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A review by erickibler4
Wrecked by Joe Ide
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.