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A review by jdglasgow
Hi Five by Joe Ide
3.0
You might consider this the ‘Empire Strikes Back’ of the IQ series. Although Isaiah solves the case in the end, it’s only after a series of misidentified culprits and with little catharsis. During the course of the investigation he acts rashly, immaturely. At the close of the book essentially everybody involved in the case is dead and this time it’s Isaiah leaving town instead of Grace.
I don’t fault Ide for wanting to take this approach with the character, the idea that the pressure is making him crack, although I sort of feel that we got enough of this in Isaiah’s flashbacks in book #1. Still, it could deepen the character if done well.
IF. While I did still enjoy the book overall, this definitely feels like a lesser effort with pieces that go nowhere and don’t add up. Let’s start with the central conceit, the gimmicky multiple personality thing. Despite the assurances that this is a real thing (!), it’s not believable. Even so, what does it add to the story? Each of the alters just evades Isaiah; they don’t provide anything. Sure, he later learns there is a sixth, secret alter—but again, so what? She didn’t have any profound information to share either. It amounts to little.
Likewise, the lesbian assassins Sal and Annie seem like an interesting pair at first. I was excited for their story to develop: a relationship falling apart but repaired by one last hit. They get so little screen time (page time?), though, that it fails to land. It feels like the book just cuts to their “happy ending” suddenly, without actually getting all the way there.
Dodson is back in this one, despite quitting the detective business in WRECKED, but he too doesn’t seem to have any real role in the plot. He accompanies Isaiah on some poorly thought out reconnaissance missions but mostly gets sidelined through those. He ends the book in almost the same place he starts it except he’s reinvigorated, I guess, somehow, and wishes to be a better man.
Last book had a group of racist, corrupt ex-military guys as the primary antagonist. This book has a Klan of whites supremacists. I faulted the first couple books for their lack of racial consciousness; the books since have gone in the opposite direction, but it feels like mostly an excuse to use the N-word repeatedly. It feels, much like the alters, as if it’s a gimmick without a real purpose. I guess it provides some tension when Isaiah is in their midst but so could any gang.
Strangely, the character who ends up getting the most humanization ends up being the de facto leader of the white supremacists, a gun runner named Angus. The book spends an inordinate amount of time talking about what a hard life he’s led because of how ugly he is, and how he truly loved his second wife, and how he feels such guilt for not protecting his baby girl from harm. He ends up being somewhat sympathetic by the end, but he’s the bad guy! Like, I get that people are complicated and that nobody is all good or all bad but, again, we’ve seen that in much better ways before.
Finally, Grace’s return. It disrupts Isaiah’s motivation for completing the case; it becomes obligation rather than passion. But the way the case consumes Isaiah’s time and thoughts, causing Grace to seemingly question whether to stay with him, in combination with her dalliances with an ex-boyfriend from Arizona, feels so basic. The fact that Grace remains committed to Isaiah at the end doesn’t read as reasoned so much as just a twist. Oh, you thought she was going to leave him! Psych! HE’S the one who leaves!
I know it sounds like I’m completely shitting on this book and I’m sorry for that. There are positive elements. Some of the introspective stuff, from the characters other than Isaiah, is strong. I liked Dodson’s conflicted feelings regarding Beaumont and Merrill, leading him to break down in tears. I loved Grace’s struggle with painting the “essence” of a dog and whether it is meaningful. The action setpieces, in spite of Isaiah flailing through them, are exciting as ever (none match the highs of WRECKED, however). And ultimately, though I don’t think it was done well, the literal “fall from Grace” that Isaiah experiences over the course of this book remains an intriguing concept.
I don’t know for sure but I get the sense this is meant as sort of a “Part 1” to a redemption arc for Isaiah. You’ve got to fall before you learn to crawl. If so, I can imagine the satisfaction of his redemption will be intense. Nevertheless, this one has trouble standing up on its own. I liked it, just because I’m such a fan of the series, but I know Ide can do a lot better.
I don’t fault Ide for wanting to take this approach with the character, the idea that the pressure is making him crack, although I sort of feel that we got enough of this in Isaiah’s flashbacks in book #1. Still, it could deepen the character if done well.
IF. While I did still enjoy the book overall, this definitely feels like a lesser effort with pieces that go nowhere and don’t add up. Let’s start with the central conceit, the gimmicky multiple personality thing. Despite the assurances that this is a real thing (!), it’s not believable. Even so, what does it add to the story? Each of the alters just evades Isaiah; they don’t provide anything. Sure, he later learns there is a sixth, secret alter—but again, so what? She didn’t have any profound information to share either. It amounts to little.
Likewise, the lesbian assassins Sal and Annie seem like an interesting pair at first. I was excited for their story to develop: a relationship falling apart but repaired by one last hit. They get so little screen time (page time?), though, that it fails to land. It feels like the book just cuts to their “happy ending” suddenly, without actually getting all the way there.
Dodson is back in this one, despite quitting the detective business in WRECKED, but he too doesn’t seem to have any real role in the plot. He accompanies Isaiah on some poorly thought out reconnaissance missions but mostly gets sidelined through those. He ends the book in almost the same place he starts it except he’s reinvigorated, I guess, somehow, and wishes to be a better man.
Last book had a group of racist, corrupt ex-military guys as the primary antagonist. This book has a Klan of whites supremacists. I faulted the first couple books for their lack of racial consciousness; the books since have gone in the opposite direction, but it feels like mostly an excuse to use the N-word repeatedly. It feels, much like the alters, as if it’s a gimmick without a real purpose. I guess it provides some tension when Isaiah is in their midst but so could any gang.
Strangely, the character who ends up getting the most humanization ends up being the de facto leader of the white supremacists, a gun runner named Angus. The book spends an inordinate amount of time talking about what a hard life he’s led because of how ugly he is, and how he truly loved his second wife, and how he feels such guilt for not protecting his baby girl from harm. He ends up being somewhat sympathetic by the end, but he’s the bad guy! Like, I get that people are complicated and that nobody is all good or all bad but, again, we’ve seen that in much better ways before.
Finally, Grace’s return. It disrupts Isaiah’s motivation for completing the case; it becomes obligation rather than passion. But the way the case consumes Isaiah’s time and thoughts, causing Grace to seemingly question whether to stay with him, in combination with her dalliances with an ex-boyfriend from Arizona, feels so basic. The fact that Grace remains committed to Isaiah at the end doesn’t read as reasoned so much as just a twist. Oh, you thought she was going to leave him! Psych! HE’S the one who leaves!
I know it sounds like I’m completely shitting on this book and I’m sorry for that. There are positive elements. Some of the introspective stuff, from the characters other than Isaiah, is strong. I liked Dodson’s conflicted feelings regarding Beaumont and Merrill, leading him to break down in tears. I loved Grace’s struggle with painting the “essence” of a dog and whether it is meaningful. The action setpieces, in spite of Isaiah flailing through them, are exciting as ever (none match the highs of WRECKED, however). And ultimately, though I don’t think it was done well, the literal “fall from Grace” that Isaiah experiences over the course of this book remains an intriguing concept.
I don’t know for sure but I get the sense this is meant as sort of a “Part 1” to a redemption arc for Isaiah. You’ve got to fall before you learn to crawl. If so, I can imagine the satisfaction of his redemption will be intense. Nevertheless, this one has trouble standing up on its own. I liked it, just because I’m such a fan of the series, but I know Ide can do a lot better.