Ide’s on a righteous path

RIGHTEOUS Joe Ide Loot.co.za (R338) Mullholland Books

THE SEARCH for the truth can be righteous; so can helping someone who feels powerless. Even anger can be righteous, as unofficial private detective Isaiah “IQ” Quintabe learns in Joe Ide’s excellent second novel, Righteous.

Introduced in last year’s Edgar-nominated, Shamus-winning novel, IQ, Isaiah was nicknamed the “hip hop Sherlock Holmes” for his acute, keen observations about those who needed his help in his east Long Beach, California, neighbourhood. As good as IQ was – and it was terrific – Righteous takes a deeper look at Isaiah, delving into what has shaped this young African-American man and allowing the character to mature.

While not a note of hip hop or rap music enters the story, Righteous hums to a solid beat of strong characters and an engrossing plot.

As the “neighbourhood detective”, Isaiah lends his sleuthing skills to help old ladies find a costume brooch or a school science club being intimidated, often being repaid with blueberry muffins. But his isolated, “circle of one” life is beginning to grate on him, especially since the one case he cannot solve is the eight-year-old hit-andrun death of his older brother, Marcus.

Isaiah renews his search for the driver when he finally locates the car in a junk yard. Isaiah’s anger over his brother’s death accelerates when he realises Marcus was targeted. Still broiling in his “righteous” anger and hate, Isaiah gets a call from Marcus’ old girlfriend, Sarita Van, on whom he’d always had a crush.

Sarita wants Isaiah to find her younger half-sister, Janine, a popular Las Vegas DJ whose gambling addition has put her and her “idiot” boyfriend, Benny, in jeopardy. The case pits Isaiah and his friend, Juanell Dobson, against a heartless loan shark, a shady money launderer, a violent Chinese gang and a soulless human trafficking enterprise.

Ide keeps Righteous on a righteous path of compelling storytelling, allowing his characters to flourish while exploring the worst of human nature. Never once does Righteous go over the top as Ide keeps each plot point chillingly realistic.

Isaiah’s Holmesian skills get a workout, proving him to be a cerebral thinker and a man of action. He doesn’t want to fight, but he can, and is quite good at it. Well-placed banter between Isaiah and Dobson adds muchneeded humour.

Ide’s debut, IQ, showed what a skilful writer he is. Righteous elevates the author – and his characters – to a new level. – AP