Ratings1
Average rating5
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.
Reviews with the most likes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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 ⭐️⭐️⭐️