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hcothran's review against another edition
3.0
I still really like the IQ character and the setting of this book, and the many multiple storylines actually do come together near the end, but until they did I spent a lot of the book being confused. But I do really like Joe Ide's writing style.
ccopeland28's review against another edition
2.0
I think this one suffers from the sophomore slump. As with many sequels, this did not live up to the first. The multiple stories, characters, timelines, and how they were all interconnected were difficult to follow. Also, this felt more like an action movie than a detective story. I'm not giving up yet though. I liked the first book so much that I will definitely give #3 a try when it comes out.
tpaulschulte's review against another edition
4.0
The IQ series is really very good. The only reason I have given it 4 stars is the language. I understand it's part of the gang culture but these books would be stellar if it was toned down.
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Isaiah and Dodson are at it again and this time they take on a powerful Chinese triad. This second book continues to explore Isaiah's grief at losing his brother and his connection to neighborhood gangs.
plantbirdwoman's review against another edition
3.0
I read Joe Ide's first book in his series, IQ, a couple of years ago and liked it well enough that I thought I would read further, but, as often happens, I was distracted by other books and actually sort of forgot about it. Then I happened upon this one recently. This is the second in the series and I decided to give it a read.
The events in this book take place ten years after the hit-and-run death of Isaiah Quintabe's older brother, Marcus, the experience that has set Isaiah on his life's path. His righteous anger over the incident has not abated; in fact, it has only gotten stronger over the years, fueled by the fact that the killer was never found and brought to justice. He is still searching for that killer.
But then Isaiah is contacted by Sarita, who was Marcus' girlfriend at the time of his death and someone for whom Isaiah has nourished a secret crush. She seeks his help for her sister, Janine, a DJ and gambler addict living in Las Vegas with her loser boyfriend, Benny. Janine and Benny are in trouble with Chinese gangsters and loan sharks. They are in way over their heads and in danger and Sarita wants to get her sister out of Las Vegas and away from those who threaten her. Isaiah takes the case and convinces his friend Dodson to help him out. Dodson somewhat reluctantly heads to Las Vegas with Isaiah (IQ), leaving behind his very pregnant girlfriend, Cherise.
The main plot deals with IQ's efforts to help Janine and Benny and impress Sarita but there are a dizzying number of side plots, including IQ's discovery that his brother's death was no accident; it was actually murder. At a junkyard, he discovered the car that ran him down - 10 years after the event! (To say that that discovery stretched the limits of my imagination and my willingness to suspend belief is an understatement.)
But that hardly even scratches the surface. There was the drama of Cherise's pregnancy; there were multiple gang disputes that degenerated into brawls and all sorts of additional drama; there was a subplot involving human trafficking. There were too many characters to keep track of and each of the secondary characters was given an extensive back story to explain who he or she was and their role in the story. I felt the book would have benefited from a tighter focus on the main story and character and that other characters could have been adequately introduced through dialogue without the author having to give us a mini-biography of each of them. As it is, IQ comes across as a kind of one-dimensional character, motivated by anger and loneliness but without humor and with little leavening of any kind.
Still, there are the makings of a fascinating character here and one feels sympathy for this lonely outsider. We want to see him succeed. I think the next book in the series will be definitive in deciding whether that character becomes a full-fledged human being and whether Joe Ide really has a successful series in the works.
The events in this book take place ten years after the hit-and-run death of Isaiah Quintabe's older brother, Marcus, the experience that has set Isaiah on his life's path. His righteous anger over the incident has not abated; in fact, it has only gotten stronger over the years, fueled by the fact that the killer was never found and brought to justice. He is still searching for that killer.
But then Isaiah is contacted by Sarita, who was Marcus' girlfriend at the time of his death and someone for whom Isaiah has nourished a secret crush. She seeks his help for her sister, Janine, a DJ and gambler addict living in Las Vegas with her loser boyfriend, Benny. Janine and Benny are in trouble with Chinese gangsters and loan sharks. They are in way over their heads and in danger and Sarita wants to get her sister out of Las Vegas and away from those who threaten her. Isaiah takes the case and convinces his friend Dodson to help him out. Dodson somewhat reluctantly heads to Las Vegas with Isaiah (IQ), leaving behind his very pregnant girlfriend, Cherise.
The main plot deals with IQ's efforts to help Janine and Benny and impress Sarita but there are a dizzying number of side plots, including IQ's discovery that his brother's death was no accident; it was actually murder. At a junkyard, he discovered the car that ran him down - 10 years after the event! (To say that that discovery stretched the limits of my imagination and my willingness to suspend belief is an understatement.)
But that hardly even scratches the surface. There was the drama of Cherise's pregnancy; there were multiple gang disputes that degenerated into brawls and all sorts of additional drama; there was a subplot involving human trafficking. There were too many characters to keep track of and each of the secondary characters was given an extensive back story to explain who he or she was and their role in the story. I felt the book would have benefited from a tighter focus on the main story and character and that other characters could have been adequately introduced through dialogue without the author having to give us a mini-biography of each of them. As it is, IQ comes across as a kind of one-dimensional character, motivated by anger and loneliness but without humor and with little leavening of any kind.
Still, there are the makings of a fascinating character here and one feels sympathy for this lonely outsider. We want to see him succeed. I think the next book in the series will be definitive in deciding whether that character becomes a full-fledged human being and whether Joe Ide really has a successful series in the works.
jhbandcats's review against another edition
5.0
Second time reading this. In the interim, Joe Ide has written two more in the series (and a third is coming out in Feb 2021). I want to read the two newer ones but reread Righteous so I’d remember who was who and what was going on. Well-written, fast-paced, with a feel for the hood in Long Beach CA.
thepoptimist's review against another edition
3.0
I had to pick this one up as soon as I finished Joe Ide's debut IQ where we're first introduced to Isiah Quintabe. Righteous picks up shortly after IQ closes and still has that rollicking East LA voice.
This time Isiah finds himself dealing with a Rwandan gangster, Chinese Triads, Mexican gangs, and his brother's ex-fiance Sarita. She's worried about her Vegas DJ sister and her bro-tastic, loser boyfriend as they find themselves over their heads in gambling debt. Ide once again juggles several stories at once as Isiah begins to question whether his beloved brother was exactly what he appeared to be. Dodson also returns as Isiah's don't-call-him-a-sidekick, partner - now expecting his first child and hustling to make an honest buck.
With Righteous we see Isiah isn't just a fantastic inductive detective but a first rate problem solver. Still a fun read but it does suffer a bit of the sophomore slump as we work to build Isiah's character as he makes the transition from stumbling innocent to a more mature adult. His relationship with Sarita is all old school John Hughes instead of John Singleton and rings a little too predictably. And while I have to give the Japanese American author who grew up in South Central a pass I still cringe a bit at the probably realistically named Chink Mob and their garbled Engrish that has them saying things like "You no my fren, you go way now or we killing you for sure!"
Still I like the world Ide has created and I'm curious to see where Quintabe and Dodson head next.
This time Isiah finds himself dealing with a Rwandan gangster, Chinese Triads, Mexican gangs, and his brother's ex-fiance Sarita. She's worried about her Vegas DJ sister and her bro-tastic, loser boyfriend as they find themselves over their heads in gambling debt. Ide once again juggles several stories at once as Isiah begins to question whether his beloved brother was exactly what he appeared to be. Dodson also returns as Isiah's don't-call-him-a-sidekick, partner - now expecting his first child and hustling to make an honest buck.
With Righteous we see Isiah isn't just a fantastic inductive detective but a first rate problem solver. Still a fun read but it does suffer a bit of the sophomore slump as we work to build Isiah's character as he makes the transition from stumbling innocent to a more mature adult. His relationship with Sarita is all old school John Hughes instead of John Singleton and rings a little too predictably. And while I have to give the Japanese American author who grew up in South Central a pass I still cringe a bit at the probably realistically named Chink Mob and their garbled Engrish that has them saying things like "You no my fren, you go way now or we killing you for sure!"
Still I like the world Ide has created and I'm curious to see where Quintabe and Dodson head next.
vailynst's review against another edition
3.0
Notes:
Wonderful narration by Sullivan Jones. He made the story pop with bright embellishments.
IQ is an interesting series. It's one of those that I need to be in the mood to read. The case was entertaining, but I find it to be a framework to portray Isaiah's thoughts and the aspects that make up his life.
Wonderful narration by Sullivan Jones. He made the story pop with bright embellishments.
IQ is an interesting series. It's one of those that I need to be in the mood to read. The case was entertaining, but I find it to be a framework to portray Isaiah's thoughts and the aspects that make up his life.
soundgirl3's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 - I really enjoyed this, probably more than the 1st one. I highly recommend it on audio, Sullivan Jones is a fabulous narrator and does a great job with this series.