e-Audio, 13:18:57
Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White
Release Date: June 10, 2025
Published by: Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar
Read from: April 18-21, 2025
Stand-Alone
Source: Macmillan Audio (I received a free e-ALC from the publisher. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Violence, Murder, Gun Violence, Drug Abuse, Suicide, Death of a Parent
For Readers Interested In: Thrillers, Multi POV, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Action, Realistic Fiction, Most AnticipatedAward-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 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.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I’m not gonna lie, I saw Crematorium and I was a little put off. It just seemed intense lol One of the things I was scared to happen actually happened and I was shook after I read it. This book and more was a lot, but really in the best way lol
Ok so its rare that I dislike everyone in the book but still enjoy the book overall lol Literally everyone in this book is a shady mofo and they ALL were lying about something. I can’t tell you how many times I gave each of them advice through my headphones lol I know I sounded like a crazy person but at this point I didn’t care lol But if you haven’t read this yet, just know, don’t believe anyone.
The plot of this was a little repetitive, but you hardly notice it because of how fast it’s moving. Just when you think something is going to calm down, something else pops up. It just seemed to be the same thing because of the situation they were in. And while I understood, it was a little repetitive. But it was so good I didn’t care at all. In fact I almost bit all my nails off because in addition to everything happening, I cannot tell you the amount of times I said “WTF” because of the the twists and turns. Lordt this book had my heard turning every single which way. And they just kept happening? It was a lot.
Obviously the fire in this book is a huge symbol. It’s seen as a transformation and renewal, but in this one it was more suffering and destruction. This family was going through it. Literally all of them were upset about something. I was so sad for them. They’re also really familar with the fact that fire also can be seen as Hell and damnation. Because Baby let me tell you, all of them were sinners somewhere. And it made me even more convinced because none of them prayed. They recognized that there might be a higher power (one of them says I haven’t prayed in a long time etc.) but that was obviously because they were in trouble. The symbolism in just the fire alone was crazy! And to further the cool factor, I was able to connect it to more media that I’ve read/seen that have fire as a major symbol. This book was definitely a banger.
S.A. Cosby is still a bit new to me. I think I’ve only read one other by him. But I’ve also added his entire backlist to my TBR. And I hope all of them have me on pins and needles like this lol Because this was intense. And I know I’ll be doing everything I can to chase this same feeling again.
Overall, I give this
Rated 5 on Goodreads & 4.5 on Storygraph