KING OF ASHES is the latest
mystery/thriller by award-winning author S. A. Cosby. His first, Blacktop Wasteland, continues to be my favorite although I have also
read or listened to Razorblade Tears and would highly recommended All the Sinners Bleed. The publisher describes KING
OF ASHES as “a Godfather-inspired Southern crime epic and dazzling family drama.”
The story is set in Jefferson Run, Virginia where older brother Roman Carruthers
has returned briefly from his investment business in Atlanta and where sister
Neveah now runs the family crematorium business. Both are drawn into a
dangerous situation initially created by their younger brother, drug-using Dante.
Cosby explores the family dynamics, including the disappearance of their
mother, saying, “[Roman] hadn't shared the weight the way he should have, but
they were sister and brother, the three of them: Dante, Neveah, and Roman had
shared the same womb, been brought into the world with the same alchemy of love,
passion, and need that had lived between their parents. That magic united them
for all time …” Initially Roman “had no desire to be the King of Ashes. That
title belonged to his father and Roman was content to let him live on through
him or burn with him.” Danger and violence, however, increasingly thwart Roman’s
efforts to right Dante’s wrongs; there are some truly evil characters and the
crematorium itself becomes an instrument of death, both rumored and real. Readers
need to be prepared as suspense and tension build: this text turns quite brutal, dark, and gruesome.The audiobook of KING OF ASHES is narrated by
Adam Lazarre-White and we have thoroughly enjoyed listening to him spin these
Cosby tales on long road trips over the past few years. Once again, Lazarre-White
adeptly uses his voice to convey the attitudes, concerns, and motivation for key
characters. Having received a starred review from Library Journal, KING
OF ASHES is a LibraryReads selection for June 2025 and an Indie Next pick (“A Faustian deal with his hometown devil descends into depravity.”).
Plus, it appears on recommended summer reading lists from NPR, New
York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic and more.
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