Southern noir crime-fiction writer S.A. Cosby is a New York Times bestselling author known for his gritty thrillers featuring graphic violence and plotlines with a high body count. An early scene in his new novel, “King of Ashes,” depicts his main character, Roman Carruthers, in a scenario where the barrel of a gun is shoved into his mouth before he gets smashed on top of his head, breaking off his teeth in a maneuver that mimics a “curb stomp.”
The revolting depiction ratchets the tension and informs both the reader and the book’s characters that the villains in Cosby’s fifth narrative aren’t to be trifled with. But, as the novel soon reveals, neither is Carruthers.
Cosby has featured protagonists in his previous stories who are criminals determined to turn good, mediocre humans who only improve a little or heroes too flawed to save everyone. His honest depictions of the everyday survivor contribute significantly to his allure.
Former President Barack Obama considers himself a fan and has named Cosby’s last two novels on his summer reading lists. Folks from Cosby’s home turf in Matthews County, Virginia, have embraced the author for giving voice to their community in ways he never expected. He told an interviewer for CBS in 2024 it was “surreal” to serve as the grand marshal of the county Christmas parade.
Things weren’t always rosy for Cosby in Virginia. His single mother raised her kids in a trailer without running water. Despite their poverty, she encouraged Cosby to follow his dreams and pursue his passion for storytelling. He dabbled in horror for 20 years with “very little success.” Then he switched to exclusively crafting crime fiction and nailed his forte.
Credit: Consociate Media
Credit: Consociate Media
Cosby uses his real-life background to add authenticity to his tales, drawing from experiences like working construction or witnessing bar brawls outside the neighborhood tavern when he was a kid. In “King of Ashes,” he digs into the Carruthers family and the long-held secrets buried inside their crematorium.
The descriptions of cremating cadavers are detailed and believable. And when Roman says to his sister Neveah, “All those years of lifting bodies turned Daddy’s lumbar region to dust,” it reveals specific knowledge of the physical toll from another job Cosby is familiar with — a mortician’s assistant.
Roman is a mover and a shaker who is a successful money manager in Atlanta. He returns to his fictional hometown of Jefferson Run, Virginia, to help Neveah maintain the family business after their father has an accident that leaves him in a coma.
The protagonist in Cosby’s 2023 police procedural “All the Sinners Bleed” — an AJC best book of the year — is also a big-city hotshot who returns to a hamlet to battle the evils of rural Southern life. But instead of an FBI agent turned small-town sheriff tracking down a serial killer, “King of Ashes” bypasses the law and pits money against organized crime. Although Roman’s purpose is perhaps less noble than Cosby’s previous protagonists, this story provides a thrilling and thought-provoking look at privilege and loyalty.
Dante is Roman’s little brother who owes two bad dudes a huge debt. Torrent and Tranquil Gilchrist will stop at nothing to get paid and have no qualms about hurting Dante’s family to extract their funds. They may even be the reason Roman’s father is comatose.
Roman lives an affluent lifestyle in Atlanta and sticks out as “fancy” when he returns to Jefferson Run. But the Gilchrist brothers underestimate Roman’s street cred when Tranquil crushes his teeth. It doesn’t take long for Roman’s muscle memory to recall the skills honed during his impoverished childhood in the Skids, a rough place that “either broke you or possessed you.”
Determined to protect his siblings, save the family business and clear Dante’s debt, Roman embarks on a harrowing journey through the violent underbelly of small-town drug trafficking.
Armed with an alarming lack of financial morals paired with an abundance of investing prowess, Roman is laser-focused on getting out from under the Gilchrists. But is Roman a little too skilled at illegally earning bundles of money while failing to trigger a single official inquiry? Perhaps. Yet Cosby either did his research or also held a job in the financial industry, because Roman’s success is plausibly explained.
Dante is the opposite of his brother in every way. He is the family screwup, a privileged and frustrating figure who constantly stirs up trouble and takes no responsibility for the problems he causes. Yet by the end of the story, Cosby’s rich characterization and twisty plot turns merge, coaxing a bit of compassion for Dante’s plight.
Cosby’s tales are testosterone-fueled voyages that follow men who are mostly good but occasionally do a little bad to stay in the game. The women tend to be ancillary, supporting characters who either fuel or foil the males on Cosby’s virulent interpretation of the hero’s journey.
But the author dug deeper with Neveah’s character. She is the backbone of the family, working tirelessly at the crematorium, unaware of the trouble her brothers are battling, growing bitter over a mystery all her own. As their father lays unconscious in a hospital bed, Neveah becomes obsessed with uncovering a horrible truth she can’t possibly bear. Could their dad be the reason their mom has been missing for 19 years?
Raw, gritty and undeniably entertaining, “King of Ashes” delivers one sizzling summer read that concludes with a few unexpected twists. Only a couple more months to find out if Cosby will make his third appearance on Obama’s summer reading list.
FICTION
“King of Ashes”
by S.A Cosby
Flatiron Books
352 pages, $28.99
AUTHOR EVENT
S.A. Cosby. Author talk, Q&A and book signing with purchase. 4 p.m. June 21. Free. Barnes & Noble Cumberland, 2952 Cobb Parkway, Atlanta. 770-953-0966, www.barnesandnoble.com
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