• IQ

  • By: Joe Ide
  • Narrated by: Sullivan Jones
  • Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (7,106 ratings)

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IQ  By  cover art

IQ

By: Joe Ide
Narrated by: Sullivan Jones
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Publisher's summary

Strand Critics Award for Best First Novel nominee, 2017

Shamus Award for Best First Private Eye Novel winner, 2017

Edgar Award for Best First Novel nominee, 2017

Barry Award for Best First Novel nominee, 2017

Anthony Award for Best First Novel winner, 2017

Macavity Award for Best First Novel winner, 2017

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 who 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.

©2016 Joe Ide (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

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

Featured Article: 10 Authors Like David Baldacci


David Baldacci is the bestselling author of dozens of novels for adults, and a handful of books for kids and teens. His best-known titles are mystery novels starring FBI and Secret Service agents, and his plots run the spectrum from historical mystery to political thrillers. He's even written general fiction, romantic fiction, kidlit, and YA. If Baldacci is one of your favorite authors, but you listen faster than he can write, never fear! We’ve got you covered with some suggestions of 10 great authors like David Baldacci who write mysteries, thrillers, and fast-paced stories that you’ll love.

What listeners say about IQ

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Finally! Something new and original ;

... to me anyway. Being a white, middle-aged farm wife in the midwest this was definitely something that was outside my so-called wheelhouse. I really, really enjoyed it and any terms I didn't understand I could figure out solely by the context. It was not a problem for me. ...A very enjoyable book.

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123 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

IQ way better than OK

I don’t think this is as Holmes-ish as reviews state, but maybe it is Holmes in the Hood. It's more of a sober, ace detective and part-time vigilante (and Datsun is certainly not Watson), but whatever, I loved it. I do hesitate to recommend it to everyone. If you like off-beat mysteries, a stalwart hero, crazy but loveable secondary characters, plus car chases, pick this book up right away. If you want to try something different I would also recommend highly. The mystery is not the main thing here, it's about character development and sad real life stories. Be ready for flashbacks and Tupac lyrics, both necessary to understand the story. It would be great if this was the start of series. Hat's off to Mr. Jones on narration.

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112 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

What A Voice! A Must Listen!!!

Blown away... That's what "IQ" did.

Joe Ide has a different voice from the detective writer's I've enjoyed (or hated). He speaks from inside of a culture as foreign to me as say, street crowds in Kampala, year-round residents of Greenland's Ittoqqortoormiit, or maybe the people who cling to one of the 33 islands of Kiribati.

And Sullivan Jones filters Ide's voice through his own tongue fuzzy with a familiarity with this book's gripping sense of place. Stripped of its atmosphere, IQ's a cool detective story. But I can't strip away the atmosphere. Don't want to. Want more....

Want another novel exploring Isaiah's growth (or worse, his decay) as he explores a place as near to me as a short bike ride (If I'd dare to ride along those particular city streets) yet as distant (and risky) to me as Yemen's capital of Sana’a.

I have never recommended a detective book more strongly.

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106 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Original and Outstanding

First, one of my favorite books of the year. Maybe even the past couple years. I'm pretty sure when I do my year-end top 10, IQ will be on it.

I almost didn't get this book because of the reviews complaining about the language. Well, someone would have to a total prude to be offended by the language. That isn't to say that the language isn't crude at times, but most of the time not. And when the language is crude it is absolutely, totally in character.

Let me say that I loved EVERYTHING about IQ. The plot is a breath of fresh air. Not your usual
whodunnit. I liked IQ's thought process. I also found myself laughing out loud a few times. The writing is crisp and clean. Character-development was rich. Settings were well drawn.

I've never listened to anything read by Sullivan Jones. He was perfect for this book. I saw a couple reviews that said he was bad. What? They must have been smokin' something. Sullivan Jones was spot on.

I hope IQ is first in a series. I'd preorder the next one in a flash.

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76 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I tried to like this book

I gave up with only 1:55 left, but it became unbearable. The narrator sounded just about as bored as I was, listening to it. I will be returning this book to Audible - I tried and tried and TRIED.

I am not a reader who even minds language, but there was SO MUCH bad language that was so over the top and gratuitous. I began to wonder if the author had any other words in his vocabulary.

I know I'm in the minority in not liking this book..... but I do wish I hadn't wasted 8 or so hours trying and trying to keep giving it a shot, and then when I have less than 2 hours left to so thoroughly NOT CARE about the ending that you throw in the towel..... I wish I would have quit listening a lot earlier.

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75 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

good listen good narration

Keep it up. I agree with other reviews that this a great start to a lasting series. reminded me os Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins series with a more up to date version with years of stories to come.

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69 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Narrator makes the Book

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Sullivan Jones does a wonderful job creating believable characters, and his narration makes the book worth the listen.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Several reviewers have complained about the dual plot lines. Reading the book might be easier than listening to it, but then you would miss Jones's narration. What I find least interesting is that the plot lags a great deal with what might be unnecessary parts and then seems to wrap up too quickly with a summary rather than playing out the story through dialog description, and events.

What does Sullivan Jones bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jones creates the characters with his vocal abilities. Without his narration, the book would be a much more difficult listen.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

The book could easily be a movie. Ide creates some fun characters who are brought to life by Jones. It is clear that Ide was much more concerned with character development than with plot, which more or less works in this book.

Any additional comments?

I do not like to seem critical of any author's work because writing a compelling story is no easy task, so I would emphasize that the book is worth reading or listening to, and I suspect that Ide will produce more mature plots as he develops this series. I hope Jones remains the narrator.

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65 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Kudos for a great debut novel

Fun, well written, with excellent narration.
IQ, is a modern hero, brought to life by the creative writing of Joe Ide and amazing narration of Sullivan Jones.
Great production.
Well worth the credit.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Hmmm

I didn't like this book until I did. The reader is excellent. But the author filled the book with so much dirty language that the repetition became boring to the point I had difficulty concentrating on the story line. The overall result was I missed the point the author was making, assuming there was one. It's the reader that saves the book.

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36 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

George Pelecanos Remastered

It's George Pelecanos's Spero Lucas only younger, smarter, and not quite so tough.

As a white person reading about black people in a neighborhood I've never experienced, I can't judge how realistic the story might be. Throw in the fact that the author is Japanese-American, and you gotta wonder...But it's a good read. That's what matters.

The very BEST part is the narrator. Dialect and accent is 100% believable. Execution is impeccable. In fact, I like him so much, I'll be looking to see what I can scrounge up of his TV/theater work.

The next book is definitely on my short list.

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28 people found this helpful