Wrecked

In this outrageous novel from Joe Ide, “the best thing to happen to mystery writing in a very long time” (New York Times), the case of a young artist’s missing mother sets IQ on a collision course with his own Moriarty.

Isaiah Quintabe — IQ for short — has never been more successful, or felt more alone. A series of high-profile wins in his hometown of East Long Beach have made him so notorious that he can hardly go to the corner store without being recognized. Dodson, once his sidekick, is now his full-fledged partner, hell-bent on giving IQ’s PI business some real legitimacy: a Facebook page, and IQ’s promise to stop accepting Christmas sweaters and carpet cleanings in exchange for PI services.

So when a young painter approaches IQ for help tracking down her missing mother, it’s not just the case Isaiah’s looking for, but the human connection. And when his new confidant turns out to be connected to a dangerous paramilitary operation, IQ falls victim to a threat even a genius can’t see coming.

Waiting for Isaiah around every corner is Seb, the Oxford-educated African gangster who was responsible for the death of his brother, Marcus. Only, this time, Isaiah’s not alone. Joined by a new love interest and his familiar band of accomplices, IQ is back — and the adventures are better than ever.

"The hip-hop generation's answer to Sherlock Holmes returns fast and furious in the third installment of Ide's celebrated series...Ide's penchant for colorful characters, droll banter, and whackadoodle set pieces is aided by a growing command of narrative dynamics. And Isaiah Quintabe remains an engaging, fascinating protagonist...There's a harder, darker edge to the violence that gives this ripsnorting follow-up a rueful yet resonant aftertaste, perhaps in anticipation of more unsettling jolts in the hero's future." Kirkus

"Wrecked takes Ide's unlikely hero into new territory, with foes that test his mettle in ways his previous adversaries could not even fathom, and with a possible love interest that exposes an entirely new facet of IQ's character." BookPage

"Having read all three of Joe Ide's novels about the young Sherlock Holmes of the 'hood, Isaiah Quintabe, I am pleased to say that his third novel, Wrecked, is the best one yet. The stakes are higher, the suspense more intense, and the addition of a budding romance provides more character depth. Read it, enjoy it, and then impatiently wait around for the next one like the rest of us." Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, author of Mycroft Holmes and Coach Wooden and Me

"With writing so sharp you may cut your fingers on the pages, Joe Ide's latest IQ novel, Wrecked, is outrageous and laugh-out-loud funny, a page-turner with devastating observations about the dangers of state-sanctioned violence and its consequences. The characters are unforgettable, none more so than IQ himself. Like in the previous books, IQ's tender intelligence and his tight moral compass are what make this series so stirring... and touching." Attica Locke, Edgar Award-winning author of Bluebird, Bluebird

"Once again, Ide brilliantly combines caper-style comedy with real-world violence and more than a dollop of complex human relationships, the kind that too often lead to mess and muddle rather than happily-ever-aftering. If you haven't discovered this series yet, remedial action is required immediately." Booklist (starred review)

When IQ agrees to track down a painter's missing mother, he unexpectedly encounters a dangerous paramilitary operation -- and must escape a trap so deadly that even a genius can't see it coming.
Isaiah Quintabe -- IQ for short -- has never been more successful, or felt more alone. A series of high-profile wins in his hometown of East Long Beach have made him so notorious that he can hardly go to the corner store without being recognized. Dodson, once his sidekick, is now his full-fledged partner, hell-bent on giving IQ's PI business some real legitimacy: a Facebook page, along with IQ's promise to stop accepting Christmas sweaters and carpet cleanings in exchange for PI services.
So when a young painter approaches IQ for help tracking down her missing mother, it's not just the case Isaiah's looking for, but the human connection. And when his new confidant turns out to be connected to a dangerous paramilitary operation, IQ falls victim to a threat unlike anything he's ever encountered.
Waiting for Isaiah around every corner is Seb, the Oxford-educated African gangster who was responsible for the death of his brother, Marcus. Only, this time, Isaiah's not alone. Joined by a new love interest and his familiar band of accomplices, IQ is back -- and the adventures are better than ever.

In this outrageous novel from Joe Ide, the best thing to happen to mystery writing in a very long time (New York Times), the case of a young artist's missing mother sets IQ on a collision course with his own Moriarty.

Isaiah Quintabe -- IQ for short -- has never been more successful, or felt more alone. A series of high-profile wins in his hometown of East Long Beach have made him so notorious that he can hardly go to the corner store without being recognized. Dodson, once his sidekick, is now his full-fledged partner, hell-bent on giving IQ's PI business some real legitimacy: a Facebook page, and IQ's promise to stop accepting Christmas sweaters and carpet cleanings in exchange for PI services.

So when a young painter approaches IQ for help tracking down her missing mother, it's not just the case Isaiah's looking for, but the human connection. And when his new confidant turns out to be connected to a dangerous paramilitary operation, IQ falls victim to a threat even a genius can't see coming.

Waiting for Isaiah around every corner is Seb, the Oxford-educated African gangster who was responsible for the death of his brother, Marcus. Only, this time, Isaiah's not alone. Joined by a new love interest and his familiar band of accomplices, IQ is back -- and the adventures are better than ever.

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.