The Unspoken is a thrilling mystery. Cayne is a former police officer who left because he wouldn't go along with the corrupt justice system. He is hired as a P.I. to find a missing woman. I loved that it kept me on the edge of my seat. The author does a great job of depicting Chicago and its corrupt systems/crimes. Seeing the mystery play out and how it all tied together, in the end, was intriguing. Overall, it was a good thriller that many crime tv show fans would enjoy.

This new series features Ashe Cayne, an ex-cop turned private investigator. He doesn't need the money so he's very selective of the cases he takes on. He lost his Chicago detective job when he refused to participate in a cover up revolving around the death of a young black man. So now he fights for justice his way ....

The mother of Tinsley Gerrigan arrives in Cayne's office wanting to hire him. Tinsley has been missing several days and mom wants her found ... now.

Drawing upon information from friends still in law enforcement, what he discovers as he investigates suggests that she may have had good reason to just up and leave...

But then, there's another murder ... Tinsley's boyfriend. So what were they involved in? What did they know or see that warranted this kind of violence.

This is well-written with an engaging plot and unique twists and turns that keep the reader glued to each and every page. I really like the character of Ashe .. and a little of his backstory. Other characters are deftly drawn and lend interest in the ongoing story. I like getting in on the ground floor of what seems to be a terrific series ... and even better, Book 2 will be available later this year.

Many thanks to the author / Amazon Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This was an enjoyable detective mystery and a great start to a new series. The writing is very atmospheric of Chicago and I felt transported there while reading. I look forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A fun, twisty thriller!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Unspoken is a new series set in Chicago. Ashe Cayne is the protagonist. He's a former Chicago PD detective who is now a private investigator. They forced him out of the department after refusing to take part in a cover-up involving the death of a man.

Working as a PI he's hired by a wealthy North Shore woman to find her missing daughter.

The investigation gets into murky water fast, offering plenty of twists for the reader.

The story offers an interesting look at the city of Chicago. Its politics, police, and gulf between the rich and the poor.

There is a subplot with a priest which I didn't find necessary, but aside from that it's a good mystery thriller with intriguing characters. I enjoyed The Unspoken and am looking forward to another book featuring Ashe Cayne.

I loved the premise of the story and the detective Ashe Cayne came across as a very upright and smart detective. I liked his character.
The story was about the kidnapping of Tinsley Garrigan from a wealthy family. The journey to look for Tinsley takes Ashe Cayne through the streets of Chicago.
Ashe comes across as an upright detective and the story has enough twists and turns as expected from a murder mystery. The twist in the end is a highlight.
I was not very comfortable with another parallel story in the narrative which I felt confused about.

I would recommend this story to any one who loves to read a murder mystery having a private investigator as the protagonist and enuff twists and turns to keep you reading through.

I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for provinding me an eARC of the book to rad and review. the opinions expressed are entirely mine.

There’s something to be said for doing the right thing. Ashe Cayne is now a private investigator instead of a detective with the Chicago Police Department so he can decide and act for what is right, instead of having to do what his bosses tell him.

Ashe Cayne is a likable hero. He was a Chicago police detective and luckily still has a few friends with the department. They prove quite handy in his new role as a private investigator. But even working for himself, he still has an unquenchable desire for justice, even when he’s no longer getting paid. While he expects that the original case of finding the Gerrigan’s rich daughter is no longer really an issue, it’s already unraveled a few more threads, and he needs to fix those for his own peace of mind.

There was another random story line that didn’t seem to fit in as well. Cayne was previously aware of a case with an abusive Catholic priest with a trail of victims. While the Church told him he was no longer a Father, Cayne finds out he’s still preaching and up to his old tricks. His story line never really intersected with the missing person’s case, but it did show a bit more of Cayne’s thirst for justice.

Overall, I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars and probably enjoy reading the next one. Sometimes a crime solved within a few hundred pages can be very satisfying in a world of chaos.

Overweight

I have not read any of Dr. Smith's other writing, which seems largely to focus on his successful diet plan, and I will not be reading anything else of Dr. Smith's if I can help it. In the ARC I have received, Dr. Smith's tortured writing style has me rolling my eyes so often I am dizzy. Why use one clear word when we can add a few unneeded (and sometimes weird) descriptives

The Unspoken by Ian K. Smith is a fast-paced mystery with lots of twists and turns.

Who killed Chopper, and what happened to Tinsley?
This book is the first in a wonderfully witty new mystery series set in Chicago. I enjoyed this fresh, unique voice, and I am looking forward to the next installment. I found the characters humourous, believable, and each with their own perfect flaws.

Ashe Cayne
Ashe is our private detective and former Chicago Police Detective. He still has his contacts within the force. Ashe is a different type of detective. He is highly educated, uses big words, and mixes within all of the cases. Dr. Wendell Cayne is Ashe's father, and he is a psychiatrist, which gives Ashe lots of insight and a sounding board. Not that Ashe needs much help as he is a knowledgeable guy. He also uses big words all the time, which isn't appreciated by some of the people that he is interviewing.

I like Ashe. He is one of those brooding hero types, kind of like Batman. Ashe has some money, he's smart, and he requires justice. He has the vigilante part down, although only a few people know about that side of him. Ashe has been hurt in the past and isn't sure if he is ready to move on. However, I believe that Carolina might be willing to assist with some of his damaged parts.

The Mystery
Ashe is hired to find a missing wealthy heiress, Tinsley. Although, shortly after Tinsley goes missing, her boyfriend, Chopper, from the "wrong side of the tracks" is murdered. Tinsley trail doesn't add up, and things aren't connecting as they should. In the middle of everything, Ashe is fired by Tinsley's mother, and he is told to leave it alone. However, if not before, the case isn't about finding Tinsley but about who killed Chopper and why. Oh, and Ashe isn't going to back down; he can't be bought off. I like this honorable side of Ashe.

Five Stars
I truly enjoyed seeing all sides of Chicago. Dr. Smith does an excellent job of bringing all the neighborhoods and ethnic groups to life. This book is a perfect start to a new series. My rating for The Unspoken by Ian K. Smith is five stars. I recommend this to all the mystery/thriller/police procedural fans out there.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Unspoken by Ian K. Smith.

Until the next time,
~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

The Unspoken was such an interesting read. I'm fond of a few cop procedural shows and true crime shows, so I had no trouble diving into the world quickly. The plot is definitely one big puzzle and loved the mystery of it all. I did expect more thrill or shock as I read, but still I have to applaud the author for a twisted storyline. There was a certain part of the story that seemed disconnected from the main story. Don't get me wrong, it was interesting, but it felt disconnected from everything. Ashe Cayne was also one complex character! I thought I already knew what kind of character he is, but he still managed to surprise me towards the end. Overall, The Unspoken is a good, entertaining read! (Exact rating: 3.5 stars!)

Ian K. Smith has written an intense, and edgy novel. The genres for this novel are a mystery, suspense, psychological thriller, and fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The author describes his characters as complex and complicated. There are betrayals, danger, and murder. Warning: There is one graphic scene written and vividly described by the author that I found extremely distasteful and sickening. I really wish I had been aware of that. I still would have read the book but would have possibly passed over that part if given the choice.

Ashe Cayne was a former member of the Chicago Police department, and now is working as a Private Investigator. He is financially comfortable and chooses what cases he wants to work on. Ashe Cayne seems to work in a grey area, not black or white. He gets things done in the way he wants to. One of the wealthiest women in the area wants Ashe to find her missing daughter.

For a while, Ashe does work with the police and meets some intriguing, dramatic characters. Much of the action takes place in Chicago and involves gang members and wealthy business people with their own agenda.

During the search for Tinsley, the daughter, Ashe is also working on another case involving a deviant priest.

There is plenty of action, suspense, twists and turns, threats, danger, and murder. This is a perfect read for someone that enjoys a twisted dark story.

Compelled to fight for justice, Ashe Cayne likes to shake trees when he senses illegal activities.

Ashe, a former Chicago detective, is called in to investigate the disappearance of a wealthy 25-year old, Tinsley Gerrigan.

As the story unfolds, Ashe realizes that not only does he not have all the information, the truth is also being hidden.

Ashe drives this domestic mystery. As with most character-driven tales, we learn about Ashe and his past, though not too much.

I have read all of Ian's fiction titles and I knew I had to read this one. I was not disappointed.

This well-written and easy-to-read title is an excellent addition to cadre of detective fiction by black male authors.

Highly recommended for fans of Walter Mosley.

This book was very well done. I liked the character development as well as the story. I would read more of this author's work.

i really enjoyed this book, the author did a good job of crafting the characters and making you want to know more about them. i like that the MC is a good guy, but doesn't always win and inst afraid to get his hands dirty. definitely waiting for the next book.

The Unspoken by Ian K. Smith follows Ashe Cayne, a former police officer turned private detective. The daughter of one of Chicago's wealthiest families has gone missing and Ashe is hired to help find her. In the course of investigating Tinsley's disappearance, he discovers a connection to one of Chicago's deadliest gangs but when damaging information comes to light about Tinsley's father it casts a harsh shadow on the family. How do the problems of race and class play into what really happened and will Ashe be able to find Tinsley Gerrigan before it's too late?

The Unspoken deals with hot button issues like race, socio-economic profiling, police brutality, and interracial relationships. The plot itself was intriguing however, the subplot felt disingenuous to the character and the story. The majority of the book was spent detailing minor things like a character's appearance, food, buildings, weapons, and the like while there was very little character development so I felt no real connection with anyone in the book. Too much of the "plot" revolved around food and drink which was distracting from the plot and unnecessary. The story didn't really pick up until about halfway through the book and even then often got bogged down with minor details and poor dialogue.

This book didn’t work for me.

There is too much detail in the descriptions of Chicago, but not enough for the characters. It almost reads like a movie script where everything gets detailed to the last point. I actually think this story would work pretty well on camera, just not on paper. With the two stories running at the same time, at least I think it’s the same time, I bet it would make more sense visually. Also the main character Ashe reminds me bit of Dexter Morgan, from the books and the tv series, I loved Dexter, but I don’t care for Ashe.

The story is actually pretty good, but all the unnecessary details just make it a very unpleasant read for me.

This book was excellent. I had previously purchase his other novel, The Ancient Nine, which was also a great thriller. Mr. Smith introduced a long overdue theme to the thriller genre . . . .placing characters of color into lead roles as protagonists. I appreciate his efforts to show these types of people as intelligent, cunning and crafty human beings. I definitely recommend this author and would read his next novel immediately.

The Unspoken could have remained The Unread as far as I am concerned. More than 50% of the way into the novel, the protagonist kidnaps, imprisons, and tortures a man who allegedly committed crimes for which the protagonist thought he had not been sufficiently punished. That activity turned me off. I had no interest in reading further. But since I came this far, I might point out that the first 50% of the novel is about a missing 25-year old woman. The author did nothing to make me care one whit about her- who she is, why she is missing-if she is. I know that Chicago has some wealthy people and locations, but I don't need to keep hearing about them as if they somehow dress this novel up. Sorry, this novel is not for me.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I liked the character of Ashe Caine and the investigation he is involved with. I found the character reminiscent of too many of my favorites, which I didn’t like. I disliked the complicated and sadistic subplot about personal revenge against a predator priest.

Though I love detectives and Ashe certainly was enjoyable, the secondary plot really turned me off.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.