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dingusdaemonicus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
erickibler4's review against another edition
4.0
Isaiah Quintabe (IQ) and his sidekick Dodson are two of my favorite literary characters. Those who like series characters such as Harry Bosch and Jack Reacher should definitely check out IQ's adventures.
In this installment, IQ and his "scoobies" go up against a former CIA spook and his gang of Abu Ghraib torturers, armed with the latest tech and information access. Isaiah relies primarily on his brain (deductive reasoning in the mold of Sherlock Holmes), his fast-talking friend Dodson, the dog Ruffin, and sometime ally Deronda. He also has a group of "irregulars" in the form of a middle school science club, and a new love interest who provides strong backup.
The main plot-line is riveting, the principle subplot is a funny caper, and there are a few sub-sub-plots. I don't want to give anything away, but I found the dispatch of IQ's previous "arch-enemy" a bit perfunctory, although Ide has possibly set up IQ with a far more competent and frightening foe for future installments.
One secondary character is transparently based on the Damon Wayans character Oswald Bates, who uses big words without knowing what they mean. Derivative, but amusing. Given the fact that, at his best, Ide rivals Elmore Leonard in his use of dialogue, such a cartoony character is a bit of a disappointment, though not enough of one to overshadow the overall enjoyable calibre of the book.
In this installment, IQ and his "scoobies" go up against a former CIA spook and his gang of Abu Ghraib torturers, armed with the latest tech and information access. Isaiah relies primarily on his brain (deductive reasoning in the mold of Sherlock Holmes), his fast-talking friend Dodson, the dog Ruffin, and sometime ally Deronda. He also has a group of "irregulars" in the form of a middle school science club, and a new love interest who provides strong backup.
The main plot-line is riveting, the principle subplot is a funny caper, and there are a few sub-sub-plots. I don't want to give anything away, but I found the dispatch of IQ's previous "arch-enemy" a bit perfunctory, although Ide has possibly set up IQ with a far more competent and frightening foe for future installments.
One secondary character is transparently based on the Damon Wayans character Oswald Bates, who uses big words without knowing what they mean. Derivative, but amusing. Given the fact that, at his best, Ide rivals Elmore Leonard in his use of dialogue, such a cartoony character is a bit of a disappointment, though not enough of one to overshadow the overall enjoyable calibre of the book.
aelder6's review against another edition
3.0
The book was thrilling and had a similar pace to the others in the series, however it came up short compared to the others, especially Righteous. Some major pieces of the series were resolved in way that felt unsatisfying compared to how much weight they held throughout the books.
testaroscia's review against another edition
4.0
Ide has a great ability for pace. You may consider this as page turner than you return often to find out what happens next. But he has also developed good characters and an overall "hard-boiled" feeling set firmly in this 21st century that makes it superior kind of crime thriller rather than a "whodunnit" (you know who the baddies are pretty much from day 1.
cherri350's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
nicovreeland's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those books (I’ve read two of them this month) that starts out as a mystery, but by the midpoint, the mystery has been solved and the whole second half is just an action movie. That’s not my favorite kind of mystery.
old_nikon_fm's review against another edition
3.0
Four stars for the audio version as this really works well with a great rendition by Sullivan Jones. I'd say 3 stars overall as a book.
tylovesbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mcf's review against another edition
4.0
The fact that I didn't like this as much as I did the first two IQ novels in no way means it's not good. It's just slightly more conventional than those incredible efforts -- not bad, but below the extremely high standard Ide has set for himself. I think in large part my issues with the book stem from its very conventional (if extremely dark) subject matter: abuse at Abu Ghraib with some romance on the side. Because Ide is a tremendously skilled writer and observer, his examination of the abuses in question is more sophisticated than most, as is his clear-eyed look at the impact violence has on people, both its victims and its perpetrators. That said, however, in the other books, this would be clear without being said; here, however, it is spoken, either out of a newfound absence of faith in the reader or a concern that the story itself hadn't made Ide's point clearly enough.
ANYWAY. It's still good.
ANYWAY. It's still good.