I rarely read two books by the same author back to back—so many books, so little time, pesky things like working and sleeping getting in the way—but it happened with S.A. Cosby’s one-two punch of Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears. Here was an author writing crime fiction as good as anyone in the business, with ferociously feral criminals and flawed but deeply human good guys. Set in Virginia, Cosby’s stories are lean, violent, and relentless. He’s not afraid to tackle tough subjects like racism and homophobia. Call it southern gothic or gritty noir, Cosby is a modern master of his craft.

Like its predecessors, King of Ashes is set in Virginia, in this case the crumbling, crime-ridden town of Jefferson Run. When his father is severely injured in a car accident, Roman Carruthers is drawn home to Jefferson Run from his glitzy life in Atlanta as a financial planner for the rich and famous. There he finds his sister Neveah desperately trying to keep the family Crematorium business from going under, and his drug-addicted brother Dante in debt to a pair of psychotic brothers who hold the town in their bloody grip.

Roman soon finds himself deeply involved in the brothers’ criminal enterprises, trying against all odds to keep his brother and sister alive. Roman is no stranger to bending the law for his high-end financial clients, but this is something all-together different. As the bodies begin to pile up, the furnace at the Carruthers Crematorium is working overtime, and Roman finds himself crossing lines he never thought he would cross.

Cosby reminds me at times of Joe R. Lansdale in his eloquent depictions of the chaotic, violent side of crime, and of Harry Crews in his merciless dissection of the American south. But he’s a true original, plowing the fertile ground of southern Virginia as a relatively new but superb voice in crime fiction. King of Ashes is a more-than-worthy addition to Cosby’s already impressive resume.