Being on this PI journey with Ashe Cayne and I feel like I can solve crime now. Reading this mystery goes to show that Sex, Money and power will get you killed.

Thank you Netgalley for the gifted copy. This was a good read. A full review will be on Goodreads soon.

This novel was exhilarating and thought provoking! I felt like I was watching an episode of NCIS or Criminal Minds. Quick background: I wanted to study forensic science or intelligence analysis before I chose to go into sports medicine so this book was everything to me!

I loved Ashe Cayne. He’s a former Chicago police detective turned private investigator. His knowledge about cars, sports, poetry, and many other things drew me in from start to finish. With him being a private investigator, his connections, intelligence, and adaptability came in handy when communicating with potential suspects and people who may have know the victim. His smooth approach of talking to people by getting them comfortable enough to release valuable information was a genius tactic. He would start the conversation off with sports, history, or the make/model of a vintage car. When I say you could ask him anything, he would give a detailed explanation about it, that alone peaked my interest. Also to mention his love for poetry and art got me interested in Shakespeare, Basquiat, and many others.

I gave it a 4.5 rating only because of the ending. I pictured the ending completely different with how Ashe Cayne pieced the evidence together especially with Connelly since he was at the center of mostly everything going on. It felt like it was too easy for him to connect after a while. I wanted Connelly to be more involve like on a mafia type of level lol. But I did enjoy the plot twist of who actually was involved with the whole thing. Overall I really enjoyed the book, it definitely kept me engaged and I can’t wait to have the entire collection.

Elliott Kantor, one of Chicago’s wealthiest men, is dead. The unflattering manner in which his body is discovered seems both perplexing and unfathomable. Kantor, in his late seventies, is found tied to a four-poster bed, with nothing on except for a pair of ruby-red women’s panties and a leather dog collar. His family wants answers and they’re willing to pay handsomely to get them. They hire Ashe Cayne, a former Chicago Police Detective, now Private Investigator, well-known for his ability to get the job done.

At first reluctant to take the case, once Ashe starts peeling back the layers, he finds that there is more to this onion than meets the eye. When another very influential and wealthy man is found dead, in a similarly uncompromising manner as that of Elliott Kantor, Ashe has to wonder if it's a coincidence or if there may be something afoul after all. As he is often wont to quote Shakespeare, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” might be the appropriate sentiment and he now has to ask himself if this connection - both wealthy men, having been tied up with leather straps, wearing women’s underwear suggestive of cross-dressing – will lead him to the stink.

The book reads like an old-school private investigator movie. I immediately thought of Magnum PI, a 1980s television series that starred Tom Selleck, a PI living in Hawaii. I must say that this book, Book 4, is the first book in the series that I’ve read. Having said that, I find the protagonist, Ashe Cayne, to be plausible. A former Chicago Police Detective turned PI, and touting a near-perfect close rate, Ashe appears to be well-connected and well-known. I’d say that this little tidbit is important as we find him hobnobbing with billionaires, acquainted with gangsters, and living it up on the greens. A golf afficionado, Ashe is always getting a round in or catching game highlights. I thought the case, the way that it unfolded and subsequently was solved, was good. I liked that I was unable to guess the ending, and while I didn’t necessarily love the reveal, I thought it was done quite nicely.

I would read more works by this author and would recommend this book. I thank NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book and I am providing this review voluntarily.

I recently had the chance to read "Eagle Rock" by Ian K. Smith, thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of the fourth book in this series. Having not read the previous installments, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I quickly grew to love the main character, Ashe. His ability to adapt to any situation made the story engaging and the pages flew by.

The narrative was straightforward, weaving together various subplots into a larger, compelling mystery. Smith skillfully guides the reader through the story, revealing just enough to keep you guessing without disclosing too much. Ashe's relationships throughout the book were particularly well-crafted, highlighting his genuine care for others.

I was confused about the book emphasis on fitness, but looking at Smith's other work which aligns with the author adds a unique dimension to the character and story. I'm now eager to go back and read the earlier books in the series to uncover more about the backgrounds of other characters and see how it all started.

Before last week I was unaware of Ian K Smith's work. But now I am officially a fan! First of all, let me say that often in this genre authors rely on violence or sex to carry the plot or increase the tension. Smith does not--oh yes, there is some of both, but never in-your-face descriptions.
Smith uses carefully designed plot points, realistic dialog, and well-placed revelations about characters and situations. His descriptions are apt, fulsome but without going into the realm of travel brochure! We have enough to see us through. We are allowed to see just what the detective sees. It's enough for him and so it suffices for us.
Smith's main character, Ashly, is rounded out enough to make us care about him as much as we care about the mystery he is given to resolve. That is key for me in a series, or even a one-off. I am a fan of character-driven mysteries , and in this case (pun intended) we are also given enough information to learn why a respected business man would end up the way he does when murdered.
This book was hard to put down. I was totally immersed in the world Smith created each and every time I picked the book up. I admit to staying up late to finish it. No, I did not skip ahead--I only do that when there is too much detail and as I said, Smith has the knack of "just right" when it comes to detail, including tantalizing glimpses of Chicago--a great town that I do not know well, but would love to know better.
Its a book for all seasons and I am going to seek out the rest of the series while waiting for him to write another!

EAgle Rock
by Ian K. Smith
Pub Date: August 6, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Strong 4th book in the series.
Billionaire Elliott Kantor, who ruled over a mammoth real estate portfolio in Chicago, was a creature of habit. His trainer came to his house three mornings every week for a five-thirty workout. By six-thirty he was in the car and his driver drove him down into the city where he’d get a shave and trim from his barber every morning, then head over to his offices on Wacker. He always ate breakfast at his desk, had two young assistants who tended to his every whim and demand, then spent all day in and out of meetings growing a business that had already made him one of the wealthiest men in the country.
When Simon Kantor enlists Ashe Cayne to explore his father's death, the probing private investigator learns there was plenty of "activities" Elliott participated in after hours, including a sex traffic ring. And as Ashe and readers will discover this is only the beginning, and as our hero dives deeper and deeper into Elliott's hidden world, this may be the end for the intrepid Mr. Cayne.
I recomend this book.

When the richest man in Chicago is found dead the case begins. The unusual circumstances of his death open up a Pandora’s ox worth of chaos as our protagonist, Ashe, finds out. Seemingly unrelated deaths soon show links that lead to a complex investigation.

Starred review:

Fastly becoming a go to read. Smith fantastically mixes old school detective fiction into modern day fun. No more down out drinking detective saving the girl. Smith characters are fit, eat healthy, and are some what wealthy and posh. It makes for a great series and you should read all of his work.

Great stuff