I am still really enjoying this series. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I.Q. Is one of my favorite new characters. ( )

Ide has made this series into pure thrillers, rather than mysteries. He does a poor job with the atmosphere. Burning Man, in particular, feels completely wrong. But his action scenes have improved, and, surprisingly, they largely carry the book. ( )

I loved the first two books in the series, but I was disappointed in this one. For one thing, the detailed torture scenes made it feel like that one season of Scandal when everyone was either torturing or being tortured all the time. IMO, torture is overused in fiction right now...but also, I just don't really like reading detailed torture scenes. If you don't either, this book will not be for you.

Mainly, though, I was disappointed that the fresh and interesting mysteries of the first two books are pretty much absent from this one. Isaiah doesn't do a lot of mystery-solving in this book. I mean, I figured out what all the photographs meant as soon as the bicycle with the peacock feathers was mentioned, and I'm not even particularly in touch with that particular cultural phenomenon; surely Grace or Isaiah should have figured it out long before I did. The big reveal at the end surprised me not because of what it revealed, but because I had forgotten it was even a plot point--nobody had mentioned it since the middle of the book.

Basically, it wasn't a mystery so much as a thriller, and while it's not a bad thriller, I was looking forward to another IQ *mystery*. I hope the next book will be one. ( )

This is the third 'IQ' book in the series, and continues where the others left off, clever compelling totally original, descriptive and gritty with some violent scenes and terrific larger than life characters. Whilst there are numerous references to previous books this can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story.
Recommended. ( )

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.
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