The unspoken

This fine series launch from bestseller Smith (The Ancient Nine) introduces PI Ashe Cayne, a former Chicago PD detective who has the luxury of being able to pick his cases selectively thanks to a large settlement he won from the city for wrongfully terminating him after he refused to participate in a department cover-up. Society matron Violet Gerrigan shows up at Ashe's office and begs him to find her 25-year-old daughter, Tinsley, who left the Gerrigan family home two days earlier to visit a friend and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Violet fears her daughter has been the victim of foul play. Ashe's search for Tinsley brings him into contact with gang leaders, corporate bigwigs, dicey charitable organizations, and the machinations of the upper echelons of the Chicago police. What Ashe uncovers about the Gerrigans and their inner circle puts him in peril, but, because he's a crusader with a strong sense of justice, he resolutely pursues all leads. Ashe is just one of many well-drawn, multilayered characters. Readers will eagerly await his return. Agent: Mitch Hoffman, Aaron M. Priest Literary. (Oct.)

A wild-child heiress takes a powder. Was there foul play? That's the question in this novel from physician and TV fitness expert Smith. Ashe Cayne has worked as a private investigator since a hazily described incident as a cop sent him into early retirement. The settlement he received from the Chicago PD allows him to indulge his passion for golf and be choosy about the cases he accepts. Impressed by imperious Violet Gerrigan and even more by her money, Ashe agrees to search for her missing daughter, Tinsley. Neither Tinsley's BFF, Hunter Morgan, nor her dad, Randolph, is concerned that the madcap heiress has met with foul play. But her obedient brother, Connor, is right in step with mom. Tinsley's therapist maintains patient confidentiality but waves no red flags. Of far greater concern is Tinsley's relationship with Chopper McNair, the nephew of notorious crime boss Lanny "Ice" Culpepper. At length Violet reveals that Tinsley has access to $2 million of her trust fund. In between interviews with Tinsley's circle, Ashe has time to check in with his retired father, Wendell, and monitor the movements of pedophile priest Mark Stanton. When Ashe finally meets Chopper, the young man convinces him that he's broken away from his criminal clan. Two shocking developments change the complexion of the case: Tinsley's physician's receptionist confirms that she was pregnant; and one of the witnesses is murdered. With its huge, entertaining cast and smooth sleuth, this series kickoff recalls vintage Chandler or Hammett. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.