The Unspoken

Ashe Cayne, Book 1

By: Ian K. Smith

Narrated by: Amir Abdullah

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

In this new series from number one New York Times best-selling author Ian K. Smith, an ex-cop turned private investigator seeks justice on the vibrant, dangerous streets of Chicago.

Former Chicago detective Ashe Cayne is desperate for redemption. After refusing to participate in a police department cover-up involving the death of a young black man, Cayne is pushed out of the force. But he won’t sit quietly on the sidelines: he’s compelled to fight for justice as a private investigator...even if it means putting himself in jeopardy.

When a young woman, Tinsley Gerrigan, goes missing, her wealthy parents from the North Shore hire Cayne to find her. As Cayne looks into her life and past, he uncovers secrets Tinsley’s been hiding from her family. Cayne fears he may never find Tinsley alive.

His worries spike when Tinsley’s boyfriend is found dead - another black man murdered on the tough Chicago streets. Cayne must navigate his complicated relationships within the Chicago PD, leveraging his contacts and police skills to find the missing young woman, see justice done, and earn his redemption.

©2020 Ian K. Smith. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc.

Critic reviews

Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award

“Narrator Amir Abdullah depicts Chicago's wealthy enclaves, struggling neighborhoods, and mouthwatering foods while introducing former-cop-turned-PI Ashe Cayne.… Abdullah excels with Cayne's cultured quotes, and his best creation is Commander Rory Burke - -an old-school cop. Conversations with him are informative and hilarious. Most impressive is Abdullah's portrayal of Cayne's versatility: He ebulliently banters with gang members and chats up social elites. Audio enhances the fine writing and diverse characters.” —AudioFile Magazine

“With its huge, entertaining cast and smooth sleuth, this series kickoff recalls vintage Chandler or Hammett.” —Kirkus Reviews

“This fine series launch from bestseller Smith (The Ancient Nine) introduces PI Ashe Cayne, a former Chicago PD detective…Ashe is just one of many well-drawn, multilayered characters. Readers will eagerly await his return.” —Publishers Weekly

The sidebar let it down

This was a great mystery/procedural, a ripping yarn. It was let down by the subplot that showed a sadistic side to the main character that was at odds with his supposedly altruistic nature. It didn’t jive and detracted from a story that didn’t need embellishing. If it was an editorial decision to add that or retain it, it was a bad one. I’m unlikely to read another if I have to deal with another sadistic subplot.

one story at a time please

in the middle of everything the author diverts to a completely new, independent story. felt disjointed, took awhile to get . the picture.

The “B” Story

The “A” Story was great but the latter story was out of sink. We knew he was a helper, the main character but I didn’t want to read or hear the b story. I am going to listen to the next book. … but if it has a “b” story. I will not finish

I liked it but...

I liked it. It kept me coming back. I didn’t feel the need to skip ahead just to find out who did it. I wasn’t sorry I’d bought it. Good story. Good characters. My only angst was the narrator didn’t have any range. Every character sounded like a young black man; the old Irish cop, the white socialite mother, well, everyone. I got used to it and he did improve toward the end. Decent read. I’ve had so few lately.

Easy Flow Between The Rich & Poor

Loved It 😍 Suspenseful 🕵
Gruesome😱 Romantic💘
Intriguing 🤓 Dialogue & Language EntertainIng 🗣

Speaking of Chicago

Since I am born and raised in Chicago, I always enjoy reading stories that are based in Chicago. I related well to Dr. Smith's descriptions of our city streets and neighborhoods. The story was engaging and entertaining. But one thing irked me throughout the audiobook. The narrator kept mispronouncing the name of one of our city's major thoroughfares. Halsted in Chicago is pronounced hall-sted not hal-sted. The mispronunciation kept throwing me off. Ian Smith should have known better and corrected that before the final recording of the audiobook. Other than that, the book was great.

Worth reading

I enjoyed the narration. Good story line but it seemed to bring everything to a conclusion prettying fast at the end.

Way to go

For his 1st venture into this genre of writing the Dr has a winner.

Narrator lacks range. Female characters need work.

I'm on the fence. On the one hand, I loved touring Chicago through the eyes (and stomach!) of Ashe Cayne. He's a good protagonist (though I'm not a fan of the whole Ashe-as-sociopath subplot. I kind of hope the author drops that in the next book).

The narrator has a great voice. But, unfortunately, just one great voice. It was hard to keep track of who was talking, as everyone sounded the same. And at times, my mind wandered because of all the sameness.

I found the author's depiction of women troubling. First of all, they all need to eat more. All this nibbling, and delicate biting is stupid. Women don't eat like that. I hope Ashe finds a lady that enjoys their meals as much has he does.

All that said, I'll read the next one. And may try another book by the same author.

Promising

The story was pretty average but it was presented well and the characters and feeling of the book were so good that I very much enjoyed being in that world. Hope there is more from this author.