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jeremyawilliams's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tashadandelion's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rsoccer70's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jdglasgow's review against another edition
2.0
There was a long while between college and middle age during which I didn’t do much reading at all, preferring to spend my time watching movies or television. When I rediscovered my love for reading, one of the first things I got into was Joe Ide’s IQ series, about ‘Encyclopedia Brown’-style “detective from the hood” Isaiah Quintabe. I remember feeling really positively about some of the earlier books in the series, but I’m starting to wonder if I was too impressionable at the time; that is, as a “new” reader, was I more impressed by something that may not have actually been that great? I don’t like having these thoughts, but they are what reading the sixth in the series, FIXIT, inspires. This book is so limp that it has me wondering if the series has in fact always been like this and I was too green to see it.
This book picks up where the last, SMOKE, left off, with Isaiah’s girlfriend Grace kidnapped by Skip Hanson, the villain from an earlier book in the series who is a hitman that previously raised attack dogs. The bulk of the book from there is about Isaiah and Dodson’s attempts to track Skip and save the damsel in distress. The previous book made a point of highlighting Isaiah’s trauma from having been put in so many different life-threatening situations over the years and that remains a factor here. I do appreciate the acknowledgment of how emotionally and psychologically draining being targeted by numerous killers would be, but the result is that here Isaiah doesn’t really do the IQ thing. There is precisely one scene where he uses his preternatural detecting skills, as he tries to identify a stash house among three seemingly identical properties and then has to decide which way a getaway van went. Beyond that, he stumbles around at the mercy of Skip with no plan whatsoever. Again, okay, maybe there’s a point to be made here about the numbing effect his trauma is having on him, but it makes for an unsatisfying read.
The other big element of the story which I found unsatisfying is Dodson’s subplot. For six books now, it seems, his story has been about not knowing his worth and then by the end finding he is capable in some business-savvy way that has value. Nevertheless, here we are right back at Dodson thinking he has nothing of worth to contribute to his family or the world again, going through the motions of the same tired story. This time he’s asked to resolve a dispute between two rival church ladies who are pulling increasingly disturbing “pranks” on one another because of how much each dislikes the other. It’s such an inconsequential conflict, made worse by the fact that Dodson meets the women once, decides there’s nothing he can do, and then the subplot is essentially dropped until the very end when he saves the day by—SPOILER—suggesting his own wife be named choir director at the church so the Reverend can avoid naming one of the two cantankerous women to the role. This, by the way, is the meaning of the title FIXIT. Because Dodson is apparently a “fixer” and this is how he does it. Like the Isaiah story, it’s so lifeless and deeply unappealing.
Thirdly, this book like all of them after WRECKED flits between different characters’ perspectives: Isaiah, of course, but also Dodson, TK, Grace, a kid named Andy, etc. A new character who appears in this one is Winnie Hando, a “good cop” who is working the case of Grace’s kidnapping and is frustrated (and somewhat charmed, perhaps?) by Isaiah’s refusal to work within the system. Simultaneous with this investigation, she’s stumbled upon evidence that her partner may be corrupt—she’s certain he stole cash from a crime scene—and she’s trying to confirm this in the most inelegant way, not far removed from how IQ functions in this book: by straight-up asking him whether he’s corrupt or not. This series has heretofore avoided the trap of humanizing police officers that other mystery series have fallen into, and I resent the fact that a portion of this one is dedicated to the boo-hoos of a rich girl cop, and I loathe the “good cop” trope. Beyond this, there are references to her love life—she’s got super high standards which has resulted in a lack of action on that front!—which is so transparently a wink-wink nudge-nudge indication that she and Isaiah are on the road to a relationship as soon as Grace is out of the picture (which she is by book’s end, having left Isaiah for being too dang dangerous for her to be around). I don’t like the Winnie character and I do not look forward to her being more involved in subsequent books. Also, her subplot about the corrupt partner? He shows her his daughter, whom he claims has some inoperable cancer and gives her a sob story about how he promised her he would pay her way through college and that’s why he’s been stealing money from crime scenes. She resolves this by giving him MORE money and not turning him in.
This book picks up where the last, SMOKE, left off, with Isaiah’s girlfriend Grace kidnapped by Skip Hanson, the villain from an earlier book in the series who is a hitman that previously raised attack dogs. The bulk of the book from there is about Isaiah and Dodson’s attempts to track Skip and save the damsel in distress. The previous book made a point of highlighting Isaiah’s trauma from having been put in so many different life-threatening situations over the years and that remains a factor here. I do appreciate the acknowledgment of how emotionally and psychologically draining being targeted by numerous killers would be, but the result is that here Isaiah doesn’t really do the IQ thing. There is precisely one scene where he uses his preternatural detecting skills, as he tries to identify a stash house among three seemingly identical properties and then has to decide which way a getaway van went. Beyond that, he stumbles around at the mercy of Skip with no plan whatsoever. Again, okay, maybe there’s a point to be made here about the numbing effect his trauma is having on him, but it makes for an unsatisfying read.
The other big element of the story which I found unsatisfying is Dodson’s subplot. For six books now, it seems, his story has been about not knowing his worth and then by the end finding he is capable in some business-savvy way that has value. Nevertheless, here we are right back at Dodson thinking he has nothing of worth to contribute to his family or the world again, going through the motions of the same tired story. This time he’s asked to resolve a dispute between two rival church ladies who are pulling increasingly disturbing “pranks” on one another because of how much each dislikes the other. It’s such an inconsequential conflict, made worse by the fact that Dodson meets the women once, decides there’s nothing he can do, and then the subplot is essentially dropped until the very end when he saves the day by—SPOILER—suggesting his own wife be named choir director at the church so the Reverend can avoid naming one of the two cantankerous women to the role. This, by the way, is the meaning of the title FIXIT. Because Dodson is apparently a “fixer” and this is how he does it. Like the Isaiah story, it’s so lifeless and deeply unappealing.
Thirdly, this book like all of them after WRECKED flits between different characters’ perspectives: Isaiah, of course, but also Dodson, TK, Grace, a kid named Andy, etc. A new character who appears in this one is Winnie Hando, a “good cop” who is working the case of Grace’s kidnapping and is frustrated (and somewhat charmed, perhaps?) by Isaiah’s refusal to work within the system. Simultaneous with this investigation, she’s stumbled upon evidence that her partner may be corrupt—she’s certain he stole cash from a crime scene—and she’s trying to confirm this in the most inelegant way, not far removed from how IQ functions in this book: by straight-up asking him whether he’s corrupt or not. This series has heretofore avoided the trap of humanizing police officers that other mystery series have fallen into, and I resent the fact that a portion of this one is dedicated to the boo-hoos of a rich girl cop, and I loathe the “good cop” trope. Beyond this, there are references to her love life—she’s got super high standards which has resulted in a lack of action on that front!—which is so transparently a wink-wink nudge-nudge indication that she and Isaiah are on the road to a relationship as soon as Grace is out of the picture (which she is by book’s end, having left Isaiah for being too dang dangerous for her to be around). I don’t like the Winnie character and I do not look forward to her being more involved in subsequent books. Also, her subplot about the corrupt partner? He shows her his daughter, whom he claims has some inoperable cancer and gives her a sob story about how he promised her he would pay her way through college and that’s why he’s been stealing money from crime scenes. She resolves this by giving him MORE money and not turning him in.
yetanothersusan's review
3.5
So not my favorite in the series. Sure I like dark but I’m struggling with the places IQ went and perhaps where I think he might be going.
melsiss14's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jbriaz's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2.5 stars. There are several continuity errors in this book. It also appears as though various chapters were jumbled together instead of building a cohesive narrative. Each of the main characters has also become a foil. It sure seems like Ide was working on a deadline and just had to phone this in. I’ll probably give this one more book. But if it doesn’t improve, I’m out.
tstorhoff's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love the IQ books. This one is dark right off the bat as it picks up from the cliffhanger at the end of the last book. IQ is in a bad place throughout but Dodson, TK, and the characters around him bring levity and heart to the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking
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