Name: King of Ashes
Rating: 5 (6 reviews)
Author: S. A. Cosby

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Book Summary

Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author S. A. Cosby returns with King of Ashes, a Godfather-inspired Southern crime epic and dazzling family drama.

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.

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What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (5/7/2026)
I just finished King of Ashes by SA Cosby. Good airplane trip book. Southern crime thriller. It has really bad guys and good guys who are also bad. Am halfway through John of John and am enjoying it.
-Roberta_Winchester

What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (2/19/2026)
I love S.A. Cosby's writing, and https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/4322/razorblade-tears Razorblade Tears was one of my favorites, @Supertalya . (I also really enjoyed https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/4636/all-the-sinners-bleed All the Sinners Bleed ...
-kim.kovacs

What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (2/12/2026)
Trying to finish Ian McEwen's What We Can Know . It's a slow read. I am also listening to S.A. Cosby's King of Ashes.
-Holly_Batsell

What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (12/04/2025)
I loved King of Ashes. I am now a big fan of S.A. Cosby and will read anything he writes
-George_M

What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (11/20/2025)
I can't say which books I've been reading because I don't want to spoil the surprise for the upcoming Best Of issue, set to hit your inboxes on December 10. Coming up this week are two of our book club selections: https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/22786/th...
-kim.kovacs

Aspen Words Literary Prize 2026
I've read 6 from the list: The True True Story of Raja the Gullible-Alameddine (National Book Award Finalist) King of Ashes-S A Cosby (Barnes & Noble best of 2025) Culpability- Bruce Holsinger Wild Dark Shore-Charlotte McConaghy Endling -Maria Reva (Booker finalist) So Far Gone-Jess Walter I like...
-Anne_Glasgow

What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (11/13/2025)
...h time to listen to audiobooks lately, so I'm still on https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/21144/king-of-ashes King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby. I can see why people like this one less than Cosby's other novels. I'm about 25% of the way through, so I'm not sure where the story will lead, but...
-kim.kovacs

What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (11/6/2025)
Adding to the discussion from last week about King of Ashes. I think each of Cosby's books has gotten progressively darker. (My favorite is Razorblade Tears.) What I wrote in my review about what I was missing from King of Ashes was HEART. In each of the previous books there was at least one char...
-Anne_Glasgow

What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (10/30/2025)
Like Kim and Marilyn, I really enjoyed Cosby's earlier books. My disappointment in King of Ashes was due to less interesting main characters. Roman is a wealthy money manager who we're supposed to believe is magically talented. I also eventually lost patience with Dante - I'm all for family loyal...
-Vicki_F

What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (10/23/2025)
I just finished Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan and loved it. Beautiful writing. The story telling is impressive as it's told from the viewpoints of over twenty characters but it all comes together into a coherent, emotionally-moving whole. (Thank you to Book Browse member Evonne Benedict who co...
-Vicki_F

Barak Obama's 2025 Summer Reading List
1m Since someone mentioned it, https://barackobama.medium.com/my-2025-summer-reading-list-bb25331e761b here you go : • Mark Twain — Ron Chernow A comprehensive biography of one of the most important writers and social commentators in American history. • The Book of Records — Madeleine Thien A bea...
-kim.kovacs

What are you reading this week? (7/2/2025)
KIng of Ashes by S A Cosby - I was never much of a 'Thriller' afficionado until I read Cosby's All the Sinners Bleed which was on Obabma's recommended reading list a year or so ago. I have now read all four of Cosby's works and had the pleasure hearing him speak at a recent event at Parnassus Boo...
-John_B1

What are you reading this week? (6/19/025)
I started KING OF ASHES by S.A. Cosby yesterday…hate that I have to put it down. He describes his characters so perfectly, you can really see them. There's plenty of action and always a big problem to be solved.
-Dotti_A

What are you reading this week? (4/17/2025)
I just finished the audiobook of, The Women on Platform Two, by Laura Anthony. I really enjoyed this debut and the narrators were very good. I am just starting the ebook of, The Famine Orphans, by Patricia Falvey, that will be published May 29. So far, I am enjoying this. I will start listening t...
-jillg

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Media Reviews

"A fast-paced thriller that will have readers asking whether the ends justify the means if there is no end in sight... Reminiscent of the great tragedies, this is Cosby at his best." ―Library Journal (starred review)

"Cosby hits some off notes: Roman's passage from rescuer to aspiring kingpin is almost too smooth, his growing appetite for violence is overplayed and undermotivated, and the book's unyielding nihilism can feel more suffocating than powerful. Still, Cosby continues to excel at evocative scene-setting and drawing richly detailed portraits of rural Black family life. This is best suited to the author's devoted fans." —Publishers Weekly

"A Southern crime drama to the tune of "The Godfather." ―USA Today

"Pick up the novel everyone will be talking about... The flashy sequences of violence feel apt for TV (Netflix, along with Steven Spielberg's production outfit and the Obamas' media company, is working on a series), but the novel's real draw is the quieter ache of a family torn apart." ―The Atlantic

"Cosby is one of the biggest names in the crime/thriller world these days... King of Ashes takes its cue from The Godfather– an ailing patriarch, a family falling apart and a son who comes back home to hold it all together." ―NPR

This information about King of Ashes was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Reader Reviews

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labmom55

Excellent audio experience
S. A. Cosby has done it again. I would award this more than five stars if I could. He excels at writing dark southern thrillers that pit regular folks against the forces of evil. In King of Ashes, Roman returns home to Jefferson Run, VA after his father is in a serious car accident that leaves him in a coma. Turns out, it wasn’t an accident, it was a message being sent to his younger brother to pay up on a large debt. In an effort to save his family, Roman, a financial advisor, makes a deal with the devil.

This is not a book for the faint of heart. There is a lot of violence in this book, a ton of graphic descriptions. But Cosby doesn’t rely on just fast pacing and dark plot lines; he excels at character development. Cosby focuses on the strength of family ties, of going all out to help siblings. As an only child, I found Roman’s willingness to help his screwup of a brother, Dante, amazing. I was totally engrossed to see how far Roman would be willing to go to save his family from the mess that Dante had landed them in.

As the story goes on, Roman steps further into the dark side and it was fascinating to watch him go down that slippery slope. Dante was also a fully fleshed out character. It would have been easy to make him into a caricature. But Cosby made him feel real. So real, I spent most of the book wanting to strangle him. The story encompasses so many deep themes - duty, loyalty, revenge, secrets, true evil. There is a Greek tragedy feel to it. By the end, I was gasping, it was so heartbreaking.

I listened to this and it was a fabulous audio experience. Adam Lazard-White was just the perfect narrator.

jillg

A Southern Crime Thriller
KING OF ASHES
By S. A. Cosby

Narration by Adam Lazarre-White is always spot on.

A fast-paced dark gritty southern crime thriller set in a run-down Virginia town, Jefferson Run. Roman Carruthers has been called home because his father is in a coma after a car accident. He finds his younger brother, Dante, in debt to dangerous thugs and his sister, Neveah, trying to hold the family and the family business together. When Roman learns his father’s car crash was not an accident and because Dante’s immaturity and recklessness has put the family in extreme danger, Roman knows he must now step in. Also, there is a mystery as to why their mother disappeared years ago. How far would you go to protect yourself and your family?

S. A. Cosby’s writing is gorgeous, raw, gritty, and brutal. This book starts out with the gas petal down and never lets up. An intense read of multifaceted, well developed characters. S. A. Cosby is an outstanding author who tells a story brilliantly. This is going to be made into a series, by Higher Ground (Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company) along with Amblin Entertainment (Steven Spielberg’s).

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio
Published June 10 2025

Trisha

Absolutely stunning - a gut-wrenching story about family and what we will do to protect them.
"Everything burns."

Absolutely stunning - a gut-wrenching story about family and what we will do to protect them.

Roman is coming home because he received the call that his father has been hurt in an accident. He's gravely injured and he needs to get home. He's come home to the two siblings that were left behind when he left their small town, left them to run their crematorium family business.

But they were a fractured set of siblings before he left. Their mother has been missing for years. The town, the police - everyone believes their father did it. The kids have always struggled with missing their mom and continuing on with their lives.

However, Roman isn't in town long before he realizes something very big is wrong with his little brother. The time has come for Roman to come back to town and protect his siblings as they are buried deeper into a very dangerous game.

Wow, I was so completely sucked into this one! I did as an audio book and it was hard to stop once I'd started. Each new turn just dropped my jaw and I was amazed at how messy the danger was, how horrifying it all was, and just how major every twist was. I liked how complex and gray every character was. What would you do to protect your family? Roman is willing to risk it all.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

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Author Information

Biography
Books by this Author

S. A. Cosby Author Biography

Photo: Sam Sauter Photography

S.A. Cosby is the New York Times national bestselling award-winning author from Southeastern Virginia. His books include My Darkest Prayer, Blacktop Wasteland, Amazon's #1 Mystery and Thriller of the Year and #3 Best Book of 2020 overall, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, Winner of the LA Times Book Award for Mystery or Thrillers and a Goodreads Choice Awards Semifinalist and the winner of the ITW award for hardcover book of the year, the Macavity for best novel of the year, the Anthony, the Barry, an honorable mention from the ALA Black Caucus and was a finalist for the CWA Golden Dagger. He is also author of the bestselling Razorblade Tears which was also nominated for numerous awards.

His short fiction has appeared in numerous ...

... Full Biography

Other books by S. A. Cosby at BookBrowse

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