Title: King of Ashes
Author: S.A. Cosby
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: June 10, 2025
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.
Roman Carruthers has a knack for numbers. As a financial advisor, he can make money for anyone. His clients are certainly happy when their portfolios always do well.
Roman is called to his family home after his father is injured in a car accident. His father is in a coma, and his sister Neveah struggles to keep their family business, Carruthers Crematorium, afloat without help. Their father opened the crematorium years ago, and it has been a successful enterprise. When Neveah asks Roman for help, he leaves everything behind to return to Jesserson Run.
Upon arriving, Roman learns that his younger brother, Dante, has been running with the wrong crowd and owes a large debt to criminals. If Dante doesn’t repay them, his life is at stake.
Roman tries to settle his brother’s debt, but things go wrong, and the criminals force him to undertake dangerous and illegal tasks.
How will Roman help his family escape this situation?
King of Ashes is filled with complex characters. Nothing is purely black or white; the story explores shades of gray. Roman commits morally and legally questionable acts, but they’re necessary to protect his family.
The book includes vivid descriptions of violence that match its dangerous setting. Narrator Adam Lazarre-White does a fantastic job, making the story feel all too real. I knew the ending wouldn’t be tidy, but I hoped Roman would survive.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Macmillan Audio via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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