From the opening pages Cosby drew me into the story. Roman Carruthers, Rome to some, is a very successful financial adviser at Carruthers & Associates in Atlanta. His savings are “nearly forty million dollars”. His clients are equally successful in the worlds of entertainment and business. Beautiful women enjoy time with him.
At the same time he has a monthly appointment with Miss Delicate, a dominatrix, who serves his need to be punished. After being phoned that his father is in a coma and urged to come home, he goes to see Miss Delicate before heading to Virginia. It has been five years since his last visit home.
Cosby is a philosopher of pessimism. A former girlfriend of Roman talks about the universe:
“I used to be afraid the universe was evil. Now I almost wish it was. Because evil can be bargained with, evil has a purpose, no matter how horrible it may be. But what I’ve come to realize is the universe is indifferent, and that is so much more terrifying,” she had said.
His mother, Bonita, has been missing for 19 years.
Roman grew up in Jefferson Run, an industrial city which has endured decades of decay. Carruthers Cremation Services continues to do well.
His sister Neveah operates the crematory with their father, Keith. Their brother, Dante, is of little assistance.
Roman agrees to help his sister the next day as she has “six bodies that gotta go in the oven” but he “has no desire to be the King of Ashes”.
Cosby has Michael Connelly’s talent for creating memorable descriptions of people through their work such as the Lincoln Lawyer.
Cosby is equally adept at evocative phrases.
He is very skilled at writing violence.
When their mother vanished after an evening shift as a hospital tech the family lost their “guiding light”. They are all still haunted. Grieving cannot end with no explanation for her disappearance.
Speculaion still swirls around Jefferson Run about her disappearance.
Roman makes a painful mistake while addressing a business problem of Dante with Torrent and Tranquil Gilchrist, the leaders of the Black Baron Boys. He acts to address his error.
The family troubles lead to an ugly situation beyond my imagination. It made me reflect on what I would do in an impossible situation. Roman will need more than a dominatrix to punish himself for his actions.
Roman quickly fits back into the routine of the crematory. He offers to close up one day. Neveah reminds him to turn off the gas valves and leave the exhaust on. She repeats her father’s mantra that “he don’t want the flames to turn against him”.
They grew up on their father’s maxims. Some are chillingly frank:
“A body is just the meat and bones. By the time they get to us, the person they used to be is long gone.”
As his stress level rises and rises, Rome craves some BDSM. He needs the pain.
Roman is a master of making money. He is not averse to investing beyond the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He is ready to play upon the greed of the Black Baron Boys. They have a lot of cash coming in from their ventures.
Roman has negotiated with hard men and women but negotiations have a different level of intensity when the investors have guns and an eagerness to use them.
The BBB continually use fear to achieve their goals. Fear is a powerful but short term strategy.
Khalil says:
“Love may not endure, but fear fails when a man’s had enough.”
Roman meets Jealousy “Jae” Evers, a gorgeous assistant in the Mayor’s office. She is the half-sister of Torrent and Tranquil. Both Roman and Jae are bright and well educated. They understand each other on multiple levels. It is an unusual relationship for a thriller.
As Roman strives to solve the BBB problem, family relationships swirl. Roman does not want to hear about his parents’ relationship 19 years ago. How many people cannot accept the truth about parents?
As the end nears chaos builds and bodies fall. Roman tries to keep Neveah safe. Physically she is protected. The consequences of family secrets are immense.
The ending is bloody plausible though it left me saddened for other reasons.
Roman becomes a different man. His father’s favourite phrase sums up the book:
“Everything burns.”
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