On January 28, 2020, Isaiah Quintabe, the genius private investigator better known as IQ, will return in Hi Five, the highly-anticipated new novel from Joe Ide.
IQ, a brilliant, young African American who works as an inner-city private investigator, and reads like almost like a homage to Sherlock Holmes, first appeared in Ide’s breakout debut novel, IQ (2016) before going on to star in Righteous (2017) and Wrecked (2018).
Next up, Isaiah will headline Ide’s fourth book, Hi Five, which picks up after Wrecked and is said to follow IQ as he attempts to make a normal life for him and his new girlfriend, Grace. But, as Ide’s readers already know, nothing around Isaiah is normal, something he’s reminded of time and time again. Also returning are series regulars and fellow East Long Beach residents, Dodson—who plays Watson to IQ’s Sherlock—and Deronda. See the cover art and plot details below.
Isaiah Quintabe, the genius PI who combines book smarts, street smarts, and enough blistering action to melt the pavement of East Long Beach, is back with a new adventure.
Fresh off the beating he took at the hands of a gang of ex-Abu Ghraib thugs working as paramilitary contractors, IQ is determined to build a life for himself with his new girlfriend, Grace. For once, he wants to be normal–a normal guy, with a normal PI business, doing the best he can.
But this is IQ, and trouble is never far behind him. Joined by his faithful band of fast-talking, sharp-tongued partners, Deronda and Dodson, the cases are wild, the mysteries twisty, and the driving fast.
Joe Ide grew up in South Central Los Angeles. Joe’s favorite books were the Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories. He held a variety of different jobs–including Hollywood screenwriter–before writing IQ, which went onto win the Anthony, Macavity, and Shamus awards for Best Debut Novel. Joe lives in Santa Monica, California.
While, on paper, it looks like Joe Ide is skipping 2018, it’s not as if readers will have to wait two years for the follow-up to Wrecked. Up until now, all of Ide’s books have been released in October, and I’m told he’s now moving from fall to the winter, with a new pub month of January—meaning fans will only have to wait an extra three months to get their hands on Hi Five. Such a move isn’t exactly uncommon, with several notable writers recently moving from later in the year to the first quarter of the following year, including James Rollins, who did just that with his latest book, Crucible, that came out back in January.
More good news for Ide’s fans, is the fact that the talented author is already under contract for at least two more books after Hi Five. Plus, I’m told Alcon Television are developing a TV series featuring IQ. Bottom line: there’s plenty more Isaiah Quintabe on tap, which is great for Ide’s growing fanbase.
While Hi Five is not yet available for pre-order, we’ll update this article just as soon as it is. In the meantime, check out Ide’s website, Twitter, and Facebook pages for more info.
Praised as “one of today’s finest book reviewers” by New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, Ryan Steck (“The Godfather of the thriller genre” — Ben Coes) has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and pens a monthly thriller column for CrimeReads. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.