IQ

By Joe Ide

IQ - Joe Ide
  • Release Date: 2016-10-18
  • Genre: Black Literature
Score: 4
4
From 687 Ratings

Description

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

  • Uses Jesus name in vain. Can’t read

    1
    By Sharesp
    Wont read books defaming God or using curse words. This starts in the Prolog
  • IQ

    5
    By lrginaz1
    New, fresh story kept me buried in this book. Can’t wait for the next read.
  • For $1.99 it’s a steal!

    5
    By Fiend4Cafeine
    This was by far one of the most interesting and exciting books I’ve ever read! The story telling was on point. I was surprised as to how quickly this book caught my attention, and when it did, I was totally immersed in this fictional world. I almost forgot to mention that this book (and their characters) are full of humor and are very relatable. Not really a big fan of fiction books, but this book was definitely worth my time and money. Highly recommend this book to anybody looking for a book that’s filled with humor, suspense, and twists.
  • Excellent

    4
    By Rika1974
    Such groove in the writing. Such a good plot. Very cool book.
  • Back and Forth

    3
    By Bjnole
    Interesting going from IQ to in current day and back and forth to the past to read his development.
  • Well written and fast paced

    5
    By whydoumakeitdifficult
    Didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I bought the second book immediately after finishing book 1.
  • Smart Gangland Page-Turner Miraculously Avoids Cliché

    5
    By stephie hell
    Joe Ide’s first novel, IQ, set in South Central L.A., effortlessly weaves two compelling narratives. One is the fast-paced present-day trip through a bling-filled conspiracy (or is it?) surrounding the attempted murder of a superstar rap icon, now depressed and muzzy-headed, drifting through his ostentatiously appointed mansion swallowing a veritable pharmacopeia, adopted stray cat in his arms, as a paranoid shut-in, refusing to leave to record spurious new tracks to meet a looming deadline and fulfill his latest multimillion dollar record deal. The other, equally-engaging narrative is the more subtly wrought origin story of the novel's eponymous protagonist, Isaiah Quintabe, or I.Q., tracing his development from a genius high school student hit by tragedy in his violent neighborhood and left to raise himself according to a strict moral code into a cool, calm, and inexorable problem solver for hire (whose remuneration has ranged from baked goods to tens of thousands in cash) operating out of his nearly impregnably secure home, all in the insalubrious neighborhoods of South Central L.A. *************** Now I’ve lost the steam to get to the good part of the review. Here’s the quick and dirty rundown: • well-developed characters without reliance on traditional “ ‘hood” stereotypes, most notably lacking the “self-elevated-via-bootstraps poor Black kid realizing the middle class white American dream,” thank goodness • warm, personable dialogue with an easily accessible authenticity • taut prose, neither overblown nor spartan, hitting that exactly right sweet spot that pulls readers quickly through the wild ride without sacrificing the nuanced details that create the novel’s well-realized landscape • sets up IQ perfectly for a bingeable series of novels that won’t be written quickly enough for this new fan Read it; it’s totally good. Full disclosure: written by a middle class white midwestern woman who is not the most reliable determiner of what counts as authentic for South Central L.A.
  • Disappointed

    2
    By bleeckerrob
    Article in NY Times recommended this title and author for visual and gritty storytelling- inferior, went nowhere and never caught me. Like author’s frame of reference and genre but lost me.
  • Great read

    5
    By Footez
    The characters were relatable (we all know someone like Dodson-the black, hood, Eddie Haskell), the dialogue fun and quick. It was an all around great read. Looking forward to reading RIGHTEOUS, the second in the IQ series. Good job Mr. IDE!
  • Pretty good

    4
    By YankiJ
    Not bad for a debut novel. Always a interesting read when involving a whole heap of characters set in Cali. Some twists but you can sort of make the story and guess but some things are a bit shocking in a good way. Makes it more engaging.