Category Archives: IQ Series

February 24, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: Smoke by Joe Ide

Title: Smoke by Joe Ide
IQ Series Book Five
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 337 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Isaiah Quintabe—an unlicensed detective for all seasons—and his best friend and masterful sidekick, Juanell Dodson, are at a crossroads in this latest installment of the “aggressively entertaining” IQ series (New York Times). This time, their lives may never be the same.

Isaiah Quintabe is no longer IQ, the genius of East Long Beach; instead, he’s a man on the road and on the run, hiding in a small Northern California town when his room is broken into by a desperate young man on the trail of the state’s most prolific serial killer.

His old partner, Juanell Dodson, must go straight or lose his wife and child. His devil’s bargain? An internship at an LA advertising agency, where it turns out the rules of the street have simply been dressed in business casual, but where the aging company’s fortunes may well rest on their ability to attract a younger demographic. Dodson—”the hustler’s hustler”—just may be the right man for the job.

Ide is the crime writer’s crime writer, and he’s filled his best novel yet with desperate souls, courageous outcasts, an ex-stripper who’ll do anything to protect her son, and wild half-brothers who may be the very incarnation of evil.

With deft plotting, lacerating humor, and a keen eye for the ways in which characters rise or fall based on their ties to one another, Smoke is Joe Ide’s crowning achievement.

Review:

The fifth installment in the IQ series, Smoke by Joe Ide is a suspenseful yet busy mystery.

Isaiah “IQ” Quintabe has a target on his back so he hits the road in hopes of escaping just about everything in his life. He is an unlicensed private investigator who has been involved in more than his fair share of violence in recent years. He is suffering from PTSD and Isaiah is looking for peace and quiet. But Isaiah discovers that even in a quiet small town where he does not know anyone, he still manages to get mixed up in a dangerous situation. He has also managed to irritate Sheriff Cannon which makes him less credible when he tries to warn the sheriff trouble has arrived in town. Will IQ be able to prevent himself from helping Billy Sorensen, who has recently escaped from a psychiatric facility? And can they convince Billy’s friend Ava Bouchard to back off when they end up in a dangerous situation?

Meanwhile, back home, his friends are dealing with unexpected situations. Food truck owner Deronda is dealing with someone from her past who wants something from her that she holds dear. With Grace’s help, they brainstorm ideas to try to get this person out of her life once and for all. IQ’s former partner Juanell Dodson is keeping himself out of trouble when he agrees to give an internship at an advertising agency a try. His wife Cherise is the impetus for this latest turn in his life and she enlists her mother’s help getting him ready for the business world. Juanell’s street smarts prove to be invaluable as he discovers his hustling skills translate into unexpected creativity.

Although he knows ending their relationship as the right thing to do, Isaiah misses his now ex-girlfriend Grace. However, they rethink their decision and just as she is heading out to pay him a visit, things take a dangerous turn for IQ.  He continues to battle  his PTSD and severe anxiety as Billy and Ava bring unsettling news. Their efforts to convince Sheriff Cannon to take their news seriously fall on deaf ears. With the situation becoming increasingly dangerous, IQ will need to be able to think clearly and make quick decisions in order to protect himself, Billy and Ava.  Will Isaiah, Billy and Ava protect those they care about from the threats around them?

Smoke is an engrossing mystery with multiple story arcs that are quite interesting. IQ’s struggles with PTSD are realistic and his frustrations are believable. The various storylines are interesting and provide greater insight into the regular cast of characters. With plenty of nail-biting tension, Joe Ide brings this thrilling mystery to an action-packed conclusion. With the case wrapped up, the a cliffhanger conclusion on a personal note will leave old and new fans impatiently awaiting the next installment in the IQ series.

Comments Off on Review: Smoke by Joe Ide

Filed under Contemporary, IQ Series, Joe Ide, Mulholland Books, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Smoke, Suspense

January 22, 2020 · 11:57 pm

Review: Hi Five by Joe Ide

Title: Hi Five by Joe Ide
IQ Series Book Four
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

One woman. Five personalities. Private investigator IQ is back to piece together a Newport Beach murder with an eyewitness who gives “people person” a whole new meaning.

Cristiana is the daughter of the biggest arms dealer on the West Coast, Angus Byrne. She’s also the sole witness and number one suspect in the murder of her boyfriend, found dead in her Newport Beach boutique. Isaiah Quintabe is coerced into taking the case to prove her innocence. If he can’t, Angus will harm the brilliant PI’s new girlfriend, ending her career.

The catch: Christiana has multiple personalities. Among them, a naïve, beautiful shopkeeper, an obnoxious drummer in a rock band, and a wanton seductress.

Isaiah’s dilemma: no one personality saw the entire incident. To find out what really happened the night of the murder, Isaiah must piece together clues from each of the personalities . . . before the cops close in on him.

Review:

Hi Five by Joe Ide is an action-packed, multi-layered mystery. This newest release is the fourth installment in the IQ series but can be read as a standalone.

Unofficial private investigator Isaiah “IQ” Quintabe’s life is already complicated when arms dealer Angus Byrne “invites” him to discuss a case with him. He refuses to take the case  but he has no choice but to change his mind when Byrne threatens IQ’s girlfriend Stella McDaniels. Isaiah is now tasked with ensuring Byrne’s adult daughter Christiana is not arrested for the murder of her boyfriend and her father’s right hand man, Tyler Barnes.  Christiana is the prime suspect in the murder but she insists she is innocent. Isaiah is further frustrated by the case when  Christiana’s mother, Gia, informs him her daughter has five personalities.

Initially skeptical, IQ is soon interviewing Christiana’s alters. Each have distinct personalities and quirks but he has yet to uncover definitive proof that Christiana nor her alters hired Tyler’s murderers. Reluctantly teaming up again with his friend and former partner, Juanell Dodson, Isaiah is soon balancing quit a few interconnected situations while trying to prevent Christiana’s arrest.

Isaiah is at a point in his life where he wants to make a difference but he cannot see giving up his investigation business. He definitely does not to become entangled with Angus but with Stella’s career under threat, he knows he has no choice but to do the arms dealer’s bidding. As the investigation makes little progress, Isaiah fears he will never escape Byrne’s threats so he devises a plan to get his revenge. But will his plan work as intended?

Isaiah notices immediately that Dodson is acting out of character. Dodson has struggled since ending his partnership in Deronda’s food truck business. He is also deeply affected by the life-threatening injuries that local grocery owner Beaumont received in a drive by shooting. Dodson is also under pressure from his wife Cherise to find a job and take care of her and their infant son. With many regrets about his past haunting him, will Dodson make positive steps to find solutions for his problems?

Hi Five is a clever mystery with a topical storyline. IQ is a highly intelligent man but his choices sometimes culminate with unintended consequences.  He is tenacious and continues fighting for the truth about Christiana and her possible involvement in Tyler’s murder. With shocking twists and stunning turns, Joe Ide brings this perplexing mystery to a very unanticipated conclusion. Old and new fans will be eagerly awaiting the next installment in the fantastic IQ series.

Comments Off on Review: Hi Five by Joe Ide

Filed under Contemporary, Hi Five, IQ Series, Joe Ide, Mulholland Books, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Suspense

October 7, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: Wrecked by Joe Ide

Title: Wrecked by Joe Ide
IQ Series Book Three
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In this outrageous novel from Joe Ide, “the best thing to happen to mystery writing in a very long time” (New York Times), the case of a young artist’s missing mother sets IQ on a collision course with his own Moriarty.

Isaiah Quintabe–IQ for short–has never been more successful, or felt more alone. A series of high-profile wins in his hometown of East Long Beach have made him so notorious that he can hardly go to the corner store without being recognized. Dodson, once his sidekick, is now his full-fledged partner, hell-bent on giving IQ’s PI business some real legitimacy: a Facebook page, and IQ’s promise to stop accepting Christmas sweaters and carpet cleanings in exchange for PI services.

So when a young painter approaches IQ for help tracking down her missing mother, it’s not just the case Isaiah’s looking for, but the human connection. And when his new confidant turns out to be connected to a dangerous paramilitary operation, IQ falls victim to a threat even a genius can’t see coming.

Waiting for Isaiah around every corner is Seb, the Oxford-educated African gangster who was responsible for the death of his brother, Marcus. Only, this time, Isaiah’s not alone. Joined by a new love interest and his familiar band of accomplices, IQ is back–and the adventures are better than ever.

Review:

Wrecked by Joe Ide is an action-packed mystery starring street smart and highly observant sleuth Isaiah “IQ” Quintabe and his somewhat trusty sidekick/partner Juanell Dodson. This third installment in the IQ series can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the previous two novels as well.

IQ has been admiring struggling artist Grace Monarova from afar  and he is pleased but nervous when she requests a meeting. Although disappointed she is only interested in his investigative abilities, he nonetheless agrees to help find her missing mother, Sarah. Quickly delving into his new case, IQ is aware his new client is being less than forthcoming  but he soon figures out he and Grace are in serious danger. Unbeknownst to Grace or IQ, Sarah is blackmailing Stan Walczak, a former CIA agent who viciously tortured prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Stan has cobbled together a group of disgraced veterans who worked for him at the prison and they are determined to find Sarah and neutralize the threat she poses to them. Will IQ find Sarah before Walczak and his henchman?

IQ’s newly acquired business partner and long time friend, Dodson, however is less than thrilled to discover IQ is not adhering to their newly formed business model. Instead of agreeing to be paid in actual money instead of bartered goods, IQ instead selects one of Grace’s paintings for payment. However, Dodson is embroiled in his own troubles when his past with his former business partner Deronda Simmons comes back to haunt them.  Years earlier,  IQ rescued Dodson and Deronda from their ill-thought out plan to rob a neighborhood thug, Junior. Someone divulged their secret to knife store owner Chester Babbitt who is in desperate need of funds and he uses this knowledge to blackmail Dodson into stealing money from Junior. In typical Dodson fashion, he attempts to handle this latest predicament without assistance from IQ.  But  will Dodson be able to  get out from underneath Babbitt’s demands on his own?

Wrecked is a fast-paced and energetic mystery that moves at a brisk pace. Isaiah is back on his home turf in this latest entry in the IQ series but his feelings for Grace leave him off balance. His investigation into Sarah’s whereabouts is interesting and he and Grace are both in grave danger throughout the novel. Dodson’s story arc is just as intriguing and readers will be quite satisfied by its clever resolution. Another gritty and adrenaline-fueled installment in Joe Ide’s IQ series that old and new fans are sure to enjoy.

Comments Off on Review: Wrecked by Joe Ide

Filed under Contemporary, IQ Series, Joe Ide, Mulholland Books, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Wrecked

October 15, 2017 · 11:57 pm

Review: Righteous by Joe Ide

Title: Righteous by Joe Ide
IQ Series Book Two
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In this hotly anticipated follow-up to the smash hit IQ, a New York Times Critics’ Best of the Year and nominee for the Best First Novel Edgar Award, Isaiah uncovers a secret behind the death of his brother, Marcus.

For ten years, something has gnawed at Isaiah Quintabe’s gut and kept him up nights, boiling with anger and thoughts of revenge. Ten years ago, when Isaiah was just a boy, his brother was killed by an unknown assailant. The search for the killer sent Isaiah plunging into despair and nearly destroyed his life. Even with a flourishing career, a new dog, and near-iconic status as a PI in his hometown, East Long Beach, he has to begin the hunt again-or lose his mind.

A case takes him and his volatile, dubious sidekick, Dodson, to Vegas, where Chinese gangsters and a terrifying seven-foot loan shark are stalking a DJ and her screwball boyfriend. If Isaiah doesn’t find the two first, they’ll be murdered. Awaiting the outcome is the love of IQ’s life: fail, and he’ll lose her. Isaiah’s quest is fraught with treachery, menace, and startling twists, and it will lead him to the mastermind behind his brother’s death, Isaiah’s own sinister Moriarty.

With even more action, suspense, and mind-bending mysteries than Isaiah’s first adventures, Righteousis a rollicking, ingenious thrill ride.

Review:

In Joe Ide’s Righteous, brilliant detective Isaiah Quintabe (aka IQ) finds himself working two cases that are extremely personal since they both have links to his beloved brother Marcus who died in a tragic hit and run several years earlier. This second installment in the gritty private detective series, IQ, is a suspenseful mystery that easily stands on its own but I highly recommend the first novel as well.

This latest outing picks up where the previous novel left off and having discovered the car from the hit and run that killed Marcus, Isaiah is more determined than ever to find the person responsible. After closely examining the contents inside the car, he stumbles onto a startling realization about the hit and run. Beginning his investigation with his straight as an arrow brother’s business records,  his search for the truth takes him in a surprising direction. As he gets closer to figuring out who is responsible for Marcus’s death, Isaiah’s perception of his brother is forever changed. And his quest for vengeance puts him in a moral quandary as Isaiah questions suspects and eventually comes face to face with his brother’s killer.

While delving into his brother’s past, Marcus’s girlfriend at the time of his death, Sarita Van, reaches out to Isaiah to look into her half-sister Janine’s troubles in Las Vegas. Janine and her ne’er-do-well boyfriend Benny have racked up a huge debt with a loan shark and their harebrained scheme to extort money puts them in the path of Chinese gangsters from the 14K Triad. Isaiah enlists the aid of his former partner in crime, Juanell Dodson, and they quickly travel to Vegas in order to save Janine. Their rescue attempt immediately runs into trouble since the 14K is gunning for both Janine and Benny.

With with the Triad and the loan sharks hot on their heels, Isaiah and Dodson must use every skill they possess as they try to keep Janine out of harm’s way following Benny’s disappearance. Since Isaiah a little off his game as he comes to terms with the revelations about Marcus and Dodson is trying to outthink and outmaneuver him, their collaboration is full of tension and friction as they try to stay one step ahead of the gangsters. But when the case takes a detour that hits extremely close to home, will Isaiah and Dodson put aside their differences before it is too late?

In the aftermath of both cases, Isaiah is forced to take stock of his life when his hopes and dreams are dashed after a rude reality check. A loner by choice, he is shocked by a proposition from Dodson whose plan is surprisingly well thought out and provides Isaiah with a way to make more money while still helping the people in his community.

Righteous is an engrossing, action-packed mystery with an immensely appealing lead protagonist. While Isaiah is not prone to much introspection, the events that unfold during this latest installment of the IQ series will force him to step out of comfort zone. With the chapters alternating back and forth between Isaiah’s search for Marcus’s killer and trying to keep Janine out of harm’s way, Joe Ide brings the novel to an unexpected conclusion. I greatly enjoyed this extremely clever novel and I highly recommend it to fans of the genre.

Comments Off on Review: Righteous by Joe Ide

Filed under Contemporary, IQ Series, Joe Ide, Mulholland Books, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Righteous, Suspense