KING OF ASHES
“Narrator Adam Lazarre-White masterfully voices a wide range of characters. Listeners will be captivated by the layered storytelling, morally complex characters, and the powerful interpretation of a narrative steeped in pain, violence, and family loyalty.”—AudioFile
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.
“Narrator Adam Lazarre-White masterfully voices a wide range of characters. Listeners will be captivated by the layered storytelling, morally complex characters, and the powerful interpretation of a narrative steeped in pain, violence, and family loyalty.”—AudioFile
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.
“Lazarre-White brings a nuanced portrayal to a full cast of complex characters. The rich details are given depth with Lazarre-White’s lyrical qualities.” —Booklist on All the Sinners Bleed (Starred Review)
“Adam Lazarre-White’s Southern drawl drips slow as molasses…” —Library Journal on All The Sinners Bleed (Starred review)
A Macmillan Audio production from Pine & Cedar Books.
- Macmillan Audio
- Audio
- June 2025
- 13 hours 19 minutes
- 9781250395030
Buy the Book
$26.99
About S. A. Cosby
S. A. Cosby is a New York Times bestselling writer from southeastern Virginia. He is the author of All the Sinners Bleed, which was on more than forty Best of the Year lists, including Barack Obama’s, as well as Edgar Award finalist Razorblade Tears and Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Blacktop Wasteland. He has also won the Anthony Award, ITW Thriller Award, Barry Award, Macavity Award, BCALA Award, and Audie Award and has been longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence.
Praise
“Propulsive and powerful. . . A gripping roller coaster ride of escalating danger in cars and crematories, punctuated by pulpy moments of dark glamour in the bedroom and the club, interspersed with elegiac meditations on the art of war. The story overflows with immersive velocity and crackling sensory details. . . With Roman, Cosby has sculpted a character of Shakespearean proportions: kingly, devoted, shrewd. He reminds us of Hamlet, a tormented antihero struggling with how best to take revenge while preserving his soul in a depraved land.” —New York Times Book Review
“Dark, riveting, and accomplished. . . Cosby has built an impressive reputation for creating brutal, fast-paced novels in which bad things happen to just about everybody.” —Washington Post
“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
“A thrilling and thought-provoking look at privilege and loyalty. . . Raw, gritty and undeniably entertaining, King of Ashes delivers one sizzling summer read that concludes with a few unexpected twists.” —Atlanta Journal Constitution
“This is a tale of Shakespearean proportions, of festering passions, brutal vengeance, of loyalty and love. Cosby’s prose is a brilliant conflagration of fiery metaphors and brutal realism.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
Discussion Questions
1. How did Adam Lazarre-White distinguish the different voices in the audiobook, from Roman and Naveah to the local Jefferson Run personalities? Was there a particular character’s voice that stood out to you, and how did the narration bring that character to life?
2. The novel is described as a “Southern crime epic.” How did the narration and the audiobook’s pacing and tone contribute to creating a sense of place?
3. Discuss Cosby’s use of the crematory in the novel. How does this setting contribute to Cosby’s exploration of themes surrounding family and trauma? Identify key moments that take place at the crematory and discuss how these events develop the theme and characters.
4. What did you think of the revelation that Dante and Roman caused the accident that killed their mother? How did this plot twist impact your understanding of the protagonist and the other members of the Carruthers family?
5. One of the novel’s major themes is the weight of family loyalty, and this weight drags several characters down into making unethical decisions. What did you think of the story’s presentation of family and loyalty?
6. How does Cosby portray Roman as a tragic hero? What character flaws and external factors lead to his fall from grace?
7. Think about the narrator’s pacing in terms of building suspense and tension in the narrative. Were there moments where a change in pace enhanced a particular scene?
8. How did Adam’s performance convey the intense emotions of “pain, violence, and family loyalty?” Can you recall a specific scene where the narration heightened the emotional impact?
9. The final line of the book description is “Because everything burns.” The title itself, King of Ashes, points to this theme as well. How did the narration of the audiobook, with its specific tone and delivery, bring this central metaphor of fire, destruction, and rebirth to life? Were there specific scenes or descriptions that felt particularly “fiery” in their audio portrayal?
10. Adam Lazarre-White narrated all of S. A. Cosby’s audiobooks. Which have you listened to and which audiobook was your favorite?