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The Random Affair
A criminal Jordan Noble took down years ago is trying to kill him.
Good thing the UrbanKnight Detective Agency’s got his back.
When Noble left the Defense Intelligence Agency, he gave up on the international intrigue going with it. Now, Cody Random, international criminal is back for revenge and threatens the entire nation with his monstrous drug, crush. And for good measure, the CIA is warning Noble to steer clear.
But that’s not how things get done in Detroit, a city used to the odds being against it.
Noble formed the UrbanKnights to tackle the crimes no one else will touch. But they never squared off against odds like this. Will they have the skill to stop this Random Affair?
Good thing the UrbanKnight Detective Agency’s got his back.
When Noble left the Defense Intelligence Agency, he gave up on the international intrigue going with it. Now, Cody Random, international criminal is back for revenge and threatens the entire nation with his monstrous drug, crush. And for good measure, the CIA is warning Noble to steer clear.
But that’s not how things get done in Detroit, a city used to the odds being against it.
Noble formed the UrbanKnights to tackle the crimes no one else will touch. But they never squared off against odds like this. Will they have the skill to stop this Random Affair?
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Published September 14, 2017
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 7, 2020
The Random Affair is the first book in a series about former DIA agent turned private detective Jordan Noble and his friends/colleagues the Urban Knights, set in Detroit. I received a free review copy from the Reedsy Discovery programme, in exchange for an honest review. While this was a fast-paced and exciting action adventure, it was let down by terrible writing.
While working alongside the FBI, Jordan and his best friend E-Man attempt to arrest evil drug-dealer Cody Random, killing his brother in self-defence. Four years later, Jordan has left the Navy in disgrace and set up his own agency. Random has escaped from prison and is intent on wreaking revenge, by killing Jordan and unleashing a potent new street drug called crush, designed to hook users from the first dose. Borderline psychotic Cody has teamed up with a local dealer cum fashion designer, who happens to be dating the love of Jordan’s life, Robin, and will stop at nothing to get his way.
I think this author has a great imagination and the story was good, if unoriginal. He sets a scene well, especially the action sequences, and he has created vivid characters - I enjoyed the banter between them. Unfortunately he can’t write: most of it read as if it had been dictated by someone who’s watched a lot of movies but hasn’t read much, so the book needs a lot of editing. It’s full of typos, spelling, grammatical and tense mistakes, and sound-alike words that were completely wrong in context, eg nit-nats when he means knickknacks. For a book written in conventional third person past style, he leaves out so many “d”s as to make it almost unreadable. It also has the shortest sentences I have ever seen in a book - all the way through.
I read a lot of thrillers but this is the first I can think of where the hero and most of the main characters are African-American. This isn’t deliberate on my part, it just reflects what’s out there. I often wasn’t sure whether the dialogue was an accurate reflection of how people over there speak, or just more mistakes.
It’s a shame as it made a change from the standard white hero/black sidekick/white love interest trope. I don’t think I’ve read anything set in Detroit before either, and I was interested in the way he handled the racial aspects. The bad guys are nearly all white, and racist.
I found Jordan to be too macho for my taste: he sizes up each woman he meets in terms of her sexual attractiveness, which was pretty creepy. He’s portrayed as a loyal friend and honourable agent, but he’s got a short temper and little control over his violent tendencies. He’s fabulously wealthy after an unspecified private military adventure, and for someone who pretends not to care about money, is very obsessed with his designer labels, cars, guns and toys. He’s got a puppy but leaves him unattended for days at a time and never seems to walk him! I far preferred E-Man who was a lot more down to earth.
I struggled with this, and would’ve abandoned it had I not committed to writing a review. 2.5 rounded down. All the other reviews are positive, so I recommend checking out a sample and if the writing doesn’t bother you then by all means give it a try.
While working alongside the FBI, Jordan and his best friend E-Man attempt to arrest evil drug-dealer Cody Random, killing his brother in self-defence. Four years later, Jordan has left the Navy in disgrace and set up his own agency. Random has escaped from prison and is intent on wreaking revenge, by killing Jordan and unleashing a potent new street drug called crush, designed to hook users from the first dose. Borderline psychotic Cody has teamed up with a local dealer cum fashion designer, who happens to be dating the love of Jordan’s life, Robin, and will stop at nothing to get his way.
I think this author has a great imagination and the story was good, if unoriginal. He sets a scene well, especially the action sequences, and he has created vivid characters - I enjoyed the banter between them. Unfortunately he can’t write: most of it read as if it had been dictated by someone who’s watched a lot of movies but hasn’t read much, so the book needs a lot of editing. It’s full of typos, spelling, grammatical and tense mistakes, and sound-alike words that were completely wrong in context, eg nit-nats when he means knickknacks. For a book written in conventional third person past style, he leaves out so many “d”s as to make it almost unreadable. It also has the shortest sentences I have ever seen in a book - all the way through.
I read a lot of thrillers but this is the first I can think of where the hero and most of the main characters are African-American. This isn’t deliberate on my part, it just reflects what’s out there. I often wasn’t sure whether the dialogue was an accurate reflection of how people over there speak, or just more mistakes.
It’s a shame as it made a change from the standard white hero/black sidekick/white love interest trope. I don’t think I’ve read anything set in Detroit before either, and I was interested in the way he handled the racial aspects. The bad guys are nearly all white, and racist.
I found Jordan to be too macho for my taste: he sizes up each woman he meets in terms of her sexual attractiveness, which was pretty creepy. He’s portrayed as a loyal friend and honourable agent, but he’s got a short temper and little control over his violent tendencies. He’s fabulously wealthy after an unspecified private military adventure, and for someone who pretends not to care about money, is very obsessed with his designer labels, cars, guns and toys. He’s got a puppy but leaves him unattended for days at a time and never seems to walk him! I far preferred E-Man who was a lot more down to earth.
I struggled with this, and would’ve abandoned it had I not committed to writing a review. 2.5 rounded down. All the other reviews are positive, so I recommend checking out a sample and if the writing doesn’t bother you then by all means give it a try.
January 12, 2020
The Random Affair is the first book in The UrbanKnights series and is a great start for this new series about ex-Defense Intelligence Agent Jordan Noble and his detective agency.
The UrbanKnights Detective Agency goes where others fear to tread. The characters are well developed and intelligent. I especially like E-Man. The storyline is well written and captured my interest from the first, with action, danger, drug dealing, international criminals, suspense, action, and some humour and romance.
I read and reviewed this book with no obligation.
The UrbanKnights Detective Agency goes where others fear to tread. The characters are well developed and intelligent. I especially like E-Man. The storyline is well written and captured my interest from the first, with action, danger, drug dealing, international criminals, suspense, action, and some humour and romance.
I read and reviewed this book with no obligation.
August 30, 2019
The personal saga of a man and his interactions with people in his world. He hasn’t quite settled into civilian life, currently owning a detective agency.
The characters are interesting and the story becomes a thriller when people try to kill him. An excellent read for those who enjoy a good adventure/thriller.
The characters are interesting and the story becomes a thriller when people try to kill him. An excellent read for those who enjoy a good adventure/thriller.
September 29, 2019
The Random Affair is an enjoyable fast paced action-crime thriller. It stars the UrbanKnights, a group of private detectives, led by an ex DIA operative, Jordan Noble, and his witty partner, E-Man, another ex DIA operative now working with Noble in his venture into the private detective game. The narrative sees an old foe of Noble come back to haunt him with an even more diabolical plan of creating a drug that is as addictive as it is fatal for its users.
With Random Affair being Mr. Roby’s first UrbanKnights thriller, I was highly impressed with Mr. Roby’s handling of the character growths and unraveling of twists and turns that came along till the very end. Jordan Noble felt like a real character, and his emotions were easy to resonate to, which made the read even more engaging for me. While I was first skeptical of the name E-Man, it kind of grew on me as I read more. Jordan’s romantic life starts off with a turmoil, with his love, Robin Summers, somehow involved into the scheme of Jordan’s foe, Cody Random who has a bone to pick with Noble. Where it could have been a cringe-fest of romantic emotions, Mr. Roby steered clear of those areas and focused on creating meaningful moments of relationships for Noble.
The action in Random Affair was done very well, with a good foundation of how an action scene is set up and executed, with technical details woven well in a fast paced environment of shootouts, car chases, and a badass climatic hand to hand fight. There is most certainly room for improvement to make some moments within the chases clearer and more vivid, but even as it is, the action holds up.
Jordan and his team of UrbanKnights is a team of fun banter, that sometimes can get just annoying enough for us readers to understand Noble’s agony. But it is a team that gets results.
Not knowing what to expect diving into The Random Affair, I found it to be a well rounded thriller that shines with its action, characters, emotions, and ofcourse it’s thrilling plot. I encourage readers to give this a read, it may be under the radar, but it’s no less worthy! A great read from start to finish! Hoping for more of UrbanKnights.
With Random Affair being Mr. Roby’s first UrbanKnights thriller, I was highly impressed with Mr. Roby’s handling of the character growths and unraveling of twists and turns that came along till the very end. Jordan Noble felt like a real character, and his emotions were easy to resonate to, which made the read even more engaging for me. While I was first skeptical of the name E-Man, it kind of grew on me as I read more. Jordan’s romantic life starts off with a turmoil, with his love, Robin Summers, somehow involved into the scheme of Jordan’s foe, Cody Random who has a bone to pick with Noble. Where it could have been a cringe-fest of romantic emotions, Mr. Roby steered clear of those areas and focused on creating meaningful moments of relationships for Noble.
The action in Random Affair was done very well, with a good foundation of how an action scene is set up and executed, with technical details woven well in a fast paced environment of shootouts, car chases, and a badass climatic hand to hand fight. There is most certainly room for improvement to make some moments within the chases clearer and more vivid, but even as it is, the action holds up.
Jordan and his team of UrbanKnights is a team of fun banter, that sometimes can get just annoying enough for us readers to understand Noble’s agony. But it is a team that gets results.
Not knowing what to expect diving into The Random Affair, I found it to be a well rounded thriller that shines with its action, characters, emotions, and ofcourse it’s thrilling plot. I encourage readers to give this a read, it may be under the radar, but it’s no less worthy! A great read from start to finish! Hoping for more of UrbanKnights.
June 1, 2019
This has a spy feel to it mashed with a crime thriller. The main character, Jordan, has a lot of secrets and when one of those national secrets from his past life comes back for revenge, his life is up heaved in more then one way. Jordan's written to be the self sacrificing hero. I both enjoyed following him and loathed his behavior when it felt more like a fairy-tale then possibly real—this is fiction though! I liked most of the supporting characters, E-Man's the best of the bunch, the perfect best friend. I enjoyed it right up until the loathsome Robin Summer's came into the picture. After that the plot took on some shaky decisions, Jordan stops using his head, and did I mention I dislike Robin? The contrast of Robin is made even more stark when Jackie comes into the picture—love her! This book would have been all around better if Robin just wasn't in it. The plot was mostly predictable but did have a nice twist that I nearly missed. Random's sections were colorful and added a second perspective, not that I can say the same for Kevin Small, but it is what it is. Variety is the spice of life. The writing was mostly enjoyable but I did note a marked amount of errors and would highly recommend a secondary review to smooth out its rough edges.
Overall an action thriller with a decent hero that just needs a new leading lady!
Overall an action thriller with a decent hero that just needs a new leading lady!
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August 21, 2019
Great story well written with great characters including the bad guys. The book was full of action and twists making it a thriller of a story.
June 7, 2020
This is book one of the UrbanKnights series and follows the main character Jordan Noble as he becomes a target of the man he took down years ago, whilst working with the Defense Intelligence Agency (NIA). He has since set up a detective and security agency called UrbanKnights and has three of his old friends as his main team, as well as a small group of previous detectives or military for their other main work. A man called Cody Random is after revenge, after Jordan killed his younger brother Michael, after a chase, as they tried to stop Cody from getting away from a CIA sting. Jordan was guilty of killing a USAF airman on a base in Germany, who was his partner in a designer drug operation and he fled to Florida, where he was finally caught, before he could finish producing his new drug creation.
Jordan was with his buddy E-Man, on that operation, but has now been joined by his other old friends in his new endeavour, Dom and Malcolm. Neither of them have the secret training in the military that Jordan and E-Man have, but one is their best at surveillance and the other at IT. Jordan tries to keep these two away from the random case, after a visit from the CIA informing him that Cody Random has escaped from his prison in Florida and is probably going to be coming for him. Cody swore he would kill Jordan, when he was on trial and it is obviously something he hasn’t forgotten. The CIA tell Jordan to leave things well alone, but Jordan knows he is in danger and with his past, he certainly isn’t going to sit there like a sitting duck for Cody to get too close to him!
He soon has to take on the help of Malcolm and Dom, to search for leads on where Cody might be now and who he will be working with to produce his new drug, crush. Jordan and his friends have been brought up together in Detroit and he formed his company to tackle the crimes that others didn’t want to. They are going to have to find which drug lord Cody has joined with and also find out who was behind his escape and funding his new drug! This will be made even more difficult when it seems like the drug lord, trying to have his own fashion business as a legal front, is closely involved with the only woman Jordan has ever loved and who now hates him with a vengeance! The odds of the UrbanKnights stopping Cody and his new team, are looking even more unlikely as time goes on and the inexperience of two of his team members could turn out to be a hindrance and place them all in danger. A dangerous international criminal is out for Jordan’s life and things are going to get messy. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Jordan was with his buddy E-Man, on that operation, but has now been joined by his other old friends in his new endeavour, Dom and Malcolm. Neither of them have the secret training in the military that Jordan and E-Man have, but one is their best at surveillance and the other at IT. Jordan tries to keep these two away from the random case, after a visit from the CIA informing him that Cody Random has escaped from his prison in Florida and is probably going to be coming for him. Cody swore he would kill Jordan, when he was on trial and it is obviously something he hasn’t forgotten. The CIA tell Jordan to leave things well alone, but Jordan knows he is in danger and with his past, he certainly isn’t going to sit there like a sitting duck for Cody to get too close to him!
He soon has to take on the help of Malcolm and Dom, to search for leads on where Cody might be now and who he will be working with to produce his new drug, crush. Jordan and his friends have been brought up together in Detroit and he formed his company to tackle the crimes that others didn’t want to. They are going to have to find which drug lord Cody has joined with and also find out who was behind his escape and funding his new drug! This will be made even more difficult when it seems like the drug lord, trying to have his own fashion business as a legal front, is closely involved with the only woman Jordan has ever loved and who now hates him with a vengeance! The odds of the UrbanKnights stopping Cody and his new team, are looking even more unlikely as time goes on and the inexperience of two of his team members could turn out to be a hindrance and place them all in danger. A dangerous international criminal is out for Jordan’s life and things are going to get messy. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
June 4, 2020
Our hero left behind a life of an agent, but then started a detective agency. Did he really think things were going to be easier?
This is book one of the series, so generally a good place to start.
This is an action thriller with a fast paced plot and high stakes. The story is well written, easy to read and very engaging. The characters and the plot both have a lot of depth to them and draw you in from the beginning, never letting go as you navigate the twists and turns that are thrown at you. I really enjoyed the solid realism of the entire story and the characters. That made it really hard to put the book down for mundane things like work. Overall, highly enjoyable and I look forward to reading more in the series.
Highly recommended
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
This is book one of the series, so generally a good place to start.
This is an action thriller with a fast paced plot and high stakes. The story is well written, easy to read and very engaging. The characters and the plot both have a lot of depth to them and draw you in from the beginning, never letting go as you navigate the twists and turns that are thrown at you. I really enjoyed the solid realism of the entire story and the characters. That made it really hard to put the book down for mundane things like work. Overall, highly enjoyable and I look forward to reading more in the series.
Highly recommended
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
March 31, 2020
The Random Affair was well written and I plan to purchase his other four books.I would tell anyone that if they like action and suspense they want to read this book.It will keep you guessing to the end and wanting more. Thanks, Lawrence Ridgeway
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July 21, 2020I would give The Random Affair 5 stars. It was a thrilling read. I don't want to give a spoiler, but just read it.
Meredith
Meredith
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews