IQ, Joe Ide
IQ, Joe Ide
8 Rating(s)
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

IQ

Author: Joe Ide

Narrator: Sullivan Jones

Unabridged: 9 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/18/2016

Synopsis

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 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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by James on November 03, 2017

In Isaiah Quintabe (IQ), Joe Ide has created one of the most unique and entertaining protagonists to enter the world of crime fiction in a good long time. Left alone at an early age, Isaiah has a somewhat rocky start. But he pulls himself up by the proverbial bootstraps and becomes a brilliant inves......more

Goodreads review by Meredith (Trying to catch up!) on November 26, 2017

4.5 stars IQ is a riveting read that offers a fresh take on the Sherlock Holmes character. Having read a lot of formulaic, over-the-top, gimmicky books lately, I was feeling quite jaded -- to the point where I almost fell into a reading rut. Thankfully, I came across IQ! I devoured every moment of th......more

Goodreads review by Kemper on August 24, 2016

I received a free ARC of this from NetGalley. There’s no shortage of Sherlocks these days. Both CBS’s Elementary and the BBC's Sherlock are doing fun modern day twists on Holmes. When Robert Downey Jr. can tear himself away from his duties as Iron Man he’s been known to play Sherlock as a steampunkis......more

Goodreads review by Anne on August 27, 2024

A young Sherlockish genius solves the crimes in LA that fall through the cracks. Isaiah Quintabe makes a name for himself helping people in his neighborhood, and the subsequent word of mouth leads to a high-profile rapper calling him in to figure out who is trying to kill him. And while the crime itse......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on September 30, 2021

There's a new sleuth in the Los Angeles hood, and his nickname is IQ. This is perfect because IQ are Isaiah Quintabe's initials AND he's a brilliant consulting detective - along the lines of Sherlock Holmes. Now in his mid-twenties, IQ had a life-changing experience in high school. Isaiah's beloved b......more

Quotes

Winner of the Anthony, Macavity, and Shamus Awards
Nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel
One of the Best Books of the Year - The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Amazon, Suspense Magazine

"The start of a brand-new comedic crime franchise with a bright future. . . . Aggressively entertaining plotting is paired with the kind of dialogue for which readers love Don Winslow. This series is a Los Angeles classic right from the start."—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"One of the most original thrillers of the year . . . [A] sometimes scary, often whimsical, off-the-wall delight . . . It's a mad world that late-blooming Joe Ide has brought forth from his past, a spicy mix of urban horror, youthful striving and show-business absurdity. His IQ is an original and welcome creation."—Patrick Anderson, Washington Post

"Wonderfully quirky . . . Exhilarating language and [an] oddball cast . . . A total laff-riot"—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

"A crackling page-turner of a debut"—Entertainment Weekly

"Joe Ide introduces one of the coolest investigators working the mean streets of Los Angeles. . . . Ide emulates Walter Mosley, that great chronicler of South Central Los Angeles via the Easy Rawlins novels. That's some serious company with whom to be traveling."—Lloyd Sachs, Chicago Tribune

"This debut novel is going to splash the name Joe Ide across the crowded map of crime fiction and commercial fiction in general. Because it's that good, it's that unusual... Do your stretch of holiday reading time a favor by reading this hilarious and harrowing, starkly modern, strikingly American, inner-city sort of oblique homage to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson... It's one hell of a thrilling read."—Austin Chronicle

"I don't know how fast Joe Ide writes, but from now on he'll have to write faster. Everyone who reads IQ will be clamoring for the next book, and for the one after that. This is one of the most intriguing--and appealing--detective characters to come along in years."—Carl Hiaasen

"A few things I love about this... [IQ is] rooted in his community in a way that his inspiration never was...IQ is a small story in the way the best of Conan Doyle's were.... It's a detective story that plays out very close to home, on the streets and corners that Ide (who grew up in South Central) knows best. And Isaiah fits into those streets like they were made for him. A consulting detective for a time and a place that needs one."—Jason Sheehan, NPR

"IQ delivers a moving, yet action-packed plot that never disappoints as it looks at rap music, a community and a young man trying to find his place in the world... The brisk plot of IQ is balanced by the intriguing character of Isaiah, experienced in the ways of the world but with intelligence that makes him anything but naive.... Ide's storytelling skills don't waver."
—The Associated Press

Awards

  • Strand Critics Award for Best First Novel
  • Shamus Award for Best First Private Eye Novel
  • Edgar Award for Best First Novel
  • Barry Award for Best First Novel
  • Anthony Award for Best First Novel
  • Macavity Award for Best First Novel
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