It's a joy to return to East Long Beach, Los Angeles and our black, from the hood, Sherlock Holmes, aka IQ , Isiah Quintabe, in this, the third in the series by Joe Ide. Isiah is famous in his neighbourhood for solving cases for the community, but his clientele are poor, so it is rare for him to be paid in cash, instead he is rewarded with a range of bartered goods and services. His Watson, Juanell Dodson, has sold his half of the food van business to his partner, Deronda, who has turned it into a runaway success, much to his dismay. With his partner, Cherise, he has a baby, he has responsibilities and must provide for his family. He is reluctant to return to a past of illegal enterprises and cons, making the decision to turn IQ's detective skills into a business with a firmer financial footing, chasing debts, endeavouring to persuade Isiah to only accept cash payments for his services whilst promising to bring in big clients himself.

Isiah has moved on from his need for vengeance at the murder of his brother, Marcus, by Seb, the Oxford educated African gangster, but Seb has not forgotten him, blaming IQ for the downturn in his fortunes. Isiah, whilst brilliant at deductive skills, is socially awkward, perhaps on the Autism spectrum, and is feeling desperately lonely. He has fixated on Grace Monarova, an abstract artist, for his romantic attentions, but he has not a clue how to go about attracting her, although she have a thing for his dog, Ruffin. Grace wants IQ to find her mother, Sarah, a wanted woman she has not seen for years. A besotted Isiah takes the case, although he finds it hard to keep focused, as he drops his game to well below par, with his mind much too occupied by Grace. This is to land him and Grace in danger as it turns out Sarah is being hunted by the sinister ex-CIA agent, Stan Walczak and his motley crew of disgraced felons. Stan will do anything, including murder, to prevent the publication of incriminating photographs of his unspeakable actions at Abu Ghraib. Dodson finds his and IQ's past comes back to haunt him as he finds himself being blackmailed, he tries to deal with the threat by himself, only to find himself out of his depth and needing Isiah.

Ide has succeeded in establishing IQ as a charismatic, honourable, unique and intelligent central protagonist in a series that I adore. He and his partner, Dodson, make for a fascinating partnership, so different from each other, yet somehow they click. This contemporary reinterpretation of Sherlock works so well amidst the larger than life background of the hustle and bustle of life in LA. The return of the supporting cast of great characters, such as Cherise and Deronda, add colour and vibrancy to this marvellous series. This is a highly entertaining, intense, and suspenseful addition which I adored reading. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.