Joe Ide is of Japanese-American descent. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Joe's favorite books were the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. The idea that a person could face the world and vanquish his enemies with just his intelligence fascinated him. Joe went on to earn a graduate degree and had several careers before writing his debut novel, IQ (2016), inspired by his early experiences and his love of Sherlock. IQ is a 2017 Edgar Award nominee for Best First Novel and was named a Best Book of 2016 by The New York Times and The Washington Post. Joe lives in Santa Monica, California.