I recently came across SA Cosby books and they have not disappointed! This one will make you question your loyalty to your family. How far would you go to protect and cover up secrets for your family?

Reading challenge category – 2025 Flourish and Blotts: Auror – Dark Arts: a dark theme

Thanks to #Netgalley for the ARC of this work.

The first book that I read by S.A. Cosby was his fourth work, [book:All the Sinners Bleed|61884832]. I still think I enjoyed that one more, but King of Ashes is a close second. He has become a must read author for me.

Roman Carruthers heads back to his smalltown home after his father is in a car accident. His younger brother, Dante, is the mess up of the family. He is involved with the worst criminals in the area. Their sister, Neveah (hate this name), is the one trying to hold everything together. The family owns a crematorium. In an attempt to right his brother's wrongs, Roman gets involved in Dante's business to try to save him, and their family. Through all of this, there is an underlying story of what happened to their mother when they were teens/kids.

The author has such a great writing style - I love when authors make me feel feelings at fictional characters. There are literary and pop culture references, expansive vocabulary use, and small town references that give his work a very well-rounded appeal. There are trigger warnings for this one FOR SURE. <spoiler> there is a scene with dogs and a man's shins that will just live rent-free in my head </spoiler> I have been thinking about this book for weeks after finishing it.

Loved the narration for this book. SA Cosby and Adam LW make a great combo.
I have to admit that this book was all kinds of messed up! We’ve got family drama, drug deals gone bad, extortion, murder and more. It was uncomfortable at times and other times I wanted some characters to catch all the karma. But it was all intended as written and I enjoyed the ride!
*Thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley

There isn't enough I can say about this book other than it was amazing from beginning to end. The audio was phenomenal and I was drawn in as soon as I started it. I finished this book in a day and a 1/2 and it would of been sooner if I didn't have to work lol

Roman had some of the best character development I have seen in a while. I could see and feel the struggle he was in while trying to maintain his legal life while doing what he had to, to save his family.

The saying "Everything Burns" rang true in this story because their family legacy, friendships, romantic relationships were consumed by the fire in some way.

When you read/listen to this you will see everything doesn't end in a HEA but it does end the way it should. A hard lesson that all three siblings learned is that you can't come back from everything and every choice you make can and will affect you.

Thank you Macmillian Audio and Netgalley for this ALC.

S.A. Cosby always delivers with a captivating story filled with action and King of Ashes was no different. Audio is always the way to go with his books because the narration is always perfection and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

If I could give 500 stars, I would. I have loved every book I've read by SA Cosby, and King of Ashes is no exception. This book is raw. It's intense. It will suck you in and bleed you dry.

Roman Carruthers is a true antihero. You have to respect that he cares about his family, seeing himself as his brother Dante's protector. And he's smart, and witty, and can charm your socks off. But there's a darkness in him, and when Dante owes a huge debt to a group of dangerous gangsters, Roman draws deep on that darkness and will do anything to protect his family.

This is one of those books where I feel I should have seen the twists coming, and I didn't. The background mystery of Roman's missing mother, the tenuous relationship between Roman and his sister Nevaeh, the corruption and treachery in the Jefferson Run--all of it come together to make a story that's both real and frightening at the same time. This is not a world you want to live in, but it's there all the same, maybe even in your own neighborhood.

As always, Adam Lazarre-White's narration is impeccable, each character distinct and full of their own personality and dialect from Torrent's drawl to Jealousy's banter, and Cosby's use of elaborate prose and unique word choice rolls off his tongue. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Flatiron Books, Netgalley, and SA Cosby for allowing me to read this book and write a fair and honest review.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

This was my first book by S. A. Cosby and I loved it! The audio was fantastic! I will definitely be checking out more of the author’s books.

When Roman learns his father was badly injured in a car wreck, he rushes home to Virginia to help his family. Once there, he learns his brother Dante is in over his head with some gangsters and Roman is determined to help him out. The question is, how far is he willing to go to protect his family from the local crime family?

This book was amazing! It was gritty, intense, violent, everything you expect in a top tier crime novel. The pacing was excellent and the character arcs were well done. I liked seeing how the characters changed throughout the book. The narrator did a great job of bringing the characters to life. I think the comparison to The Godfather is a bit of a miss, though. If you like your crime novels dark and addictive, this is for you!

My thanks to McMillan Audio and NetGalley for gifting me an audio copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

To be honest, I wasn't sure if this story would be for me as it's not my usual type. But I really liked Razorblade Tears, so wanted to see if S.A. Cosby could make a believer out of me one more time.

And...it worked! King of Ashes was another win for me. Roman comes back to Jefferson Run, VA and straight into the family drama after his dad's "accident" left his siblings and their family business at the crematory in jeopardy. He finds himself in the middle of some shady business, realizing he has to get his hands a little dirty in order to help those he loves. This was a bit mystery, crime, some action and even a little romance. King of Ashes is full of emotion, action, and twists, this book really has a little something for everyone.

Narration by Adam Lazarre-White was perfect - the voice totally seemed to fit the image of Roman that was in my head and was so easy to listen to and follow, well done!!

Huge thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my ALC!

Well Sean has done it again, offered us up a complete banger of a book on a silver platter!

The best way I can describe this is Sons of Anarchy for us Black Folks, and if you are a fan of SOA, after you read the book, you will see just how true this rings.

In King of Ashes, we follow the main protagonist, Roman, as he returns to his decaying small hometown to reunite with his two siblings after their father, the town crematorium owner, has experienced a life-altering accident. There he is doused into his family's dealings with the seedy underbelly of the town's gangs, cops, and other unsavory characters, all while the family still grapples with their mothers long long-standing mysterious death.

As always, Adam Lazarre White is oh so easy on the ears and delivers a dynamic and cinematic performance that is a complete pleasure to listen to.

ROman!!! What an aamzing book and the narration by Adam Lazarre-White is phenomenal! SA COsby doesnt miss!!

A rough street crime that seeped into the family's crematory business. It gives The Chi, Power, The Wire vibes and done so well. If you know how street gangs work you understand what the upstanding Carruthers family is up against when the one brother messes up with wrong people and your big brother has to come save the day.

I will definitely read his backlist of books!

There’s no exaggeration when I say this was one of the best audiobooks that I’ve listened to. S. A. Cosby has a way with words and Adam Lazarre-White brought them to life in the best way with his narration. In no way was this a happy, heartfelt story, one of the main characters, Dante Carruthers, makes sure of that by making horrible decisions with some big time crooks in Jefferson Runs that jeopardize the lives of those still living in Carruthers family. Roman Carruthers, the oldest sibling, does everything in his power to clean up the messes while protecting their sister (Neveah) and father who’s in a coma from a car accident that wasn’t so accidental. Huge thank you to Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this ALC!

"Everybody burns" is the chilling refrain that main character Roman Carruthers repeats to himself, and that he learned from his father years earlier.

The Carruthers are a family full of secrets and damage, and each bears the scars of their mother's disappearance, and their father's coldness and harshness.

Roman is a very successful financial broker, and has built a business in Atlanta dealing with rich people who style themselves as baddies, but are really just playing make believe. Roman has learned to deal with his clients' egos, pettiness, and desires, alternating between soothing and pushing when necessary.

His sister Neveah is the heart of the family, and has done her best to keep the family business, Carruthers Crematorium, running, and set in the small Virginia town of Jefferson Run, while wondering if her father murdered the siblings' mother. She has successive doomed relationships with men, and is just so damned tired.

The youngest sibling, Dante, is the family screw-up. He is perpetually under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, has no interest or involvement with the crematorium, and has no real purpose. His attempt to make a living as a drug dealer brings him to the attention of a criminal gang led by two terrifying brothers, and sets Roman on a path to save Dante, and the Carruthers family from a deadly fate.

The brothers, Tranquil and Torrent (wonderful names that perfectly epitomize the almost elemental and unpredictable power they seem to inhabit), threaten Roman and Dante, and promise to harm Neveah unless Roman can find a way to pay back the money Dante owes.

Roman makes deals for a living, and he makes one with the brothers, promising to make them bags of money. They in turn ensure Roman and Dante are dragged into the mire.

Cosby infuses this dark narrative with both a grand and intimate feel. As I was reading, I kept thinking that he had written of a character's descent into hell, as Roman does one thing after another to get his family out of trouble, but with each step, ensures his own terrifying transformation.

I listened to this narrative, and Adam Lazarre-White does a terrific job voicing the characters. He brings out so much emotion in Cosby's beautifully constructed prose.

This was a deeply dark and brutal narrative, but also a fascinating picture of a family tearing itself apart, but also struggling to keep together. It was fantastic, hellish, gorgeous and brilliant, and the way it ends is So. Perfect.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This was my first S.A. Cosby book, and let's just say they were definitely right about this author!

What a twisted, suspenseful story! And to see how everything was interconnected in the story, and how it all tied together for that crazy grand finale?! GAGGED.
The narrator did this book justice (Adam Lazarre-White) and his voice, coupled with S.A. Cosby's writing provided a top tier story telling experience. It had me locked in from the beginning.

I did not like any of these characters, except maybe Jealousy, and that's a good thing because it definitely shows range for an author to write such realistic people, even if they are unlikable. Also I think this story would have been much shorter and less depressing if these characters just knew how to communicate with each other goodness! So many family secrets, and for what?! Who really even won at the end? I mean maybe Roman, but at what cost?

Superb writing to get me this flustered over a book haha. Can't wait to dive into the rest of Cosby's catalogue.

Rereading the blurb, I don't feel like I read the same book as the publisher is selling. Luckily, there was a break between when I read the blurb and when I read the book. I am glad I didn't approach this expecting a crime family. It is not about a crime family, and that is very much the point.

King of Ashes is about what is criminal, monstrous, cruel, and how it all interacts. Especially crucial - how do you protect yourself? Individually and as a society? Rather than good intentions, the road to hell is paved with seeking safety. If you live somewhere where crime is built into the fabric of the society, you will eventually be faced with a choice about licit and illicit paths in life. Except, do you really? Every character, no matter their response to that choice, is up to their eyeballs in the corruption here, even (and somewhat especially) when they think they are separate or free from it. I would love to have a book club chat about what actual choices the characters had. For each member of the Carruthers family, and every other character in the book too, the straight and narrow is neither straight, narrow, nor something you can escape. Like many such novels, we watch the main character slide into the completely illicit even while he was never really apart from it. According to Roman, he is the protector of the family because he cleans up of messes and mistakes. This is disingenuous though. Who has the most power in the scenario to have it play out in their preferred way? Despite a lot of self control, Roman is still a bull in a china shop. Empathize with him, but don't mistake him for a hero. And, for those who need likable characters in their fiction, I am concerned if you like him as a person.

Separately, a question. King of Ashes shares a theme I keep running into black authored, black character led books - no one communicates. Half the story is what other characters don't know. The secrecy is, once again, for the "protection" of the characters who are excluded. It always leads to horrific ends. The snake always eats its own tail in the end.

Overall 4.5 rounded up. This is an author whose works I will keep picking up! Also, it's quite the microcosm for living under fascism, even though that isn't mentioned nor the point. But books exist within their cultures.

This audiobook was so good!!! I think the narrator that was chosen to read this book was PERFECT for it. His voice for each character seemed spot on, and the drama I felt with his reading just made the book for me. The story itself was great, too. It is a family drama with all the right elements...mystery, fear, love, connection, loss. I definitely want to get into more books by this author now. Definitely recommend listening to this one!!

This is how you tell a great story. There were surprises, twists, and turns throughout. Roman, the main character, and his siblings Dante and Neveah, are the heartbeat of this mystery/thriller. All three have dealt with their missing mother in their own way. Roman returns to his childhood home from Atlanta where he has built a reputation as kind of a black Warren Buffett, though not as wealthy yet but clearly on his way. All three have a little something, something in their character makeup that makes them capable of doing just about anything, and all three have secrets.

Their father languishes in the hospital after he has become one of the victims of a cut-throat band of criminals led by two ruthless brothers. Roman learns that Dante is in the crosshairs of these criminals and sets out to save him, only to find out that they are far more dangerous that he expected. Near the end of the novel, I realized who was the most cut-throat one of them all, and it wasn’t the person I expected.

S.A. Cosby has delivered another homerun with this one.

Oh my god, where to even begin with this one because it was so multifaceted and full of amazing complex characters! Truly likened to a southern godfather inspired story, this crew of siblings does not disappoint with the drama. Each sibling is entirely their own unique personality from the other, with their own little side drama that unwinds itself as the story progresses. Their own stories end up intertwining in the end, and boy did it end with a bang! I cannot recommend King of Ashes enough to anyone who loves an amazing book with rich prose and action, but also enjoys complex family drama with a southern gothic twang.

I am truly kicking myself for not having read a book by S.A. Cosby sooner, but I am already counting them as the newest addition to my auto-buy/read authors. I cannot wait to devour the backlist!

Speechless. This book has so much of what I’ve been craving as a reader - a complex family dynamic, pulse-pounding tension, horror level action and gore, and, somehow, a bit of romance! Every page had me itching to turn to the next. This will linger. This will make me want to know what is next for these characters. A top notch read that I already want to read again!

The audiobook read by Adam Lazarre-White was fantastic in tandem with the physical book. I could listen to his voice for hours and he is easily understood at faster speeds.