King of Ashes

'S. A. Cosby's novels always hit the grand slam of crime fiction' MICHAEL CONNELLY
'Cosby sends a shiver down the spine' DAILY MAIL
'A pulsating saga of family secrets and double and triple-crossing' THE TIMES, THE BEST THRILLERS OF 2025

A son returning home. A dangerous debt. Secrets about to ignite . . . and a family consumed by flames.

Roman Carruthers left the smoke and fire of his family's crematory business behind in his hometown of Jefferson Run, Virginia. He is enjoying a life of shallow excess as a financial adviser in Atlanta until he gets a call from his sister, Neveah, telling him their father is in a coma after a hit-and-run accident.

When Roman goes home, he learns the accident may not be what it seems. His brother, Dante, is deeply in debt to dangerous, ruthless criminals. And Roman is willing to do anything to protect his family. Anything.

A financial whiz with a head for numbers and a talent for making his clients rich, Roman must use all his skills to try to save his family while dealing with a shadow that has haunted them all for twenty years: the disappearance of their mother when Roman and his siblings were teenagers. It's a mystery that Neveah, who has sacrificed so much of her life to hold her family together, is determined to solve once and for all.

As fate and chance and heartache ignite their lives, the Carruthers family must pull together to survive or see their lives turn to ash. Because, as their father counseled them from birth, nothing lasts forever. Everything burns.

'A pulsating thriller' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'Builds to an explosive finale' DAILY EXPRESS
'American crime fiction has found its future and his name is S. A. Cosby' DENNIS LEHANE
'Dazzlingly bold and brutal, yet still manages to break your heart' CRIME MONTHLY


Praise for S. A. Cosby:

'Sensationally good' LEE CHILD
'Exhilarating' STEPHEN KING
'Stunning. Can't remember the last time I read such a powerful crime novel' MARK BILLINGHAM
'S. A. Cosby is a welcome, refreshing new voice in crime literature' DENNIS LEHANE
'Every once in a while a writer comes along with an incredible voice. . . add S. A. Cosby to that list' STEVE CAVANAGH
'Elegant, fierce storytelling at its absolute best.' DAILY MAIL