IQ/Joe Ide/321 pgs.

This is one of the most intriguing "detective" debuts I have read in a long time. Isaiah Quintabe, a.k.a. IQ, is a high school drop out of extremely high intelligence, living in East Long Beach, California. In the style of Sherlock Holmes, IQ uses his skills to solve mysteries and crimes that the police can't solve, or don't want to deal with. His form of payment ranges from money to animals--whatever the "client" can pay. The main story involves the murder attempt of a rapper, Black the Knife--real name, Calvin Wright. The story line goes between solving the mystery, and the background on how IQ became a "detective." It's a fast, interesting read; I hope this is the start of a new series. Highly recommended!