'The best thing to happen to mystery writing in a very long time' NEW YORK TIMES Isaiah Quintabe's first love, Grace, has been kidnapped by maniacal hitman Skip Hanson, who is determined to punish Isaiah for sending him to prison. With Grace's safety at stake, Isaiah reunites with his old partner, ex-hustler Juanell Dodson, to track down Grace's whereabouts. Trouble comes in the shape of Winne Hando, a homicide detective with something to prove.

Winnie sees Isaiah's involvement as a potential embarrassment: an unlicensed PI can't be seen doing a better job than a police department. As Winnie and Isaiah compete in their increasingly desperate hunt, Isaiah starts to fear that even if he can bring Grace home alive, things between them will never be the same ... PRAISE FOR JOE IDE AND THE IQ SERIES'Truly feels like an heir to Elmore Leonard' DAILY TELEGRAPH'An electrifying combination of Holmesian mystery and SoCal grit' TIME'One of the most singular characters in crime fiction' WASHINGTON POST