dead and tries to keep the living from falling apart. She’s not “the sister.” She’s the one who stayed. The one who watched the lights go out and kept moving anyway. The one still carrying a family shaped by the hole their mother left behind.

Their mom's absence doesn’t hang like a cloud. It spreads like a stain. You can see it in Neveah’s eyes when no one’s watching. You can hear it in what Roman won’t say. The kind of silence that rearranges people.

Roman comes home thinking he can clean this mess up with money and charm. But the men Dante owes aren’t playing with spreadsheets. They’re playing with leverage in the form of lives. And Roman doesn’t get the luxury of deciding how far he’ll go. He either adapts or his family ends up dead.

Cosby doesn’t write clean morality. He writes erosion. Roman isn’t a good man falling. He’s a complicated one learning exactly how many of his ethics were optional. And when the mask slips — in the backroom deals, in the violence, in the sex — it doesn’t feel shocking. It feels inevitable.

There are kink scenes, but they’re not really about titillation. They’re about control, vulnerability, humiliation, and the desperate need to feel something when everything else has gone numb. No kink-shaming. No kink-spoiling. Just know this: Cosby writes those moments like pressure points, not plot devices. And they work in exactly the way they should.

Neveah is the soul of this book. She’s not a supporting character. She’s the one who kept the lights on, the fires lit, and the walls from caving in completely. She doesn’t get catharsis. She gets responsibility. And Cosby lets her carry it with dignity, rage, and enough emotional intelligence to make her appearances crackle.

And then there’s Dante, who isn't the black sheep, but the lit match. Addicted, impulsive, and magnetic in the worst way, he doesn’t just make bad decisions — he builds a life out of them. Every time his name comes up, it’s followed by an eye-roll or a prayer. It’s like the family quietly gave up on him and forgot to send the memo. He’s not loveable. He’s not redeemable. He’s just a heartbreak in motion, pulling the people around him into a fire he never stops stoking. You want him to get better. To get out. You also know, deep down, that he probably won’t.

Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White, this audiobook doesn’t just hit; it smolders. His voice gives Roman weight, Neveah ache, Dante the cracked bravado of a man in freefall, and every threat the edge of a loaded gun cocking in the dark. Four and a half stars. This isn’t a story that hugs you after. It hands you the ashes and walks away. Cosby isn’t just writing thrillers anymore. He’s turning Southern noir into something mythic and mean.

Huge thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced access to the audiobook — I’m still smoldering and already counting the days until the next book in the series.

In true S.A. Cosby form, this one goes from zero to one hundred very, very quickly.

Roman goes back home to see his father in the hospital but his baby brother has gotten himself into quite a jam. Then…everything burns.

To be fair, I will read anything S.A. puts out there. His balls-to-the-wall writing style, the excellent characterizations and his fast pace never disappoint.

Adam Lazard-White was absolutely perfect in his narration and elevated the story with his spot on tone throughout. Took this from a 4.5 to 5 star experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook copy. The honest review is all my own.

S.A. Cosby’s pen 🤝 Adam Lazarre-White’s narration

thank you SO much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC! 🎧 Pub Date: June 10, 2025

Cosby continues to outdo himself with every new release. from the way he sets the atmosphere to the way he describes the emotions of the characters, Cosby’s writing continuously keeps me immersed in his stories from the beginning. they all play out like a movie in my head and he deserves all the film/series adaptations he’s getting. 🙌🏾

Roman Carruthers is summoned back to his hometown when his father is in an accident that results in him being in a coma. upon arrival, Roman finds out that his younger brother, Dante, is in debt to some dangerous drug traffickers and his sister Naveah is simply exhausted from holding the family and the family business (a crematory) together. between those two things and the disappearance of their mother when they were teenagers never being solved, Roman is determined to make everything right.

there are so many layers to KoA that i don’t really know where to begin. the main themes that stood out to me were: how far people are willing to go to protect their loved ones and how parents actions and presence in their children’s lives can effect them for better or worse. while reading/listening, i found myself not wanting the story end but desperately wanting to see how it would conclude. there are main characters you will root for, characters you’ll be wishing you could enact v!olence upon (😂), and an action packed plot you won’t be able to stop thinking about. i did not expect that ending AT ALL… Bra-fricken-vo. 👏🏾

i thought it was interesting how in his debut novel My Darkest Prayer, the MC, Nathan works in a funeral home (and i believe Cosby himself did too at one point) and now in King of Ashes, a crematory is the main setting of the novel. and OMG HELLO?!?! the cameos from a couple of his other Main Characters made me so happy actually. i was like I KNOW THEM, I KNOW THEM, I KNOW THEM 😂😂

overall, this was another incredible novel from Cosby and i couldn’t recommend it enough. buddy read it if you can and try out the audiobook if you’re able!!!

OHHHHH BOYYYYY. what did i just read?! i’m still recovering, honestly. 😮‍💨😮‍💨

every time i pick up a S.A. Cosby book, i know i’m in for a wild ride, but this one? this one took it to another level. reading Cosby always feels like binge-watching a fast-paced TV series; plot twists flying at you from every direction, emotions coming at you full speed, and no time to catch your breath. and let me tell you, i live for it. 😮‍💨👏

there were moments (so many moments) that had me in a complete chokehold. i’d be reading, all calm one minute, and the next i’m clutching my chest, whispering “nooo they didn’t…” to an empty room. 😭😭

and don’t even get me started on the characters. Cassidy… GIRL. what were you thinking?! i was yelling at her like she could hear me. ohhh! Roman!!! i loveee how clever he was. Dante?! ooohhh boy he had me stressed out. but despite his foolishness, i wanted to wrap him in a blanket and keep him safe. and Neveah, whew! that girl deserves better. i was emotionally ping-ponging all over the place. 😮‍💨😮‍💨

this book was messy, chaotic, intense, heartbreaking, thrilling, basically every emotion in the dictionary crammed into one story. and somehow, Cosby makes it all work. the emotional layers hit just as hard as the plot twists, and that’s what makes his storytelling so addictive. 👏🥳

so yeah, 100% recommend. 💯

After three siblings become entangled with a dangerous group of gangsters in their home town, they are forced to use their street smarts as well as the family crematory business to outsmart the bad guys. The action, the family dynamics, the twists and turns - this man does not miss! He is diversifying and widening the net for crime fiction readers in such an impressive way. I would recommend his books to anyone.

what a read!!! thank you SA Cosby for this masterpiece! this is not a "normal" book I would go for but since the first chapter I could not put it down. Rome grew up in a rough part of virginia with a complicated family. his dad worked hard to open up his own crematorium and his mother worked at a hospital. his mom and dad had a very complicated relationship and when she goes missing one day, Rome and his younger brother and sisters lives are turned upside down. Once Rome went to college he got a business degree and started making his own money he got far away from his hometown. that is until his sister calls that their dad was run off the road and is now in a coma fighting for his life. he runs back home only to find things are much worse. how far will he go to protect his brother and sister.