King of Ashes. S. A. Crosby. 2025.
Southern noir. Southern Gothic.
When his father falls into a coma and his younger brother sinks deep into a violent gang’s debt, a talented wealth manager returns to his hometown and uses his elite financial skills to save his family and their legacy.
Roman is a financial consultant and wealth manager born on the wrong side of the tracks. Dressed for that part when the story begins, he appears to the gangsters like a mark, like a civilian who can be intimidated to do their bidding. But readers have a different understanding of Roman. His interiority from the earliest pages shows that the line separating him from the bad guys is not as thick or as rigid as they seem to think.
It is this voice that sets up the tense, Breaking Bad vibe that makes this story interesting. And, as things burn down around him, readers can see that Roman, who was raised in his father’s crematory, is unlikely to be consumed by the flames.
King of Ashes feels like a villain’s origin story. If it is, and I suspect it is, we are in for a hell of a series.
AUTHORS – I write short book reviews that focus on voice and vibe. They are useful to querying authors searching for comp titles. There are more like this on my website.