I didn't like this book as much as the first IQ novel, although I can't put my finger on exactly why. In this book, Isaiah is acting at the behest of his brother's ex-girlfriend. Joe Ide writes beautifully at times: "If there were ever two words that had no meaning they were moving on. Sorrow isn't a place you can leave behind. It’s part of you. It changes the way you see, feel, and think, and every once in a while, the pain isn’t remembered, it’s relived; the anguish as real and heartbreaking as if it was happening all over again." But then he balances it out with lines like: "Isaiah wondering why you’d wear a miniskirt if your thighs were like two Beluga whales swimming side by side."

Isaiah comes across as less intellectual in this book and more of an action hero. He gets beat up several times and is involved in at least two shootouts. It made the book compelling enough, and I was interested enough that I can't wait to see what Ide does with the third book.