American Rules:

by Ian Quarry

The rules are very simple. It’s either business, or it’s not.When tough-as-nails PI John Rader takes the call from Yvonne Thornwood, he’s already into a dead-end case and glad of the change of scenery. But Yvonne isn’t a regular client, and this isn’t a regular job. Left in tatters by a sadistic ex called Skylar Marquis, Yvonne pays Rader for any dirt he can find. Hurt the guy enough to mess with his world? That’s no easy assignment when Skylar is a man who gets to live by his own rules.First there’s the bubble he inhabits as a millionaire celebrity. Second there’s his security blanket of thugs, always alert to a stranger asking questions. And there’s his mobster associates.Then Rader learns a gang of heisters are in town to rob Skylar’s casino—that they’re crazy enough to believe they can get away with it. Getting in with amateurs is not good business by anybody’s rules, but it’s all Rader’s got before time runs out to make things right.Rules, or no rules. It’s all the same thing to John Rader.The John Rader novels can be read in any order, but AMERICAN RULES is numbered 4th in the series.(This novel contains some violence and strong language.)

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2020

Reviews

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

62nd St. Velvet Room. Yvonne Thornwood (client, flight attendant, thief) called PI John Rader.
Albert Berman (mgr.) owed a lot of money to lots of PPL.
He got whacked.
Skylar Marquis (sadistic ex) had paid $50-grand/hired Yvonne to do a job for him.
4/29, Ms. Donovan (38, Marquis Hotel Casino PR) disappeared in S. Dayton.
Marquis Vanguard Hotel/Casino (17 stories). Detective Jeff McDonald (security) was giving PI Rader the low down.

# 30. PI Rader went back to get Kerri Conklin, but she was gone.
Deadfall City. Stanley “Stan” Bellows had gotten a phone number from Sylvia Merlino (freelance journalist).
Dick’s Café. Kerri called PI Rader & they met Eddie Moat.
Skylar Marquis’ name came up.
Marquis Vanguard Hotel/Casino (17 stories) Presidential Suite. What were Kirk Masher, Benny D’Ancona, Adam Hyatt (lawyer), & Tony Duncan meeting about?

Tony Duncan sprinkled another line across the space between Cathy’s (23) boob’s & snorted it.
The next morning Jim Phillips (aka PI Rader) & Eddie Moat in a plain truck followed several delivery trucks into the entrance of the Marquis Vanguard Hotel/Casino.
Kerri Conklin & Valerie Weir had provided them with the layout of the Hotel/Casino.
The 2 of them introduced themselves to Sherry (John’s asst.).
Skylar finally made himself present.
Sylvia Merlino’s name came up.
Marquis Vanguard Hotel/Casino (17 stories). What were Kerri, Valerie, Derek Crumlin cousin, Eddie Moat (driver), & Lucas Jennings planning?
PI Rader was headed toward Brink City, there will be more jobs.

I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.

Warning: This book contains descriptive accounts of extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader. If you are especially sensitive to this type of material, it is strongly advised not to read any further.

An awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very professionally written PI thriller book. It was extremely easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great description list of unique characters, settings, facts etc. to keep track of. This could also make another great PI thriller movie, an animated cartoon (pulp fiction), or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is an extremely easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; ARC PDF; book.
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Claudete Takahashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are quite a few different personal interests that guide this story - the bad guys are not so bad guys depending on whose point of view. There is hate, revenge, fear and lots of crime and everything gets mixed together when John Rader starts investigating and putting his plot together. A gripping thriller that gets you hooked till the end and truly entertaining.
I downloaded a free copy of this book through Hidden Gems and this is my unbiased review.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our heroine hires our hero to find some dirt on her ex. Turns out there is plenty of dirt, but those that dig into it don't usually survive for long. Fortunately, our hero plays by his own rules.

This is book four of the series. It is written as a standalone and does not require any prior reading to enjoy.

This is a hardboiled PI story with a modern setting. The story is well written and well detailed, but I can't really say it is easy to read. It flows well, but there are a lot of characters and many things going on, so keeping track of it all takes a bit of effort. That said, if you like PI stories, then it is well worth your time as the story has all the action, intrigue, mystery and surprises that you would expect. Overall, this was a fast paced and fun story and I am looking forward to reading the earlier books in the series.

Highly recommended.

I received an ARC from Hidden Gems for review purposes.

[Jacqueline Ellison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thriller is the fourth in the John Rader series and does not disappoint. This was the first book I've read by Ian Quarry, the storyline was interesting. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fourth book in the John Rader Series by Ian Quarry is definitely a good thriller combined with multiple plots and characters. I feel Rader is definitely defined as a throw-back to Private Investigators of olden days who were gruff, efficient, and physically able to fulfill the job they were hired to do by following their own rules or making them up as they go along. There are a lot of fairly major characters to keep track of who all play an important role in the storyline which also contains several major aspects to follow. While this may be a little disconcerting at first, it all makes sense when the pieces fall together at the end of the book. I have already added the first three books in this series to my TBR as this is the first book I have read. This is a voluntary review of an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Hidden Gems Books.

[Shannon Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does this series keep getting better? With every new book it seems John becomes even more fleshed out. If you have a problem or find yourself in a certain type of situation then John Rader is your guy, just don’t do anything to get on his bad side. He’s not one to let you off easy.

American Rules offers readers that dark and gritty side we all love to read about but wouldn’t want to experience. I recommend reading this series in order, they just keep getting better. Once you pick this up you’ll be hard pressed to put it down again until you hit the final word.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the author and am leaving a voluntary honest review.