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nixieknox's review
3.0
I was a little worried because I read some not-great pre-pub reviews, but I liked this as much as the last one. The torture/violence was hard to read, but I liked the story and all the supporting characters stories as well. Especially love Deronda!
thegoodmariner's review
3.0
It kind of feels like the series is spinning its wheels a little with this one, although I still like the characters enough to see what the next book holds.
jedbird's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read and enjoyed the first two books in this series a few years ago. At the time, I held off on reading this book because I was squicked by the torture at the beginning. Isaiah Quintabe runs afoul of a group of former-military security contractors who were discharged after their actions at Abu Ghraib. What these people did at Abu Ghraib and what the do to IQ is awful, but I had better tolerance for it on this read. It's graphic, but only enough to get the point across.
Isaiah gets a love interest - an artist named Grace whose mother is missing. His friend Dodson wants to partner up and find Isaiah paying customers. Grace's mother is trying to blackmail the security contractors. Deronda--she of the notable buttocks--and Dodson plan a heist. It's mayhem, and very entertaining.
Isaiah gets a love interest - an artist named Grace whose mother is missing. His friend Dodson wants to partner up and find Isaiah paying customers. Grace's mother is trying to blackmail the security contractors. Deronda--she of the notable buttocks--and Dodson plan a heist. It's mayhem, and very entertaining.
eshatto's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
readingwithhippos's review
4.0
I almost skipped this third installment in the Sherlock-inspired IQ series after being underwhelmed by the second book, Righteous, which came out last year, but I am so glad I didn’t. I don’t know whether the issues I had with Righteous were my fault or the author’s, but Wrecked recaptures the magic of the first book in the series and reestablishes IQ as the brilliant but awkward PI I knew and loved. In this outing, Isaiah and Dodson have made their partnership official—Dodson is now in charge of the books, making sure they get paid with real money, not hand-knitted sweaters. When a girl Isaiah meets at the junkyard hires him to help find her mom and offers to pay him with her artwork, Dodson is not enthused, but Isaiah (quietly but not so secretly smitten) takes the case anyway. And a whole lot of high adrenaline action follows. I am amazed by Ide’s ability to sustain tension (TFW what feels like the climactic scene happens halfway through, and you realize there’s a whole lot more where that came from). I also love the gritty setting of East Long Beach and the realistic way the characters speak. I’m glad I stuck with Isaiah Quintabe and look forward to more of his detective work.
myrdyr's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
3.9/5 stars. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
bwkramer's review
3.0
Probably a three because I’m comparing it to the other books in the series. This one just wasn’t as good. Much more of a standard blackmail/revenge story and not enough IQ-like story.
kbranfield's review
4.0
Wrecked by Joe Ide is an action-packed mystery starring street smart and highly observant sleuth Isaiah "IQ" Quintabe and his somewhat trusty sidekick/partner Juanell Dodson. This third installment in the IQ series can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the previous two novels as well.
IQ has been admiring struggling artist Grace Monarova from afar and he is pleased but nervous when she requests a meeting. Although disappointed she is only interested in his investigative abilities, he nonetheless agrees to help find her missing mother, Sarah. Quickly delving into his new case, IQ is aware his new client is being less than forthcoming but he soon figures out he and Grace are in serious danger. Unbeknownst to Grace or IQ, Sarah is blackmailing Stan Walczak, a former CIA agent who viciously tortured prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Stan has cobbled together a group of disgraced veterans who worked for him at the prison and they are determined to find Sarah and neutralize the threat she poses to them. Will IQ find Sarah before Walczak and his henchman?
IQ's newly acquired business partner and long time friend, Dodson, however is less than thrilled to discover IQ is not adhering to their newly formed business model. Instead of agreeing to be paid in actual money instead of bartered goods, IQ instead selects one of Grace's paintings for payment. However, Dodson is embroiled in his own troubles when his past with his former business partner Deronda Simmons comes back to haunt them. Years earlier, IQ rescued Dodson and Deronda from their ill-thought out plan to rob a neighborhood thug, Junior. Someone divulged their secret to knife store owner Chester Babbitt who is in desperate need of funds and he uses this knowledge to blackmail Dodson into stealing money from Junior. In typical Dodson fashion, he attempts to handle this latest predicament without assistance from IQ. But will Dodson be able to get out from underneath Babbitt's demands on his own?
Wrecked is a fast-paced and energetic mystery that moves at a brisk pace. Isaiah is back on his home turf in this latest entry in the IQ series but his feelings for Grace leave him off balance. His investigation into Sarah's whereabouts is interesting and he and Grace are both in grave danger throughout the novel. Dodson's story arc is just as intriguing and readers will be quite satisfied by its clever resolution. Another gritty and adrenaline-fueled installment in Joe Ide's IQ series that old and new fans are sure to enjoy.
IQ has been admiring struggling artist Grace Monarova from afar and he is pleased but nervous when she requests a meeting. Although disappointed she is only interested in his investigative abilities, he nonetheless agrees to help find her missing mother, Sarah. Quickly delving into his new case, IQ is aware his new client is being less than forthcoming but he soon figures out he and Grace are in serious danger. Unbeknownst to Grace or IQ, Sarah is blackmailing Stan Walczak, a former CIA agent who viciously tortured prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Stan has cobbled together a group of disgraced veterans who worked for him at the prison and they are determined to find Sarah and neutralize the threat she poses to them. Will IQ find Sarah before Walczak and his henchman?
IQ's newly acquired business partner and long time friend, Dodson, however is less than thrilled to discover IQ is not adhering to their newly formed business model. Instead of agreeing to be paid in actual money instead of bartered goods, IQ instead selects one of Grace's paintings for payment. However, Dodson is embroiled in his own troubles when his past with his former business partner Deronda Simmons comes back to haunt them. Years earlier, IQ rescued Dodson and Deronda from their ill-thought out plan to rob a neighborhood thug, Junior. Someone divulged their secret to knife store owner Chester Babbitt who is in desperate need of funds and he uses this knowledge to blackmail Dodson into stealing money from Junior. In typical Dodson fashion, he attempts to handle this latest predicament without assistance from IQ. But will Dodson be able to get out from underneath Babbitt's demands on his own?
Wrecked is a fast-paced and energetic mystery that moves at a brisk pace. Isaiah is back on his home turf in this latest entry in the IQ series but his feelings for Grace leave him off balance. His investigation into Sarah's whereabouts is interesting and he and Grace are both in grave danger throughout the novel. Dodson's story arc is just as intriguing and readers will be quite satisfied by its clever resolution. Another gritty and adrenaline-fueled installment in Joe Ide's IQ series that old and new fans are sure to enjoy.
foureyebooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75