S.A. Cosby is truly in a league of his own! King of Ashes is just the latest example of that. No one writes beautifully flawed characters like S.A. Cosby does. Whenever I pick up his books I never want them to end. The stories are so well rounded that I could read about the characters forever. Some of my all time favorite characters are from his books. This is no exception.

King of Ashes is full of suspense and action while simultaneously exploring complex themes like familial trauma, grief, heartbreak, and so much more. It’s a story about doing everything you can to keep your family safe, even if you have to turn the world to ash.

And I of course have to highlight how incredible Adam Lazarre-White is narrating this book, per usual. I am always amazed by how he’s able to bring each character to life. I highly, highly recommend the audio format. Cosby and White are the BEST duo out there.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for this ARC! It was a dream come true.

Roman may be the king of ashes, but Cosby is the king of similes. I like his writing style, but it always takes me a minute to get into it. This book was super violent but I was so invested in the story. It ended up a little too dark for me and I didn't see that ending coming. But it worked. I liked it more than Razorblade Tears but not as much as All the Sinners Bleed. Adam Lazarre-White narrates this audiobook as well and is fabulous.

Some writers just know how to pull you under—and S.A. Cosby doesn’t just pull, he drags you in by the collar and dares you to look away. King of Ashes is another knockout: blistering, emotional, and sharp as a bone-handled knife. This is Southern noir at its grittiest, with blood-deep family ties, moral landmines, and a story that moves fast and burns hot.

Roman Carruthers returns to Jefferson Run after years of staying gone, only to find his father in a coma and the family crematorium about to go up in metaphorical (and maybe literal) flames. His brother’s in deep with the wrong people, his sister’s barely holding it together, and the past—particularly the mystery of their missing mother—won’t stay buried. What starts as a reluctant homecoming turns into a full-on reckoning, and Cosby doesn’t let up for a second.

"We all fall short of grace, but the beauty lives in the attempt"

Roman is a standout—smart, angry, fiercely loyal—but every character here carries weight. Cosby’s real magic is in how he layers brutality with tenderness. These people bleed, but they also care, and that balance is what keeps me coming back to his work. The tension is relentless, the stakes are high, and the writing? Still that perfect mix of lyrical and raw. The ending of this book and some of the twists just ripped me apart. What a book

Special shoutout to the audiobook: Adam Lazarre-White nails it. He brings every voice to life with nuance and heat, adding a whole extra layer of emotion to an already electric story. It’s the kind of performance that doesn’t just match the tone—it elevates it.

Bottom line: King of Ashes is fire. Grimy, heartfelt, gut-punching fire. Cosby doesn’t miss—and this one damn near scorched my shelves. 4.5/5 stars!

Thanks to Macmillian Audio and Netgalley for the advanced listener copy.

3.5 stars

The narrator Adam Lazarre-White did an incredible job bringing the story and characters to life.

This was my first S.A. Cosby novel, and overall, it didn’t disappoint. The King of Ashes is a gritty, character-driven crime story centered around the Carruthers family and the dangerous world they become entangled in.

One of the biggest challenges with this novel is its pacing. The first half takes quite a while to build momentum. While the character development is strong, the plot can feel stagnant at times, making it harder to stay engaged. Some readers may find these slower sections a bit frustrating.

The plot itself is compelling in theory, though it sometimes lacks the urgency needed to keep readers fully gripped. While there are twists and turns, many felt a bit predictable though the major twist was both unexpected and well executed, which added some much-needed punch to the storyline.

Despite these pacing issues, Cosby’s writing and world-building are impressive, and I appreciated the depth he brings to his characters and setting. I’ll definitely be picking up more of his work in the future.

Wow. 🤯🤯🤯 I enjoyed this audiobook so much! S. A. Cosby has such a wonderful way with words. My emotions are all over the place for the characters. The trials and heartache that follows the lives of Dante, Neveah, and Roman are gut wrenching.
This book gripped me from the very beginning and didn’t stop until the end. There were a couple of twists at the end that left my jaw on the floor. This will be a book that I’ll remember for a long time.
Here is one of many favorite quotes:
“Fate is like a train roaring on the track, there are times you can beat that train and there are times that train plows right through you.”
The narration by Adam Lazarus-White is phenomenal.

S.A. Cosby is simply the king of gritty, crime novels. Nobody does it better. Congrats to him on yet another stunning novel. This is out June 10th. Thank you to @flatiron_books for giving me an early copy of the audio by the absolutely incredible @realadamlw.

Cosby’s novel takes us to Richmond, VA once again— where Roman Carruthers is returning from Atlanta when his father is involved in a serious car crash. What he soon leans, is that his brother is involved in a mess of trouble with a crime organization. Now it’s up to Roman to get him out of it.

Cosby’s writing is always brutal. There’s always violence and gore, and the bad decisions abound. But if you can handle it, his writing will have you on the edge of your seat from the first page. He’s been an auto-read author for me for awhile now, and this is just one more hit to add to his shelf.

4.5⭐️
King of Ashes
by: S. A. Cosby
Pub Date: June 10, 2025

Warning, a highly flammable thriller ahead!🔥The flurry of emotions experienced while listening to this novel were indescribable! King of Ashes, an utterly shocking, dark, gritty thriller, kept me transfixed all while literally holding my breath in anticipation.

King of Ashes opens with Roman Carruthers, a money making genius, receiving a call from his sister that their father has been severely injured in an accident. Roman returns home to a father in a coma, an overworked, exhausted sister, a reckless, irresponsible brother, the ghost of his missing mother, and dark, festering family secrets. The unforgettable, eclectic array of characters throughout this novel evoked intense feelings of love, hate, blinding rage, joy and sadness.

Everything burns takes on so many different meanings in this beautifully written, gut wrenching saga. King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby will keep you engaged with heart pounding excitement and this will not be one of those novels you quickly forget.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio, for the advance copy of this highly anticipated audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is my favorite book of 2025 so far. Hands down!

Yea, that’s a bold statement but man, this book had me hooked from beginning to end. Roman is such a great character. Morally gray at times but he does the best for those he cares about.

The characters in this book are top tier. This book felt like a movie. Nonstop action. Plenty of family and crime drama. I won’t be surprised if this book is going to be on a lot of people’s best of the year list.

The narration from Adam Lazarre-White was so good. It made reading this that much more enjoyable. This is the second time I’ve listened to one of his narrations and it gets better and better.

I finished this book and I didn’t want it to end. This is only my 2nd book read from S.A. Cosby and I can’t wait to read the others.

Thank you MacMillan audio. Adam Lazarre-White continues to be, for me, the perfect voice for S.A. Cosby's gritty and compelling storytelling. King of Ashes once again blew me away, the immersive writing and complex characters
Cosby’s pacing is masterful, building tension and dread like waves: rising, cresting, then pulling back just enough before the next surge. His characters are vividly real—flawed, conflicted, and deeply human—and the family dynamics in this novel are raw, angry, loving, and all too familiar.

he plot is intense, fast-paced, and full of action, with an ending... that is powerful. . There are also subtle nods to Cosby’s other works (Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears), which fans will appreciate. The Godfather-mafia type vibe is spot-on and the audiobook narrator nailed every voice. A true win, I will be buying a copy for my husband!

S.A. Cosby remains a master of pacing and tension. And Adam Lazarre-White keeps delivering these books masterfully.

Roman Carruthers is successful. Running his own asset management company in Atlanta, he's doing what he loves and he's good at it. Making money.

When Roman gets the call from his sister that his father has been involved in an accident and is now in a coma, he flies home to Jefferson Run, Virginia, to see his father only to find that his brother and sister are both hanging on by a thread and their family is fractured. After learning that his brother may be responsible for their father's condition, Roman sets out to help is brother and, hopefully, repair their damaged family. In doing so, he may lose his humanity.

Cosby is absolutely an auto-buy author for me. His use of pacing to build tension and dread is so well done. The plot for this moves like some of his other books, like waves, there are peaks and lulls. The gentle increase of rise in tension leading to a peak and crest then dropping back into another soft valley.

And his characters are always so real.

He navigates the complexity of how messy and conflicted we are. The dynamics of the family in this are no different. They love each other very deeply, but they're also so angry and disappointed as well. The characters are easy to love and easy to hate, just like family can be.

There are also subtle nods here to his other works as mentions to characters in Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears.

If you've enjoyed his other books, I think you'll love this one just as much.

S.A. Cosby masterfully adds another complex, damaged man to his roster in King of Ashes. This time, the backdrop is a rural crematory, a menacing local crime syndicate, and deep-seated family secrets that have profoundly shaped every member of the Carruthers family. Roman, the main character of this southern noir, is a prodigal son-like figure who returns after years away after a gruesome accident leaves his father unresponsive in the hospital. He is immediately swept up into the shenanigans surrounding his siblings while they grapple with their own bad behavior and how they converge masterfully throughout the novel and impact the life-altering conclusion.

Naevah, Roman's sister's story is especially poignant as the only sibling who is actively keeping the family crematory running and is forced to relinquish her dreams for her life because of patriarchal expectations. she is the designated workhorse of the family and is also not provided the clarity she needs to understand why her family is so dysfunctional which leads to disastrous result. Her portrayal powerfully echoes the experiences of many daughters in families where sons, like Roman, are afforded the freedom to escape and try to forget, while others, like the youngest son Dante, are left to wallow and self-destruct due to low expectations.

The novel builds to a conclusion that will leave you breathless, revealing how the siblings' destinies were set in motion long before they were thrust back together. I deeply appreciated this novel and the haunting story of Roman, Naevah, and Dante, reflecting on how greater honesty among them might have led to different fates.

Audiobook Commentary:
A large part of my love for S.A. Cosby's books is because Adam Lazarre-White narrates each character with the perfect blend of melodic tones and gruff annotations that bring the southeastern Virginia setting to life. He is able to lean into the lyrical prose created by S.A. Cosby to embody the tone, motivations, and desires of each character so distinctly that you forget it's one person narrating. He masterfully emotes the heartbreak Roman, Naveah, and Dante face while also detailing the violence and tension present throughout the novel. King of Ashes provided him with another opportunity to lean into these gifts to create a dynamic listening experience that I will continue to revisit.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

Fantastic book. Siblings Dante and Neveah live in a small town in Virginia while big brother Roman has a high paying career in Atlanta managing money. All three siblings never recovered from the disappearance of their mother when they were kids. Neveah runs the family's crematorium while Dante parties away. Dante gets involved with the local drug dealers and Roman comes to town to try to fix the mess. At the same time Neveah is trying to solve what happened to her mom all those years ago. Lots of violence.

If I was reading this book I would have highlighted so many amazing lines that audio doesn't offer.

Adam Lazarre-White was phenomenal. What a voice! I listen at a faster than normal speed. The characters really came to life for me listening to Adam. His Torrent and Tranquil voices creeped me out in the best way.

Holy moly, S. A. Cosby does it again. As a fan who has read every single one of his books, I look forward to each of his releases and every time I am blown away by his characters, plot, and atmosphere. King of Ashes might be my favorite- and I think you need it on your TBR.

Roman Carruthers is the eldest of three adult children and he's put as much distance as he can between himself and his small hometown. When his father is in a serious car accident, Roman must face the demons of his past and urgent problems in the present that his brother has created. In an effort to preserve the family crematorium and protect his brother, Dante, Roman becomes wrapped up with dangerous people who don't care to negotiate.

While Roman puts his financial savvy to work, his sister is pulling at every string she can find to unravel the abrupt disappearance of their mother decades ago. It is clear the siblings have run from their emotional trauma in different ways, but they will have to face the realities of the past and present as everything collides.

This book is excellently plotted with characters so rich and dynamic that you'll feel tugged in every direction. I'll never be able to write reviews that live up to the tremendous quality of S. A. Cosby books, but I hope I've convinced you anyway. Read this!

SA Cosby has officially become one of my fave authors. He is such a really good writer and storyteller and I love his work. In this story, he returns to small-town VA, where life is hard and getting out alive is almost impossible for many. However, big brother Roman Carruthers did get out but now finds himself back in town to not only see his father, who is in a coma, but to also help his sister, Neveah, with the family crematorium business as well as help his brother, Dante, get out of a jam with some local gangsters.

"Memory believes before knowing remembers. Believes longer than recollects, longer than knowing even wonders." - William Faulkner

The book summary lays out the primary storyline of Dante getting caught up with the Black Baron Boys (BBB), who are run by two psychopathic brothers, Torrent and Tranquil. Dante then drags Roman into the fray when Roman offers to bail Dante out. It becomes evident, really fast, that just paying them off is not going to be enough and the brothers make it painfully clear to Roman and Dante that walking away is not an option. While Roman is mostly a successful money man for the rich and famous, he is not without “resources” and has no qualms of using these resources to protect him and his family. There is a secondary story of Neveah looking into the cold case for the sibling’s mother, who disappeared 19yrs ago and is rumored to have either runoff with a lover or was murdered by their father.

"The ovens roared like demons who stood sentry at the gates of hell. We’ll see hell one day." – Roman Carruthers

Most of the story revolves around Roman and his friend, Caleo, who came up from Atlanta (where Roman lives and works), putting a plan together to get rid of the BBB and setting the brothers up to implode from the inside out. There’s also a cop, Chauncey, sniffing around because the BBB murdered a snitch. The reader doesn’t see the moving parts of the plan until they’re played out into the story, and this is classic Cosby, the master planner and storyteller. It’s deep in the second half that Roman’s plan is executed to perfection. There is also a conclusion to Neveah’s research into their mother’s disappearance.

We all fall short of grace, but the beauty lives in the attempt" – Roman Carruthers

The character development for the MC’s as well as many of the ensemble characters was well done. Once again, the fast-paced, action-packed storyline was a classic that Cosby took and ran with to make it his own. The ode to Raymond Feist's King of Ashes and the "Baron Boys" at times was kind of poetic, sort of. The writing was phenomenal and had me highlighting quotes, which I rarely do. I listened to the audiobook and Adam Lizard White was absolutely exceptional with accents and diction and tone. I’m looking at an overall rating 4.6 that I will be rounding up to a 5star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

NetGalley #MacmillanAudio #KingofAshes

Rome is use to handling the money, but when he gets a call that his father is in the hospital he immediately heads back home to Jefferson Run. While there, his younger brother finds himself in a situation that he needs help getting out of. And now it’s big bro to the rescue, but is this something Rome can handle or not?

S.A. SIR. This was my first audiobook read of S.A. and it was phenomenal. Do you hear me? PHENOMENAL. I was tuned in from chapter 1 to the very beginning. If life didn’t life, I would have finished this in a day FORURE. I am so excited for this book to drop so that I can do a reread with the physical and swoon all over again. S.A. NEVER disappoints. And this has forsure gone to my #1 as far as my favorite books of his. GO READ IT ASAP.

Holy cow! This book, in typical S.A. Cosby fashion is intense. The description of it as a Godfather-inspired tale of Virginia drug dealers is 100% accurate. I actually think Mario Puzo would be proud of this homage to the genre. This was fast-paced, heart-racing stuff right here, as Cosby usually is. I could not stop listening because I had to know how it all ended. It was so great, and I always love Cosby's writing. He always comes up with these analogies, and you're just like, yes, that's it. I also loved the audiobook narrator. He did a fantastic job with all the different voices. A+.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the free advanced copy of the audiobook! All views here are my own. S.A. Cosby did it again! There is a reason he's an auto-buy author for me! Adam Lazarre-White is the narrator and does an excellent job once again!

King of Ashes is set in Jefferson Run, a run-down central Virginia town (Close to Richmond) where Roman Carruthers is called home after his father is in a car accident. Once Roman makes it home he finds out that his youngest brother, Dante is in debt to dangerous criminals and his sister is on the edge of burning out from holding down the family and the family business.

S.A. Cosby does an amazing job of locking you into the story. I was hooked before the 10% mark. I felt like I was right there with the characters throughout the story. The way he writes his characters is out of this world. I was invested and got pissed when they made stupid decisions but I also felt empathy for *some* of those decisions.

I enjoyed King of Ashes and I've already pre-ordered my copy! I grew up in South Carolina and lived in Central VA for a while after college so in my head I was REALLY there while listening. *Hopefully I can score tickets to the book signing in NYC* BUT PRE-ORDER this book, get the audiobook, REQUEST it from your local libraries.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC Review: NetGalley
Release Date: 6-15-25
Author: S.A. Cosby
No Spoilers: (Whatever I mention is in the book’s summary)

Yes, I realize how lucky I am, lol. I’m a huge fan of this author and have read his entire catalog. On 2-7-25, I preordered the physical copy. I couldn’t wait any longer, so I requested an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This crime thriller novel features a Virginia man (Roman), who has to come home and help his brother, who has gotten into some trouble. Roman ends up getting involved with two brothers (Torrent and Tranquil) who are leaders of a gang. Torrent is my favorite character, by the way.

As you can imagine, all kinds of crazy stuff happens which translates to action for us readers. I could not put this book down. There’s also a twist at the end. This author gets better and better every time. King of Ashes have taken over my top spot. Here’s my new rankings.

1. King of Ashes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. Razorblade Tears ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. All the Sinners Bleed ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
4. Blacktop Wasteland ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5. Brokedown Prophets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
6. My Darkest Prayer ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Once again S.A. Cosby has hit it out of the park. I wasn't sure if the premise of the book sounded as interesting to me as the other two books I've read by Cosby but because I absolutely loved the other books by him I've read, I of course had to read King of Ashes. And let me tell you- this book did NOT disappoint!! I couldn't put the book down and had to know what would happen next.
King of Ashes was incredibly tense the entire time and the further into the book I got, the more dread overcame me. There didn't seem to be any positive outcome the book could have but Cosby still surprised me with the end of the book. I read a lot of mystery/thriller books and can usually guess all the plot twists in a book but S.A. Cosby always keeps me on my toes! I'll definitely be shouting this book's praises for a long time.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC of King of Ashes

This was excellent. It’s not the usual genre I gravitate toward, but I was captivated by the story and the very colorful characters. Ultimately, this is an exciting but very sad story. The narrator was also excellent. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ALC in exchange for an honest review.