Get ready, because on May 9th, IQ returns to the thriller genre after a year off in FixIt, the latest novel from Joe Ide.
If you’re not familiar with Ide’s Isaiah “IQ” Quintabe books, the series—a modern, urban take on a Sherlock Holmes-like character—launched back in 2016 with IQ. After receiving rave reviews all around, including big endorsements from Michael Connelly and Entertainment Weekly, Ide’s career took off. Soon, sequels started to follow, but the last time readers saw Isaiah was Smoke (2021).
That book, the sixth in the franchise, followed IQ—an unlicensed PI—and his sidekick, Dodson, as they vacated their home base in East Long Beach and went on the run from a deranged killer who had their signs set on Isaiah. (Dodson, who plays a Watson-like role to IQ’s Holmes, had his own storyline that had to do with him finally being forced to either go straight and leave his days of being a gangster behind or lose those closest to him.) However, Ide left his series protagionist on the bench in 2022, instead releasing The Goodbye Coast, which features a reimagined Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler’s beloved character.
Now, IQ is back, and we’ve got all the plot details on Ide’s next offering.
In this sixth installment in the critically acclaimed and beloved series, IQ must rescue Grace from a maniacal hitman who bears a bone-deep grudge against him
Isaiah Quintabe’s first love, Grace, has been kidnapped by his sworn enemy, the professional hitman Skip Hanson. Skip is savage and psychotic, determined to punish Isaiah for sending him to prison and destroying his life. Isaiah and his sometimes partner, ex-hustler Juanell Dodson, together again, must track scant clues through L.A.’s perilous landscape as Grace’s predicament grows more uncertain.
A complication arises in the form of Winnie Hando, a homicide detective with something to prove. Stubborn and effective, Winnie sees Isaiah’s efforts as an obstruction to the investigation and a possible embarrassment: an unlicensed PI can’t be seen doing the department’s job better than the department. Winnie tries to stop Isaiah while pursuing the case herself, each hindering the other’s progress. As the desperate hunt winds on, Isaiah fears that even if he can bring Grace home alive, things between them will never be the same. This latest series installment is an explosive collision of larger-than-life characters, shotguns, vicious dogs, stampeding horses, and Ide’s signature energy, grit, and profundity.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck 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 is building a growing community on Twitch. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” is now available. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. And to take part in free, exclusive BOOK CLUBS each month, join The Real Book Spy on Discord.