KING OF ASHES, the latest thriller from celebrated novelist S. A. Cosby, brings us a terrific and flawed protagonist in Roman Carruthers, who is summoned to his family home due to a car accident that finds his father in a coma.

Roman works in high finance and is a wizard with making and hiding money for his wealthy clients, who range from business owners to rap stars. He lives and works in Atlanta, which is physically and spiritually distant from where he is called back to in Jefferson Run, Virginia. His sister, Neveah, makes the call; not only does she continue to live with her father and her brother, Dante, she works in the family business that her father owns, Carruthers Crematorium.

The car accident that landed their father in the hospital is still being investigated, but Neveah and Dante believe it was intentional. After meeting with Neveah and checking in on his father's condition, Roman returns to his family home and surmises fairly quickly that Dante is in bad shape --- both financially and with the local mobsters to whom he owes quite a bit of drug money.

"The writing is so gritty that readers will be picking bits of salt out of their teeth. If you like your crime thrillers filled with atmosphere and attitude, then KING OF ASHES is for you."

Dante makes it clear that his financial concerns are tied to Torrent and Tranquil Gilchrist, the psychotic brothers atop a criminal enterprise. The latter name is especially ironic as Tranquil is a complete psychopath known for brutally torturing his victims and having a very short fuse. Roman believes that he can use his steady business head to assist his brother in smoothing things over with the gangsters who most likely were behind the crash that has put their father at death’s door.

The first meeting between the Carruthers brothers and the gang led by Torrent and Tranquil does not go as Roman had planned, showing just how out of touch he is with truly evil adversaries. Dante loses his pinky finger, while Roman is held at gunpoint. Roman finds himself offering up his financial services, free of charge, not only to make good on the money Dante owes but also to help them make and hide future money. This literal deal with the devil will keep Roman in Jefferson Run until all is settled. Unfortunately, with criminals of this nature, he may never be off the hook.

Roman also must promise Torrent and Tranquil that he will give them full access to the crematorium to “eliminate” physical evidence of those they have killed. Roman’s father had long been known as the “King of Ashes” due to his occupation. But now Roman is taking on this role in a vastly different way and, hopefully, under the nose of his shrewd sister.

What we have now is a brilliant battle of wits between Roman and the psycho brothers to whom he has become attached. We watch with bated breath as he makes financial maneuvers to keep everyone happy while still plotting ways to bring down those who have harmed his family. To do this, he will call upon a client of his who owes him several favors and possesses a deadly skill set that will come in very handy when facing off against Jefferson Run’s most notorious criminal enterprise. All of these characters are fleshed out in such a way that they become living, breathing people whom Cosby moves around his narrative chess board with extreme guile.

The writing is so gritty that readers will be picking bits of salt out of their teeth. If you like your crime thrillers filled with atmosphere and attitude, then KING OF ASHES is for you. It also continues the nice legacy of success for S. A. Cosby with his much-admired writing style that earns him heaps of praise from his contemporaries and various award committees.