IQ by Joe Ide - 4 stars

[Joy D]

IQ by Joe Ide - 4* - My Review

In this contemporary crime noir, Isaiah Quintabe (aka “IQ”) is a brilliant young detective operating as an unlicensed private investigator in East Long Beach, California. Isaiah is using his investigative skills to help people in his community, as a form of self-imposed penance for a youthful mistake with tragic consequences. The storyline follows two intersecting cases: one involving a fading drug-addicted rap star whose life may be in danger and another concerning Isaiah's investigation into his own brother Marcus's death years earlier in a hit-and-run accident.

Isaiah is a natural sleuth, exhibiting keen powers of observation, logic, and an intimate understanding of his urban environment and its social dynamics. He is like Sherlock Holmes in figuring out what is going on well before anyone else catches up to his conclusions. Ide's writing style blends humor with serious social commentary. He incorporates street vernacular and hip-hop culture references. He addresses issues of poverty, violence, and systemic inequality in marginalized communities in addition to delivering an action-packed mystery-thriller. Crime noir is not my typical read, and I expect regular readers of the genre will enjoy it even more than I did.

[Olivermagnus]

I loved this book and have read four of the six. They are also wonderful audiobooks, narrated by Sullivan Jones. He perfectly narrates the story and sounded just the way I imagine Isaiah would really sound.

[Joy D]

Olivermagnus wrote: "I loved this book and have read four of the six. They are also wonderful audiobooks, narrated by Sullivan Jones. He perfectly narrates the story and sounded just the way I imagine Isaiah would real..."

I love listening to audiobooks so whenever I get to the next book, I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip. I also loved how the "sidekick" eventually figured something out before the brilliant guy. It was a fun read.