A resident of one of LA’s toughest neighborhoods uses his blistering intellect to solve the crimes the LAPD ignores. East Long Beach. The LAPD is barely keeping up with the neighborhood’s high crime rate. Murders go unsolved, lost children unrecovered. But someone from the neighborhood has taken it upon himself to help solve the cases the police can’t or won’t touch. They call him IQ. He’s a … They call him IQ. He’s a loner and a high school dropout, his unassuming nature disguising a relentless determination and a fierce intelligence. He charges his clients whatever they can afford, which might be a set of tires or a homemade casserole. To get by, he’s forced to take on clients that can pay.
This time, it’s a rap mogul whose life is in danger. As Isaiah investigates, he encounters a vengeful ex-wife, a crew of notorious cutthroats, a monstrous attack dog, and a hit man who even other hit men say is a lunatic. The deeper Isaiah digs, the more far reaching and dangerous the case becomes.
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The language in the book was difficult for me. I was uncomfortable.
Too much needless violence, just barely started it and that was enough.
Wonderful characters!
Weird not understandable. Did not finish
I couldn’t even get through the first 25 pages, so perhaps my rating is skewed.
Not sure how it came to me but glad it did……engrossing and poignant…..Joe I liked it very much ……keep writing
I did not enjoy this book but did read it to the end. I was hoping it had some redeeming quality. Just not my cup of tea. A book about ghetto life with a rap dialogue full of four letter words throughout. I suppose the author wanted to “tell it how it is” in black america but you see it on the news daily so I really didnt enjoy it.
A fun read with characters that cause you to care even though they are imperfect.
Pretty good plot with interesting characters.
Not a bad plot, and what drew me was the description of the protagonist as a young black Sherlock Holmes. It may accurately portray our times, and it does present a thinking black person, but it was written in a foreign language to me (an older white woman) and the only characters of any value whatsoever were the protagonist and his dead brother. I admire the author’s effort but I won’t waste my time on another in the series. It is a sad, tragic portrayal of our times.
Kept me interested.
Ide rolls right thru this tale without even tapping the brakes.
Can’t wait to read more by Ide.
Meet Isaiah Quintabe, IQ, with a high IQ, who works both sides of the good guy/bad guy scenario. The book seesaws between the story of a young Isaiah who is making his way in the world using his innate intellect to plan and execute robberies. Then there is the somewhat older Isaiah who is using that same intellect to figure out just who done what. In scene after scene, Joe Ide writes adrenalin. As you read, your heartbeat gets a little faster as you race through page after page.
There are quite a number of characters here, some from his youth, some from present day, and some overlapping the two. Despite this, it is always evident that each plays an important role in moving the story forward.
Did I mention that Joe Ide writes adrenalin?
I also want to note that the use of language is spot on. I have rarely seen such absolutely perfect use of vernacular. Joe Ide gave each character a voice, a unique way of speaking. This isn’t easy to do with the consistency I saw here. This attention to detail can make or break a book. I would imagine that Joe Ide has great command of the English language, and that he also has a great editor.
When I read a book, I read everything. I read the Acknowledgements, and I read About the Author. I was not at all surprised that Joe Ide was a fan of Arthur Conan Doyle. In IQ he has managed to combine a subtle feel of Sherlock Holmes with the very modern Los Angeles in the age of rap music. Does it work? Absolutely.
Along with Holmesian logic, there is a morality play interwoven into the action as IQ puts the pieces of the case together. Like Joe Ide, I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, and I really enjoy finding works, such as this, that take the kernel of the tried-and-true to new and exciting levels. Joe Ide is now on my radar so I hope to see more books like this one.
Fantastic read that I couldn’t put down.
My Favorite new series
A very good read and quite entertaining. I cannot wait to read the other IQ novels.
IQ is the first of Joe Ide’s highly-original series set in LA’s grittier neighborhoods. A well-written and fascinating thriller.
Look out Sherlock. IQ is right behind you and catching up fast.
The rare crime novel that does absolutely everything well: character, atmosphere, dialogue, plot, back story, tension. Terrific.