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pixe1's review against another edition
5.0
I was overdue to read a mystery and I really loved this. This felt fresh and I was highly entertained.
archergal's review against another edition
4.0
The folks in this novel live in a VERY different world from the one I live in. No disparagement meant by that. But I'm an old white woman, and these are (mostly) young black men who live in a rapper/gang-style culture.
I listened to the audiobook, and honestly, I'm glad I did. I felt like the narration helped me understand more of the nuance of the language than I might have gotten from reading. And ngl, I don't understand a hyper-masculine/don't-disrespect-me culture either. But honestly, I don't have to, cuz I can roll with the story.
That said, I listened to the whole book pretty much straight through, so yeah, the story caught me up and carried me along. Isaiah and Dodson make an interesting pair. Isaiah is the brain, the young man who honed his observation ability after his brother was killed, and honed all sorts of other abilities to become a pretty good detective. He's a strong thinker who came through some bad times to come to a strong sense of what's right and what's wrong.
I think I may have found a new paladin. I love competent characters who know what they believe is right, and try to do it.
The story jumps back and forth between the time of the main happenings of the novel and the time just after Isaiah lost his brother Marcus, and was unmoored for a while.
Isaiah, Dodson, Skip the hired killer, and Cal the rapper are all pretty strongly drawn characters. Some of the others tend to blend together for me.
My only gripe with the narrator of the book was that he didn't really use different voices to distinguish most of the characters. Sometimes I wasn't sure who was speaking.
I've already got the second book in the series. I'm going to eye-read it and see how different the experience is.
I listened to the audiobook, and honestly, I'm glad I did. I felt like the narration helped me understand more of the nuance of the language than I might have gotten from reading. And ngl, I don't understand a hyper-masculine/don't-disrespect-me culture either. But honestly, I don't have to, cuz I can roll with the story.
That said, I listened to the whole book pretty much straight through, so yeah, the story caught me up and carried me along. Isaiah and Dodson make an interesting pair. Isaiah is the brain, the young man who honed his observation ability after his brother was killed, and honed all sorts of other abilities to become a pretty good detective. He's a strong thinker who came through some bad times to come to a strong sense of what's right and what's wrong.
I think I may have found a new paladin. I love competent characters who know what they believe is right, and try to do it.
The story jumps back and forth between the time of the main happenings of the novel and the time just after Isaiah lost his brother Marcus, and was unmoored for a while.
Isaiah, Dodson, Skip the hired killer, and Cal the rapper are all pretty strongly drawn characters. Some of the others tend to blend together for me.
My only gripe with the narrator of the book was that he didn't really use different voices to distinguish most of the characters. Sometimes I wasn't sure who was speaking.
I've already got the second book in the series. I'm going to eye-read it and see how different the experience is.
scribblesm's review against another edition
3.0
I have some mixed feelings on this one. The prose is well written and makes for a easy read. The main characters are also entertaining, grow through the novel and make the book a delight.
However, if you need took keep telling the reader that you main character is super smart and if all the supporting cast needs to be stupendously dumb then it makes a difficult case for the protagonist. I would rate it higher if the novel didn't try so hard to convince the reader IQ was the brightest person around and just let his character shine through. It also doesn't help when your readers can solve the mystery from the introduction of it when your main character can't.
However, if you need took keep telling the reader that you main character is super smart and if all the supporting cast needs to be stupendously dumb then it makes a difficult case for the protagonist. I would rate it higher if the novel didn't try so hard to convince the reader IQ was the brightest person around and just let his character shine through. It also doesn't help when your readers can solve the mystery from the introduction of it when your main character can't.
c_richards's review against another edition
4.0
A new "detective" similar to Sherlock or Psych - sees everything, then anayzes to deduce what is really gonna on. Not your traditional "hero"
bedeker's review against another edition
4.0
Current day Sherlock Holmes in East Long Beach, Los Angeles.
dogtrax's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting street-wise twist on Sherlock Holmes, with vibrant writing and solid character development. I hope I see IQ again.
saraens's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars for me rounded up because if a book can make me laugh it gets rounded up. Really enjoyed some aspects and really DIDN’T enjoy others. Liked the super genius detective story line (who doesn’t enjoy some Sherlock Holmes discovery moments) but I think I got whiplash from the pov/storyline/timeline changes. It was too much for me.
eddyfate's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a long time since I simply devoured a book like this. The Sherlock Holmes homages are light, but present. I definitely plan to find Ide's second book in this series.
laura_crowther's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cdbaker's review against another edition
3.0
Not quite my jam, but good characters and a gud mystery. I may try the next one.