King of Ashes — A Novel book cover by S. A. Cosby

King of Ashes

Adult • Mystery • Thriller • Suspense • United States
A Novel
Family business in central Virginia Father's accident leads to danger Eldest son returns to chaos Sister struggles with family burden Brother deep in criminal debt

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.

Choose a book format
Paperback prices by retailer

Pick a format, then compare retailer prices. The main button points to the preferred option for the selected format.

Edition information

Book details

Publisher
Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar
Publication date
March 31, 2026
Print length
352 pages
Language
english
ISBN
9781250395023

Mystery + Thriller + Suspense

Reader guide

What to Know Before Reading King of Ashes

S. A. Cosby returns with a gripping family drama steeped in crime. After a life-altering accident, the Carruthers family's struggle intensifies as debts to dangerous criminals surface.

Join the Reader List

Join bks.social’s reader list for book recommendations, reader updates, featured titles, and occasional community news. No noise. Just the important things.

G-NRIS™ story intelligence

Why readers connect with King of Ashes

A concise view of the book’s strongest literary signals and the reading interests shared by people connected to it on bks.social.

Reader connection

Readers connected to this book most often reflect Psychological Moral Explorer reader archetypes. Their strongest shared genre interests include Thriller, Science, Literary Fiction, and Historical Fiction. They are commonly drawn to themes such as Exploring The Fractured Self, Survival, technology, and gaming.

About the author

S. A. Cosby

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.
Author information: Wikipedia
A favorite quote

“Propulsive and powerful. . . A gripping roller coaster ride of escalating danger. ― New York Times Book Review”

Join the book lovers community

Continue the conversation in the Book Hub for King of Ashes

Visit bks.social’s Book Hub for reader discussions, reviews, posts, quotes, questions, reading activity, related books, and G-NRIS story intelligence.