Joe Ide

For many readers, the world of Joe Ide's Isaiah Quintabe might as well be on another planet. Isaiah is a brilliant young man who lives in the 'hood-- the East Long Beach section of Los Angeles. He helps the people who live there by taking on cases that the police won't bother with, and he gets paid in a variety of ways: homecooked food, a live chicken, whatever people can afford. In Righteous, Ide's character-- known by everyone as IQ-- is the voice of the 'hood; he tells the truth, and he show more tells it straight out, often in very poetic language.


"In a way, the hate felt good. You were righteous, godlike, the dispenser of justice. Hate dispelled your fears and forged every disappointment, setback, loss, humiliation, and failure that ever happened to you into one massive steel sledgehammer of rage, poised to obliterate, and for one brief, purifying moment, give you relief."

Even though IQ's world may be alien to many, it is populated by characters that jump off the page. There's Dodson, a young man of dubious abilities who nevertheless wants to advance from being IQ's sidekick to a full-fledged partner. Fortunately, Dodson has moved in with the kickass Cerise who will help keep him on the straight and narrow. A favorite of mine is Deronda ("I'm not impulsive. I just make up my mind fast.") who's not waiting for her shapely behind to lead her to fame and fortune. No, not Deronda. She has a food truck now. One of the most interesting is Manzo, who sees that the way his gang has always conducted business is going to kill them all. He's trying to make changes, but there are members like Ramona who are so deep into the life that they can't see anything else.

There are characters who want something better and are willing to sacrifice and change to get it, and there are those who seemingly have all the advantages-- like DJ Janine and her boyfriend Benny-- who are traveling full-throttle down the highway to hell. Yes, I do love Ide's characters. They make me think, and they make me feel.

But the author isn't just a wizard who creates marvelous characters. He knows how to construct a plot that keeps you guessing, and he knows how to keep it moving fast. I probably wouldn't survive very long in Isaiah Quintabe's world, but I certainly do appreciate Joe Ide letting me visit. show less

This is a good book; don't let my rating fool you. After all, what are ratings? A momentary reflection on the enjoyment of a read, a statement on the overall quality of the book, an assessment of value, or a comparison to an author's other works? On any given day, I may rate according to any one of those things, while attempting to explain why in my review. Onward, then.

Isiah, known locally as 'IQ,' is contacted out of the blue by Sarita, the woman who had been dating his brother in the show more years before he died. Her call shakes him from his depression after discovering the car involved in his brother's hit-and-run and realizing that it was intentional, a homicide. Sarita is worried about her half-sister, Janine, a DJ and gambling addict who lives in Vegas and claims she's in trouble. This time, IQ asks Dodson along, who has been busy trying to go straight in the food truck business while supporting his very-pregnant girlfriend Cherise. As always, they discover more than they expected in Vegas after the sister's boyfriend attempts blackmail. At the same time, the narrative follows IQ as he works his brother's case and his last steps in the weeks before his death.

Although reviewers often dub IQ as 'Sherlock-style,' there really is only the faintest resemblance to the Coyle stories. In this book, the action is considerably amped up, and IQ's deductions are primarily in service of rescues and not in solving a mystery. There's also a dual timeline, with IQ's earlier investigation into his brother's murder intermixed into his trip to Vegas to assist Janine.

"Janine is a serial liar, and hopefully it's a story she made up to get money from me. She's done it many times before. On the other hand, she might be telling the truth and if she is, she'll need help--oh, I'm sorry, Isaiah, I'm just assuming you'll drop everything you're doing and go."

One of the challenges for me was that Ide uses a limited third-person narrative, giving the reader perspectives from virtually everyone in the story. Personal perspective from Dodson, Janine, her boyfriend Benny, a store clerk, Janine's father, the loan shark, a local gangbanger, a local gang leader, etc. all serve to confuse the story line and create distance between the reader and the characters. On the one hand, this choice does give the reader some insight as to the motivation, potentially humanizing those choosing a life of crime. On the other hand, it is so many people that it is hard to care about one person in particular. Furthermore, I'm not sure it was successful. I felt like the perspective just convinced me the person in question was an asshole, making it hard to appreciate IQ's efforts.

I felt mildly guilty not enjoying this more. Ide's a solid writer and to be honest, I think he is using a technique very few authors could pull off. The overall quality of the writing is very high, far above the average mystery; really edging into literary fiction. A little stuck on what didn't work, I happened to open [b:Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead|9231999|Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead (Claire DeWitt Mysteries, #1)|Sara Gran|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312909281l/9231999._SY75_.jpg|14112168], another kind of mystery/ lit-fic that solves a mystery while looking at life in the underclass, hoping for more insight. I think a limited perspective would have helped a great deal. Ide could have put more of the information into dialogue, bringing the characters to life, or left it out altogether. My guess is, however, that he likely wanted to humanize some of the criminal stereotypes used. Dodson provides much of the comic relief, but in some ways, that's a stereotype too.

I think changing emphasis on the story lines and concentrating on IQ's brother's murder and his resulting personal development could have done some amazing things. Greater focus on IQ might have let more opportunities for humor to creep in as well, because IQ mostly seems grim and irascible. While I appreciate his awareness of his contradictory impulses, it felt very tiring after a bit. He's so young, and still struggling with the fallout of the murder that the plot with Sarita and Janine felt like a distraction from the emotional weight of the real case.

"Much of the guilt he'd been carrying around for years had lifted and feelings were surfacing that he'd always ignored. He was lonely. He wanted friends... He wanted to have fun, not that he knew how. Inviting Dodson to come along was a bold step for him."


Overall then, a middling kind of read, partially because Ide set the bar quite high in IQ. Still, I'll be looking forward to the next book. show less

This is shaping up to be an enduring series, featuring the young genius street detective Isaiah Quintabe (IQ), who lives in a poor neighborhood of Long Beach, CA, and in this thriller, tracks down the murderer of his own brother Marcus. In order to get that handled, IQ partners with Hispanic street gangs and Asian tongs, along with his old friend Dodson, now the half owner of a fried chicken truck. There's immense humor here, in the order of The Hangover, especially since most of the action show more takes place in Las Vegas, where IQ is hired to rescue a pimp king, his gambling addict daughter, and her incredibly dumb BF from a brutal triad. Refugees from Rwanda also make an appearance, making this the most diverse cast since the Easy Rawlins crew. Highly recommended, but start with the first one, IQ.

Quote: "Leo couldn't have been anything else but a loan shark. He didn't seem to care that everybody, including the people he called friends, would rather hang out at the morgue than have a drink with him." show less

IQ does exactly what good fiction is supposed to do; engages and takes you away, allowing you to experience, vicariously, a culture and events you likely never could otherwise. In the meantime, you’re meeting memorable characters who invoke an array of emotions.
A good portion of Isaiah’s appeal for me, apart from his formidable mental processes, are his choices and the reasoning behind them. Isaiah, after some missteps, is becoming a man his brother, Marcus, would be proud of. He’s show more rising above and taking the high road, difficult though it is at times, and influencing those around him.
Isaiah reminds me of Edward Woodward from the ‘80s television show, The Equalizer. Isaiah is The Equalizer, but with his own unique weaponry. Eccentric, misunderstood by most around him and driven. Isaiah Quintabe aka IQ is one of the most engrossing characters I’ve encountered in quite a while, and I can barely wait to join him on his next case.

5 stars
Reviewed for Miss Ivy’s Book Nook Take II & Novels Alive TV show less