IQ

IQ

Joe Ide

Genre: Mystery

Summary (from Goodreads): 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.

Review: An interesting take on a Sherlock Holmes type mystery, with young, black, inner-city hoodlum-turned-savior Isaiah as the brainiac hero.  Getting a glimpse into Isaiah's early life with his brother and friend Dodson gave some insights into his personality quirks in the present.  I found myself turned off by the amount of time and effort Isaiah put into committing crimes as a teenager, and would have liked to have seen some remorse on his part.  But I guess that's too idealistic for inner city LA.  In any case, Isaiah is a fascinating new hero with a new age vocabulary.  I'll definitely look for the next book if it becomes a series.

Rating: 4 stars