The Spoil of Beasts

Iron on Iron, Book 3

By: Gregory Ashe

Narrated by: Charlie David

A jailhouse slaughter. A relentless killer. And way too much jackassing around.

When word comes that two key witnesses in an investigation are dead, North and Shaw are surprised—and pleased—to learn that their friend, John-Henry Somerset, is interested in hiring them as freelance contractors for the Wahredua police department. The department is stretched thin, and the investigation into the Cottonmouth Club (and the criminal organization operating there) is collapsing. Not to mention—in North and Shaw’s opinion, anyway—they’re the best detectives around.

Tracking down the killer won’t be easy, though. The trail ends at the doors of a megachurch, where the close-knit family of the pastor is keeping more than one secret. Worse, a local politician seems to be involved, and he’s got secrets of his own. On top of that, a sheriff’s deputy has gone missing, and North and Shaw are convinced he knows who is orchestrating events.

Pressing the investigation takes North and Shaw into the crosshairs—literally. And when their friends become targets as well, North and Shaw must hurry to learn the truth before the killer can strike at the people they care for most.

Because when it comes to his friends, the only one who gets to mess with them is North McKinney.

©2023 Gregory Ashe (P)2024 Gregory Ashe

The avengers endgame of these four couples is coming to a boil

With a writer who’s narratives often for their own “tv season” style serialized stories I am thoroughly amazed at how the crossover of all his characters manages to be both funny, heartbreaking and captivating.

Change of narrators!!!

It was weird to have another narrator read Emory with a soft voice when on previous audio books he sounds gruff!!

North & Shaw's book

This is the third book in GA’s love letter to his fans, the crossover series, Iron on Iron. This book focuses on North & Shaw of the Borealis series. Although not necessary to enjoy these books, it certainly helps if you familiar with all the couples and their “unique” personalities.

The mystery that began with the Cottonmouth Club continues. But in it’s wake three new murders have happened. As this happens at the end of the 2nd book I won’t say who as that would be a spoiler, but it is certainly shocking. John Henry hires North & Shaw to help investigate as this situation that began with Jem visiting the Cottonmouth Club is getting out of hand. People John Henry cares about are getting hurt and he feels responsible.

Although the other couples contribute to the investigation, the main focus is on North and his handling of this new “found family.” He is not handling it well and his caustic personality rubs everyone the wrong way. It’s just North’s defensive mechanism but only Shaw knows that. North struggles to help solve the mystery but keeps running afoul of John Henry and putting Shaw in danger. The investigation leads to a mega church and the body count ramps up. It’s has many twists and turns and trips to the hospital. It comes to a salifying conclusion with a burning desire for Emery & John’s final book.

The narrator for this book has changed to Charlie David; the narrator for the Borealis series. It was great hearing the recognized North & Shaw voices, but jarring for the other couples. Charlie David did a wonderful job overall it was an A+ performance. That said, I hope Tristan James is the narrator for the final book. That is the only voice for John & Emery I can imagine. We will see.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in return for an honest review

North struggling to belong

Nice chaotic Borealis fun and mayhem, combined with the group dynamic development central to this series. Really interesting stepping back to North’s trust-issued and distanced perspective, knowing in detail what kind of people the other guys really are from all the previous books.

While Charlie David’s reading of Emery Hazard’s lines in a soft voice was admittedly confusing/distracting (why didn’t anyone notify him?), I really appreciate getting to listen him narrate the North&Shaw episode. Hoping to hear Tristan James next!

The Plot Thickens

There's never a dull moment with the dynamic duo producing absolute clownery for the forced enjoyment of anyone in the vacinity. Just when you think you know what's going, you do but you don't. There's always something more. Also to he able to thrown in that much character development when dealing with entire cast of main characters is a feat to be admired.

Disappointing performance of an excellent story

North and Shaw always give me trouble. I just have a hard time with Shaw's OTT nonsense (even though I do know there are good reasons for it). And then in this book we have North being uber-Northy at everyone else, as well.

Nonetheless, I looked forward to "rereading" in audio. But... the marvelous narrators for Ashe's other books in this series have spoiled me. The voices in this were all wrong to my ears, and while it didn't sink to the level where I couldn't keep listening (I'm looking at you, Joel Leslie, RUINER OF SO MANY GOOD BOOKS), it detracted from my enjoyment, particularly of the group scenes—which are the best parts of this series.

So, overall... something of a disappointment. The writing holds up, of course, but this audio performance isn't going to go into my often-relisten file.

My thanks to the author for a complimentary copy of this audiobook.

So touching

Ughhhh my heart.

Just like every other Gregory Ashe book, this one got me hard - but North and Shaw have always hit hard. From dealing with trauma from atrociously abusive ex’s to anxiety and depression that traps you in your own “labrynth” to the beautiful ways that relationships and friendships grow and change over time, I love everything about North and Shaw’s story.

Like the rest of this series these book take place several months (if not longer) after the end of the original book series the couples came from, and it’s beautiful and achingly sweet to see how far North and Shaw have come.

Emotionally tense story with good narration.

Phew! That was intense... Every series by Gregory Ashe has at least one book that throws my brain into a tailspin. The Spoil of Beasts is the book from the Iron on Iron series that has my thoughts whirling. Packed with emotionally loaded moments, this book centers around North and Shaw, who have both experienced a great deal of trauma in their lives. They find themselves exposed to even more when they agree to assist the Wahredua police department in the investigation of the deaths of two key witnesses.

One of the most important aspects of writing a good mystery is the behavioral analysis of the characters. Why do the protagonists react to traumatic events the way they do? Why do the antagonists commit the crimes that they do? This book highlights how effectively Gregory Ashe constructs the behavioral patterns of his characters. I don't offer up five-star reviews for many books, but Gregory Ashe has definitely earned five stars with the portrayal of his character's responses to traumatic situations. North's tendency to tease and sometimes verbally attack his friends is a realistic representation of how someone with his experiences might handle emotionally tense situations. Shaw's wardrobe choices and personality quirks are an authentic reflection of his upbringing and coping mechanisms.

The story isn't entirely grim and morose. The entire crew manages to squeeze in some down time at the Pretty Pretty, and the banter between North and Shaw helps lighten some dark moments. Charlie David does a nice job of narrating the banter that North and Shaw are famous for. Charlie David has been the narrator for North and Shaw since their first series, Borealis Investigations, and he continues to narrate their story in this book with the same emotional performance. I enjoyed listening to his versions of Emery and John-Henry voices. I am looking forward to the next audio book in the series, and I am anticipating more entertaining hi-jinks from the entire crew. The big question I want answered is: Will North and Jem ever become friends?

How is this even possible??!!

How can Ashe possibly combine all of his couples in one series and have it make sense?! Amazing!!

This audiobook was fantastic!

Here we are getting deeper into the mystery plaguing Wahureda (sp? I only listen to these, so I’ve no idea how to spell the name) and threatening the lives of our MC’s and their families.

I won’t go into it much more, except that you can expect the typical North & Shaw banter with solid and constant cameos from the other 3 couples!

My rec? This is a series that really must be enjoyed after getting to know the characters in their own individual series. If you have t yet dived into this world, what are you waiting for?

Great Story, another great narrator

First, this story is excellent. Love the banter between all these guys. I said it before, but it's amazing that Gregory Ashe can keep all their different voices, characteristics straight. The different personalities come across the page. Then put Charlie David's voice, specifically for Shaw, and I am in awe. I absolutely adore his cadence for Shaw. It's great for North as well. This story brings us further along on the mystery while giving some proper attention to North and Shaw. Love this series!!