Joe Ide’s ‘Hi Five,’ Chicago writer Lori Rader-Day’s ‘Lucky One,’ 3 more books not to miss

Also worth a read: Brandon Taylor’s ‘Real Life,’ Emuna Elon’s ‘essential Jewish fiction’ and Stephen Wright’s wry satire ‘Processed Cheese.’ Find excerpts, Chicago appearances.

By Barbara VanDenburgh | USA TODAY and Sun-Times staff

Joe Ide takes unlicensed private investigator Isaiah “IQ” Quintabe to the darkest places yet in his new crime-fiction novel “Hi Five.”

Some new and recent book releases that definitely are worth a read:

‘Hi Five’ by Joe Ide

Mulholland Books, fiction, $27

What it’s about: Unlicensed private detective Isaiah “IQ” Quintabe, a neighborhood hero with a Holmesian intellect, returns and is blackmailed to help an illegal guns dealer whose daughter is implicated in a murder — and has multiple personality disorder.

The buzz: “His cases have become more complex, the stakes raised for the African American detective and a cast of regular characters who give the series an unexpected warmth and reflect the author’s admiration for Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins,” the Los Angeles Times writes. “ ‘Hi Five’ succeeds on so many fronts as it sets IQ . . . on an uncertain path down darker roads.”

Click for an excerpt of Joe Ide’s “Hi Five.”

‘The Lucky One’ by Lori Rader-Day

William Morrow, fiction, $27.99

What it’s about: Chicago author Lori Rader-Day writes about a woman who, as a child, was kidnapped from her backyard and rescued by her policeman-father, apparently before anything truly bad had happened. She thought she was free from her captor until one day, while working on an online project for missing persons and unidentified murder victims, she recognizes his picture.

The buzz: “Another harrowing nightmare by a master of the sleepless night,” Kirkus Reviews writes. Lori Rader-Day has appearances at 7 p.m. Monday at Madison Street Bookstore, 1127 W. Madison St., and 2 p.m. Feb. 29 at Centuries and Sleuths Bookstore, 1749 W. Madison St., Forest Park.

Click for an excerpt of Lori Rader-Day’s “The Lucky One.”

‘Real Life’ by Brandon Taylor

Riverhead Books, fiction, $26

What it’s about: Wallace, who is an extremely introverted queer black graduate student from Alabama with a history of trauma, is a biochemistry student at a Midwestern university rife with racism and homophobia. Everything about him is at odds with his surroundings. Over the course of an intense weekend, things come to a head.

The buzz: “Taylor’s perceptive, challenging exploration of the many kinds of emotional costs will resonate with readers looking for complex characters and rich prose,” Publishers Weekly says. Brandon Taylor will be at the American Writers Museum, 180 N. Michigan Ave., at 6:30 p.m. March 26.

Click for an excerpt of Brandon Taylor’s “Real Life.”

‘House of Endless Waters’ by Emuna Elon

Atria Books, fiction, $27

What it’s about: Set in Amsterdam, where a fictional Israeli writer is grappling with family secrets and loss, Emuna Elon digs into the sorrowful history of wartime Jewish residents, nearly three-quarters who, like Anne Frank, were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

The buzz: “Essential Jewish fiction . . . . a deeply immersive achievement that brings to life stories that must never be forgotten,” a USA Today review says.

Click for an excerpt of Emuna Elon’s “House of Endless Waters.”

‘Processed Cheese’ by Stephen Wright

Little, Brown and Co., fiction, $28

What it’s about: A couple comes into money when a bag of cash drops from the sky. They buy all the things they ever thought would bring them happiness. But the owner of the bag wants it back. A wry satire.

The buzz: “This dark, harrowing and wildly funny novel somehow both challenges and affirms that tried-and-true adage: Money isn’t everything,” Kirkus Reviews says.