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Smoke (An IQ Novel, 5) Hardcover – February 23, 2021

by Joe Ide (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,258 ratings
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Isaiah Quintabe—an unlicensed detective for all seasons—and his best friend and masterful sidekick, Juanell Dodson, are at a crossroads in this latest installment of the "aggressively entertaining" IQ series (New York Times). This time, their lives may never be the same.

Isaiah Quintabe is no longer IQ, the genius of East Long Beach; instead, he’s a man on the road and on the run, hiding in a small Northern California town when his room is broken into by a desperate young man on the trail of the state’s most prolific serial killer.
 
His old partner, Juanell Dodson, must go straight or lose his wife and child. His devil’s bargain? An internship at an LA advertising agency, where it turns out the rules of the street have simply been dressed in business casual, but where the aging company’s fortunes may well rest on their ability to attract a younger demographic. Dodson—”the hustler’s hustler”—just may be the right man for the job.
 
Ide is the crime writer’s crime writer, and he’s filled his best novel yet with desperate souls, courageous outcasts, an ex-stripper who’ll do anything to protect her son, and wild half-brothers who may be the very incarnation of evil.
 
With deft plotting, lacerating humor, and a keen eye for the ways in which characters rise or fall based on their ties to one another, Smoke is Joe Ide’s crowning achievement.
 
Previous page
  1. Book 5 of 6
    IQ
  2. Print length
    336 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Mulholland Books
  5. Publication date
    February 23, 2021
  6. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0316531065
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0316531061
  9. See all details
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  2. Fixit: An IQ Novel (An IQ Novel, 6)
    Smoke (An IQ Novel, 5)
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    Wrecked (An IQ Novel, 3)

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  3. The goodbye coast by Joe Ide

    A Philip Marlowe Novel

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4.2 out of 5 stars
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4.3 out of 5 stars
1,258
4.1 out of 5 stars
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you’ve read any of his other novels starring the rogue East Long Beach private investigator Isaiah Quintabe, known as “IQ,” you know that Ide doesn’t write conventional suspense stories....In its own idiosyncratic fashion, Smoke is superb."―Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post

"Mr. Ide, always a generous plotter, weaves several storylines into this kaleidoscopic chronicle….Dozens of other wonderfully sketched minor characters—science-fair whiz kids, pimps and prostitutes, working-class heroes, vengeance-bent relatives, sorrowful junkies and idealistic strivers—flesh out this richly imagined and sharply written saga. Smoke, which concludes with a cliffhanging crisis, positively demands a follow-up, and fast.”

―Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

“A journeyman writer and a superb storyteller.”―Jeff Mannix, The Durango Telegraph

"Ide has displayed a rare ability to mix dark comedy and gut-churning drama…mixmaster Ide's compulsion to blend light and dark (Isaiah's confrontation with the serial killers, while gruesome, takes the form of "a slapstick movie shot in a burning insane asylum") affects the two plots in surprising ways, again producing an emotion-rich form of character-driven tragicomedy, but one in which peril forever loiters in the shallows.”
 ―Booklist

“Fiery-hot…shows no signs of sequel fatigue, and Smoke can be read as a standalone, but new readers will become even bigger fans by diving into the previous books. The author has an innate ability to find the humor and humanity in both the evil and the innocent characters, and shows that rediscovering one's mojo can come only after confronting obstacles.”
 ―Shelf Awareness

“Complex in plotting and shrewdly observant of IQ's East L.A....Regulars will relish every turn; newcomers should probably look at an earlier one first—you'll be glad you did, whether you come back for all the rest or not; if you do come back to this one, you'll be glad of that, too.”
 ―George Ernsberger, The Sullivan County Democrat

“Unique… [a] fast-moving train and…character-driven adventure filled with wit, heart, and emotion…Ide proves to be an expert storyteller as he weaves effortlessly the multiple multi layered colorful characters into a complex and unexpected denouement.”―Lou Jacobs, Mystery & Suspense

“The plot lines are becoming even more ferocious. And IQ keeps getting… smarter? Yep. And the ending? YIKES. Book six Mr. Ide? Bring. It. ON!”―Berkley McDaniel, The Southern Bookseller Review

"People who pick up Smoke are in for a treat."

―H C Newton, Irresponsible Reader

"Smoke is an engrossing mystery with multiple story arcs that are quite interesting....With plenty of nail-biting tension, Joe Idebrings this thrilling mystery to an action-packed conclusion."

―Book Reviews by Kathy

PRAISE FOR JOE IDE AND THE IQ NOVELS:
 

"A brand-new comedic franchise with a bright future... Aggressively entertaining plotting is paired with the kind of dialogue for which readers love Don Winslow. This series is a Los Angeles classic right from the start."
--- Janet Maslin, New York Times 

"Joe’s brilliant imagining of what Sherlock Holmes would be like if he came out of East Long Beach."

―Mike Lupica, New York Daily News

"One of the most original thrillers of the year... [A] sometimes scary, often whimsical, off-the-wall delight... It's a mad world that late-blooming Joe Ide has brought forth from his past, a spicy mix of urban horror, youthful striving and show-business absurdity. His IQ is an original and welcome creation."―Washington Post

"Joe Ide introduces one of the coolest investigators working the mean streets of Los Angeles... Ide emulates Walter Mosley, that great chronicler of South Central Los Angeles via the Easy Rawlins novels. That's some serious company with whom to be traveling."―Chicago Tribune

"I don't know how fast Joe Ide writes, but from now on he'll have to write faster. Everyone who reads IQ will be clamoring for the next book, and for the one after that. This is one of the most intriguing--and appealing--detective characters to come along in years."―Carl Hiassen

"A consulting detective for a time and a place that needs one."―NPR

About the Author

Joe Ide is of Japanese American descent. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Joe's favorite books were the Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories. The idea that a person could face the world and vanquish his enemies with just his intelligence fascinated him. Joe went on to earn a graduate degree and had several careers before writing his debut novel, IQ, inspired by his early experiences and his love of Sherlock Holmes. Joe lives in Santa Monica, California.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mulholland Books (February 23, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316531065
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316531061
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,258 ratings

About the author

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Joe Ide

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,258 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

M. Daly
5.0 out of 5 stars Impossible to Put Down
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2021
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This is the fifth installment of the IQ series featuring the brilliant but troubled Isaiah Quintabe. The first novel, IQ, was great, gripping and enthralling, and each one has more than lived up to the promise of the first. Joe Ide has created characters who are fresh and interesting. Although they are not always on the right side of the law, you still want them to come out ahead.

His old pal, Dodson, is facing an impossible choice - sacrifice who he is to make an honest living or lose his family. Dodson's ex, Doronda may lose her successful business when a slimeball from her past threatens to expose her steamy past. And Isaiah tries to escape his mission to help by hiding out in Northern California, only to be drawn into the quest to stop a serial killer.

Once again, Ide has given us a story that is nearly impossible to put down until the end, and leaves you wanting more IQ.
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Richard B. Schwartz
4.0 out of 5 stars Far Better than Hi Five, but not Without Problems
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2022
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I was critical of Hi Five, the fourth novel in the IQ series, but pleasantly surprised by Smoke. That is not to say that it is without issues. While the series has always had running subplots concerning the personal lives of the characters, Smoke takes these subplots to a new level. At the end of Hi Five Isaiah was on the lam, with every bad guy/gang/group hunting for him in Long Beach. In Smoke we find him in Northern California, but then quickly return to Long Beach to follow the challenges of other members of the ensemble cast.

Deronda’s food wagon business is prospering when, suddenly, an individual appears who claims to be the father of her child. Claiming that he wants custody of the boy, he is extorting her for cash on the barrelhead. Dodson’s wife is pressing him to find regular work and he finds himself as an assistant to a failing ad-man who is no Don Draper. Grace is getting her own exhibition at a gallery in Ojai and Skip/Magnus the pit bull breeder has returned and is in search of revenge.

Isaiah is not completely lost, however, as a troubled young man stumbles into his life, himself on the lam from a mental institution. He (Billy) is attempting to help a woman find the serial killer and his sleazoid partner who killed her twin sister.

The novel works because the ensemble cast is so interesting. Dodson’s adventures at the advertising agency are particularly engaging as Joe Ide appropriates Elmore Leonard’s theme from Get Shorty (where a loan shark realizes that his business experience has been the perfect preparation for a new career as a Hollywood producer). In Dodson’s case, his role as a street hustler has prepared him to be the perfect ad man.

The writing is sprightly, the subsidiary story lines all interesting. There are two problems, the first being Isaiah’s disappearing from the story. The second is that (SPOILER alert) the novel ends with one central character in extreme jeopardy, the character’s situation being unresolved. In other words, the author has turned the series into a Saturday afternoon serial. You have to return next week to see the resolution of the cliffhanger ending, the problem being that the wait will be years, not weeks, since the author has taken on the gig of writing a Chandleresque Marlowe novel (which has its moments but is largely a misfire). Dickens could get away with this because his novels were being sold in installments, with all of London wondering about the fate of their favorite characters. Contemporary novel readers could simply lose interest and some will have come to the books out-of-order. In my admittedly genre-purist view this is a betrayal of the reader and a significant disappointment. Crime fiction readers expect happy endings or meaningful tragic endings, but not inconclusive endings, particularly when they have not been instructed in advanced (as in the Ellroy L.A. quartet or the new version of the quartet) that they are reading historical/crime fiction and committing to a series in which certain novels will be transitional.

Bottom line: much more fun than the wildly implausible and in some ways tedious Hi Five, but not without its problems. Four stars.
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Robert J. Katz
5.0 out of 5 stars Where's there's Smoke there's is fire..
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2021
Verified Purchase
A new "IQ" novel is a celebration. I read these books slowly because I simply want them to last. IQ is always IQ, beyond pensive, self contained , in "Smoke" he is brooding over a lost love. The dialogue between Dodson & Gloria,
a man with a checkered past to say the least and and his mother in law, a former school principal who is ramrod straight and precise is laugh out loud hysterical. Neither can stand each other however are joined in a project neither wants to do. Dodson is a fascinating character in his own right and could easily support a series of his own. Characters are perfectly drawn and the suspense builds. The ending indicates a new problem and fans of this series will have to wait probably until 3/23 if Ide's schedule holds.
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Mark Arnott
3.0 out of 5 stars something missing
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2021
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The world of IQ got jumbled. In the previous novels, Mr. Ide laid out clear-cut characters who ran the story and seemed to surprise themselves and us as they learned what they would do, and who they were. That world has been replaced by scenes of violence and deus ex machina jumps of storytelling. Things seem now to happen, without a real basis, because the story wants to go that way.
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Chaim Wachtel
5.0 out of 5 stars best since the first
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2022
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This is number 5 in the IQ series. I almost didn’t buy it as #4 had been a bit of a disappointment… I am so glad I bought it… this is the best one since the first. IQ is a complex individual, and this one brings it all to the surface… absolutely worth reading, even if you haven’t read any of the previous ones.
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Cheddie
4.0 out of 5 stars Uneven but Still a Fun, Fast Read
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2021
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Joe Ide’s Smoke (An IQ Novel Book 5) is akin to an animal sanctuary. When you have a variety of attractions, you need to care for each. Ide has developed a fun supporting cast around main character IQ - Isaiah Quintabe – and he turns over a substantial portion of this novel to them. Go see the lions, but don’t miss the elephants, tigers, bears, etc. while you’re there.
Dodson clocks in at an advertising agency; Deronda battles for child custody; Grace flits around the edges of various sub-plots, including tussling with recently paroled Skip a/k/a Magnus who’s out to extract revenge on IQ.
Add in two guest stars, Billy and Ava, and two incompetent serial killers, Crowe & Warren, along with Cameron, a local sheriff who’s more a literary device than a character, and the plot gets quickly complicated.
Ide is a very good writer, and he takes readers on a whirlwind ride through this book. At times, though, he crosses the line over into caricature, weakening the story’s logic, if not its excitement. How, one wonders, have Crowe and Warren possibly survived stretches in prison, yet alone stayed off law enforcement’s radar being so manhandled? Would they really be this inept *armed* in a fight against our heroes? Can Dodson really use his street hustler smarts to become another Don Draper?
A cliff-hanger ending, unashamedly setting up Ide’s next book, was problematic for me. But the IQ books are great reads, and this was still enjoyable. Just expect a bumpy road on your day trip to spend time with your favorites.
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Top reviews from other countries

Mark
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Excellent IQ adventure
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
I love that Joe is allowing his side characters to grow, and become real 3 dimensional people.

This is the 5th IQ book and Joe hasn't fallen into the easy trap of formulaic "murder of the week" stories, each is different and distinct.

Excellent work Joe, please keep it up.
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Dr. Tim Parker
4.0 out of 5 stars Mostly solid tale; gets better as the story unfolds
Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2021
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The last IQ book was a disappointment to me, so I wasn't that optimistic coming to this fifth book in the series. It didn't start too well, seeming disjointed and not grabbing me at all, but it got better after the first quarter. Then it got a lot better and the story became more coherent and got to the " must keep reading" stage. The story is a bit confusing to start, but gets a lot better as the story unfolds. There's some interesting story elements come along building on the earlier books. Overall, I enjoyed the book and can recommend it to IQ fans. Now, looking forward to the sixth book in the series!
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JohnnyBuoy
4.0 out of 5 stars Weakest of the series but has moments
Reviewed in Canada on March 24, 2022
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Weakest book of the series. Mostly takes place in more rural settings and rural characters more stereotypical than interesting. Still had its moments but in comparison to earlier books disappointing.
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Mark Budding
5.0 out of 5 stars Joe always delivers
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2021
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Fifth book in a Loose-ish series of excellent stories about IQ and his associates - Dodson, Grace, Deronda - who are vibrant characters. Very well written. If you enjoy American crime you will love it.
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Amazon Customer Wilson Scullion
4.0 out of 5 stars Something happened to Joe Ide,and it wasn't good!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 31, 2021
Verified Purchase
Read the other three books,and became fan of IQ. This book was all over the place,and too full of gratuitous violence.Dodson is the new reason to follow Ide.His story was the only good bit of the book.Hope Ide can kick whatever he's on.
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