Another great book by Cosby. The pace of the book definitely kept me listening, trying to figure out what could possibly happen next and who it might be happening to! The cast of characters was great - I liked how some of them played off each other and trying to figure out who might end up helping/hurting Roman and Dante as the story moved along. Neveah was a strong character in a different way as she was trying to navigate running the business, while also trying to find a life for herself. So many unresolved feelings!

Roman has built a life for himself far from the drama of his hometown, but when tragedy strikes his father, he's forced to return. His sister is holding down the family business, the crematorium, while their less than helpful brother adds to the chaos. Once home, Roman quickly realizes the depth of their troubles and sets out to use his success and career to pull them out of it. But as his plan unfolds, the question remains, is he saving his family or making things worse?

This book kept me engaged until the very end. It was a complex story tied together with different characters and nontypical topics but the ease of writing made it easy to understand. The mystery surrounding their mother’s disappearance was a standout element for me. However, the inclusion of torture at times felt excessive, though I did appreciate that it wasn’t overly graphic. My other complaint is that Roman's sexual personal preferences could have been left out. While the fade to black approach was appreciated, I could have done without those details as it didn’t add to the story for me.

This was my first read from this author (but probably not my last), so I’m not sure if these elements are typical of their style or just specific to this story.

A beautifully dark and violent Godfather-inspired story about doing whatever it takes to protect the ones you love.

Cosby's main characters are a mix of likable/unlikable, almost hateable because of impulsive, irrational decisions that make you want to yell into the void.

I was able to access an advanced listening arc for King of Ashes. I was instantly drawn in by the summary, and the minute the audiobook started, I was hooked and sat listening from start to end. This is my first book by S.A. Cosby, and I cannot wait to read his other works. His writing style is dark, brutal, and gritty, and it just works so well. There was one part of the story I guessed correctly, but there were so many other wild twists that I was not expecting.

On top of just a fantastic story, the narrator, Adam Lazarre-White, was just fantastic. His voice is like butter, and I could listen to him all day long. The way he embodied each character made the story so much more enjoyable.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.

Another superb book from Sean.

S.A. Cosby has written another literary crime story about a family, impossible choices, and the harrowing outcomes. King of Ashes is everything you need to read today by a master of modern crime fiction.

Full MurderinCommon review available here: https://murderincommon.com/2025/05/11/s-a-cosby-king-of-ashes/

🎧2.0x: 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙧, 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙.

2️⃣ 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬: 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝!

𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘫𝘪𝘴:
🔥💵🔪🚘😡🕵️🐕🐕💥💰💻🖤

💭:
I’m a huge fan of author S.A. Cosby’s work!

There’s something about his writing style that immediately captures my interest. I find myself reflecting on his stories for many days, sometimes even months, after finishing one of his books.

King of Ashes had parts that were unpleasant and difficult, but they were so necessary to create the suspense and tension in the story.

Mr. Cosby is a King at gritty, dark, emotionally intense, and edgy writing that boldly describes the representation of a possible reality.

↳ 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙥𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣:

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢:
-𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙨
-𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨
-𝙧𝙖𝙬 & 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜
-𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙖
-𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜
-𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧
-𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧-𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the audio ARC of King of Ashes. Here are my thoughts!

Roman is a successful investor, helping many celebrities and business people make lucrative investments. He has to return home when he learns his father is in a coma after an “accident”. Upon his arrival, he sees his sister, Neveah is taking care of the family and is exhausted. His younger brother, Dante, is in with the wrong crowd and seems to be making a lot of bad decisions. But a group of gangsters wants Dante to pay his debts, and Roman is going to step in to help his brother out, hopefully in time.

S.A. Cosby is a genius writer. I was super invested in this family’s story from the get-go. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of what happened with Roman’s mother and was shocked with some of the reveals through the book. This family makes my family feel pretty normal and healthy. I loved how much Roman was willing to do to support his family. I could feel the frustration that the siblings were feeling towards each other, and I was getting frustrated with some of their decisions.

There is quite a bit of violence in this, but it’s done in a way that adds to the book and creates so much tension. The pacing is phenomenal, and reveals were done right on time. I loved Adam Lazarre-White’s narration. I enjoyed the changes he did for different characters, and the variety of depth in his voice. I could listen to it all day.

I think this is going to

This was a rollercoaster of a ride. At no moment did I expect what was going to happen, happen.
I enjoyed the raw grittiness of this book. It wasn't too over the top or gory, which I appreciated.
5 stars, will definitely recommend

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance audio copy of this title. Roman, a successful financial planner, must return home to his small Virginia town when his father is hospitalized after a strange accident. Many things in his hometown haunt him: his mother's strange disappearance when he was a teen, growing up with a father who was obsessed with running a successful crematorium, guilt over his sister dealing with the majority of family caretaking, and his younger brother's illegal antics. All of these things draw Roman into a web that he cannot extricate himself from.

Set in small town Virginia, Roman must come home when he finds that his daddy is run off the road and in a coma. Once he comes home he finds out that his brother has gotten into bed with some very dangerous people. SA Cosby has done it again, created a story that keeps you hooked and invested. The feel of the small town with the danger of the BBB was a mess. There were so many secrets, and as you learn more you better understand the characters and their struggles. During majority of the story I hated the brother Dante. He felt like a whiny ass baby and it was beyond frustrating. However once you learn more about the family’s history you can understand him. The sister Nevaeh, represents every eldest daughter. Capable of taking care of everyone, but no one really takes care of her. I enjoyed how even when you second guessed what was happening with Roman, the character had it all under control. Great writing and narrating!

This was my first SA Cosby book even though his previous novels have come highly recommended. It won't be my last! This is a book about family and how far you'll go to protect them and keep them safe. It's also about secrets and how they can destroy a family over the years until they explode and the fall out can be deadly.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron for the ALC! While I do own some of his books, I have yet to physically read an S.A. Cosby book. Reason being, the audiobooks are as fire as the flames on this damn cover. HOT. Adam Lazzare-White narrating an S.A. Cosby novel is going to be a hit every time. I absolutely love the intentional choice to keep him (on the two other books I've listened to) because the way each character is intonated with perfect authenticity really brings the stories to life. Peak audio quality and execution. While I plan on annotating and physically reading this book, the listening experience is worth revisiting and will remain a highlight in my mind.

Roman is a financial advisor for high profile clientele in Atlanta when he receives a fateful phone call that pulls him back to his hometown. Jefferson Run is a run-down town in Virginia with a lot of crime and when he returns, he finds his family in chaos. His father is comatose in the hospital, his brother in major debt with the wrong people, and a sister hanging on by a thread while she attempts to keep the family business afloat. The Crematorium permeates this book with the heaviness of loss, secrets, and the stench of bodies turned to ashes. As the oldest sibling and natural born problem solver, Roman has his work cut out for him. To address the current problems and past traumas that haunt his family he may have to get his hands dirtier than he ever imagined...

S.A. Cosby has done it once again, friends! This man knows how to craft an emotionally turbulent story at a break-neck pace while never sacrificing the full development and relatability of his characters. And the setting? Jefferson Run may as well be a character all its own. Roman is a flawed MC that you can't help but feel for throughout. He has major mommy issues due to his mothers disappearance at a formative age. People in town have long suspected his father as the culprit, since she vanished without a trace after gossip of an affair.

When I tell you my stomach was in my ass the whole time! IN MY ASS. No, further down in my toes, maybe. What starts as a gut-wrenching tale of what one man will do to protect his family turns into a deeper exploration of Roman's need to feel in control externally to combat the blender of suppressed emotions within his psyche. While I did see the big twist coming about midway through, the execution of how it was revealed was still 100% impactful. This gory, intense crime thriller is not for the faint of heart. BE PREPARED TO BE EMOTIONALLY WRECKED. I most definitely was yelling, then staring at a wall and tearing up after this, seriously. I will be thinking about this book for years to come, worth a pre-order.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

This was my first S.A. Cosby novel, and it was excellent. The story follows Roman Carruthers, a financial expert who returns home after his father’s suspicious accident. With his younger brother in trouble and the family business at risk, Roman is forced into a dangerous game to protect them all.

The audiobook was outstanding—narrated by Adam Lazarre-White, it felt cinematic and immersive from beginning to end. I highly recommend listening to this version.

I really liked Roman’s character—clever, sharp, and strategic. Dante annoyed me at times, but the family dynamics were well done. And the twist about Roman’s mom caught me completely off guard.

Fast-paced, intense, and gripping. A strong 10/10.

Favorite quote:
“Everything burns.”

I struggle to decide what genre this book should fit into, but after much deliberation I think it is poetry. The way Cosby uses words is so powerful. Although the content of the book is both thrilling and tragic, the words and descriptions he uses to tell the story is poetic. It’s both beautiful and horrific, and I eat up every bite! The narrator is amazing at bringing the characters to life as well.

S.A. Cosby is one of my very favorite authors and I always try to listen because Adam Lazarre-White is just an exceptional narrator. All of those things apply to this title as well, but overall it was not my favorite of his titles. Strong antihero that I just never clicked with. Writing is great as always and I think fans of his other books will be satisfied.

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby delivers exactly what fans have come to expect from the author: gritty Southern noir, morally complex characters, and a simmering undercurrent of danger. This time, Cosby blends a Godfather-inspired criminal underworld with raw family drama, centering on Roman Carruthers, a finance-savvy eldest son drawn back to his crumbling hometown after a family tragedy. The novel hits hard with its setup—a father in a coma, a brother tangled in debt with dangerous criminals, and a sister barely holding the family business together. The setting of Jefferson Run, a bleak Virginia town, adds a haunting, atmospheric layer to the story, perfectly complementing the themes of mortality, loyalty, and legacy. Where King of Ashes shines is in its emotionally charged stakes. Roman isn’t just trying to bail out his reckless brother; he’s also forced to confront the past, including the mysterious disappearance of his mother. Neveah’s determination and Dante’s desperation provide rich tension within the Carruthers family dynamic. However, the pacing can occasionally lag under the weight of exposition, and some of the gangster elements feel familiar, even a bit formulaic. While Roman’s transformation from financial whiz to criminal fixer has emotional depth, the execution sometimes leans on genre tropes more than it subverts them. That said, Cosby’s prose is sharp, the characters are layered, and the stakes feel real. Roman’s willingness to sacrifice everything to protect his family gives the novel a powerful emotional core. Though not quite as explosive as some of Cosby’s previous works, King of Ashes is a solid addition to his catalog and a worthwhile read for fans of crime fiction with heart. Verdict: A dark, slow-burning Southern crime saga that balances bloodshed with brotherhood—imperfect but impactful.

10 out of 5 stars!!! Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook of King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby and narrated by Adam Lazarre-White.

Holy Moly...what did I just listen to?! I was so excited when I got the approval to get this book by this author. I fell in love with this author's novels after reading Razorblade Tears. Anything by S.A. Cosby, I'm definitely dropping everything to read/listen to his novels. I don't think I've read any of his books without crying. This book.... was intense and I was hooked from beginning to end. I usually am on the go, but I made sure that this book had my full attention from the beginning. The family relationship, the character build-up, the locations...Just pure perfection. (Also, from someone who has lived in Virginia her whole life, I have mad respect for him when he writes about Richmond and Gloucester. My husband is from there and I love how he gave me a tour of where some of the locations were in Cosby's stories). Anyways, I digress...This book is amazing and I'm raving about this to all of my friends and family. This is a must read/listen for 2025!

OMG, and I don't even know what to say about the narrator. Adam Lazarre-White was f***ing AMAZING. I don't know any other words except I was THERE while he read Cosby's book. (I also love that Cosby used this narrator again because he also did a fantastic job in Razorblade Tears.) Love love love!

King of Ashes is a gritty book about family and the lengths you will go to help them when they are in trouble. Set in Jefferson Run, Virginia a town that has fallen on hard times but has a crematorium which is featured in the book.

S. A. Cosby deals with topics they may have to deal with on a daily basis - gangs, murder, drugs, and loss. Adam Lazarre-White did an excellent job with the narration.

Everything burns!!

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for letting me read this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced listeners copy of this new S.A. Crosby novel.

This is a really gripping and emotionally intense novel. The writing is sharp, the characters feel real, and the pacing keeps the tension throughout the story. The author has a talent writing gritty, morally complex stories, and this book is no exception. The narrator makes it all the more realistic.

I found myself fully invested in the protagonist’s journey, even when the story line delved into darker territories. The depictions of gang activity, in particular, were visceral and at times made me squeamish...but not in a way that took away from the story. Instead it depicted the high stakes and harsh realities the characters faced.

While it’s wasn't always an easy listen, this is a powerful, compelling novel I highly recommend it to readers who appreciate raw, character-driven crime fiction.

S. A. Cosby has done it again. Roman Carruthers is called home after his father is in a car accident which has left him in critical condition. Upon arriving home to crime filled Jefferson Run, VA, Roman begins to think his father's accident was no accident. His brother, Dante is in debt to local criminals and has put them all in danger. Roman comes up with a plan to help his brother. His sister, Neveah has been running Carruthers Crematorium with her father and has always questioned her mother's disappearance. This book is actioned packed with violence, family secrets and the lengths one will go to protect his family. In Jefferson Run, everything burns! I highly recommend the audio version as Adam Lazarre-White is a phenomenal narrator.

King of Ashes, written by S.A. Crosby and narrated by Adam Lazarre-White, is a family fictional and crime mystery that I could not put down! I have loved this authors books in the past and was very excited to get approved for this audiobook. It did not disappoint!
This story revolved around the Carruthers family. When Roman, the eldest child and main character gets a phone call from his sister Neveah that his dad has been hurt and he needs to come home, the reader wonders if he knows what he is signing up for. The family has a cremation business that he will need to help with, but as Roman reconnects with his sister and brother Dante, Roman realizes there might be more to his fathers injuries, and he may be in Virginia longer than planned.
I loved this book! Really enjoyed the family relationships and dynamics, and the criminal aspects of this book, also appreciated that there were some things left hanging in the end, and that I think it could make room for more books or for the reader to use their imagination.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the author, publisher, and narrator of this book for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.