Title: Righteous

Author: Joe Ide

Genre: mystery

Why did you choose to read this book?

I enjoyed reading the first book in this series, IQ.

What did you like about it?

Like IQ, this is a fast-paced detective story featuring Isaiah Quintabe (“IQ”), a self-made private investigator in Los Angeles. IQ uses a combination of reasoning, cunning, surveillance and lock-picking skills and Krav Maga in his pursuit of justice. Several characters return from Ide’s debut novel in this sequel.

When IQ receives a call from his late brother’s ex-girlfriend seeking help for a friend, he and his compatriot Dodson encounter Latino and Chinese gangs, sex traffickers and Las Vegas loan sharks and gambling addicts.

Not only protagonists but antagonists in this book are given depth. The reader appreciates how being viciously mutilated during the Rwandan genocide or growing up in abject poverty in China has shaped different characters and led them to lives of crime.

Was there anything noteworthy about the book?

It was a 2017 Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller nominee.

What feeling did the book leave you with?

This book is fun to read. The last few chapters went very quickly. It left me eager for the next book – not necessarily the next one in this series, which isn’t published yet, but eager to continue reading.

Who would you recommend the book to?

Fans of detective stories will enjoy the IQ series.

What would you pair this book with?

This book pairs well with a drive through the Mojave Desert.