SMOKE

The fifth in Ide's IQ series is packed with vivid characters and credibility-stretching subplots. Fortunately, narrator Zeno Robinson grounds this audiobook with his gift for dialogue and skill with action sequences. Robinson eases listeners inside Isaiah Quintabe's (IQ's) weary mind as he departs L.A. to look for peace and rejuvenation in Northern California. But, as expected, trouble follows, and Robinson accelerates the tempo as appropriate, transitioning smoothly from plot to plot as IQ traps a blackmailer, catches a serial killer, and prevents corporate backstabbing. Dodson, Isaiah's ex-partner, returns, and Robinson turns Dodson's ad agency subplot into the most compelling storyline. Fans of the series may wish there were more deductive reasoning by our hero, but the ride is worth it, and the ending doesn't disappoint. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2021]