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King of Ashes

S.A. Cosby

Start date: June 10, 2025

Discussion: Buddy Reads

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What Members Thought

May 27, 2025 Sandra Hoover rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-publisher, crime-fiction, mystery-thriller, mystery, southern-noir, netgally-arc, mystery-suspense-mag, suspense, grit-lit, publisher-flatiron

Author S.A. Cosby’s KING OF ASHES is a bold, brutal, in your face Southern Noir family drama by that begs the question, "What would you do to protect your family?". Like Cosby's preceding books, this tension laden story is a gritty, raw, gut-wrenching masterpiece with blood, sweat, and tears permeating every page. Settle in your favorite corner before starting this highly addictive page burner. It's a wild ride!

Roman Carruthers, a financial guru, left his run-down hometown of Jefferson Run, Virg Author S.A. Cosby’s KING OF ASHES is a bold, brutal, in your face Southern Noir family drama by that begs the question, "What would you do to protect your family?". Like Cosby's preceding books, this tension laden story is a gritty, raw, gut-wrenching masterpiece with blood, sweat, and tears permeating every page. Settle in your favorite corner before starting this highly addictive page burner. It's a wild ride!

Roman Carruthers, a financial guru, left his run-down hometown of Jefferson Run, Virginia, and the family Crematorium business he detested in the rearview five years ago, seeking the bright lights and opportunities of the big city. Over time, Roman built a reputable, profitable business as a respected expert managing clients’ money and making them wealthy. He's living the good life when a phone call informs him his father is comatose following a near fatal car crash, and he's needed back home. Roman has no choice but to swallow his dread and return to the place he fled to pay his dues with plans to make an appearance and then get back out as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Roman's plans change when he finds his sister, Neveah, exhausted and nearing the end of her rope as she single handedly works killer hours to keep the Crematorium running while keeping vigilance by her father's hospital bed and riding shotgun over younger brother, Dante, whose bad decisions put him in a dicey situation with local, lowlife criminals. Upon arrival, Roman analyzes the situation as he would any mathematical problem and proceeds with a plan to pay off Dante's debt; however, events backfire and quickly escalate out of control. He learns the hard way that Dante's careless actions have attracted criminal elements way beyond the local thugs. Someone with power is seeking retaliation against his family, leaving him to wonder if his father's car crash was a warning . . . not an accident. Now, everyone Roman cares about is in danger, and to Roman, family is everything. Money won't buy them off, but Roman knows how the game is played. Swallowing his pride and the bile rising in his throat, Roman crosses over to the dark side, selling his soul to the devil in a bargain that may forever bind him to the small town life he worked so hard to escape. While he doesn't like it, one lesson Roman learned from his father is that everything burns. And he's not above striking the match that'll burn this town down around them to save his family.

Cosby never lifts his foot off the gas in KING OF ASHES. From beginning to end, it's an action-packed, fast paced family drama with flawed, larger than life characters battling impossible odds in an age-old battle of good vs. evil, but in doing so, what do they become? What sets Cosby's characters apart is their strong family ties, hearts of a lion, keen sense of morality even as they're forced to cross lines in the name of old timey justice, and their ability to display vulnerability while stepping up as antiheroes all in the name of family. Fueled by an increasing tone of impending doom, nonstop action drives the maddening pace forward through flawlessly woven, twisted, multiple plot lines towards an explosive climax that left me breathless. Family skeletons along with all the dark family secrets escape to wreak havoc in this epic southern noir thriller. Who will remain standing when they sift through the ashes? Highly recommended to readers who enjoy fast-paced, graphic, family drama thrillers.
Special thanks to Flatiron Books for a complimentary arc of this title for review. Opinions expressed are my own. This title is scheduled for release June 10, 2025. My review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine and is also available on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews. ...more

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Jul 19, 2025 John Kelly rated it really liked it

Shelves: librarian-s-husband-s-book-club, 2025, audio-book

King of Ashes pulls no punches. From the very first page, you enter a world where family loyalty clashes with brutal violence, and every secret burns hotter than the last.

Roman Carruthers left behind the smoke and ashes of his childhood in rural Virginia for the glossy surface of financial advising in Atlanta—but when his father ends up in a coma after a suspicious hit-and-run, Roman’s old life drags him back. The money he made can’t buy him protection from the ruthless gang debts his brother D ...more

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Jun 18, 2025 Diana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: tpam-challenge-2025, turning-pages-buddy-read, audiobook, favorites-of-2025

I just finished this one and I think I need a minute. All I can say right now is that it's definitely a 5 star. ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Jun 11, 2025 Stacie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2025, bipoc-authors, contemporary, mystery-thriller-suspense, audiobook, dark

I finished last night and my mind was blown. If morally grey were a book, this would be it. There were times my eyes were bugging out of my head, my stomach was squeezing, and I had tears in my eyes. The ending has me sitting in silence staring at the wall. Family is everything and everything burns. I just can't give it any less than 5 stars.

TW- Extreme violence ...more

4 likes · Like · see review