Rating: 
Summary: Rick Riordan, work on your gun talk
Review: A decent detective yarn. Tres Navarre is an interesting character with interesting friends. Rick Riordan makes me wonder what they are going to do next which is a good thing. This novel has Tres taking a professorship with University of Texas, San Antonio. He's to protect himself from becoming the third professor in the position that dies and to help the detective agency he works for to find the killer of the other two. I liked the characters I was supposed to like and disliked the characters I was supposed to dislike. I was suitably confused about who the real bad guy was till the end of the book. I like the way the author writes about San Antonio. One thing Rick Riordan needs to work on is his gun lore, although it wouldn't surprise me if the author considered himself above guns. For me it was like finger nails on the blackboard when he talks about "silenced .357 semi-auto handguns" or "mercury filled .45 slugs leaving pock marks" in the stone around a fireplace or "a high powered Mossberg over and under." Grrrrrr. The .357 caliber is typically used in revolvers and it wouldn't be a good choice for use with a silencer because the bullet itself travels over the speed of sound and makes its own little sonic boom after it leaves the firearm. The mercury filled .45 might be a direct steal from Day of the Jackal but even if it isn't the point of the mercury would be to cause a tremendous amount of expansion of the bullet when it hit something. It shouldn't penetrate the victim and still have enough force to scar the brickwork around the fireplace. It should expend all of its energy in the victim. Finally the high powered Mossberg over and under would read much cleaner if it had been referred to as a Mossberg pump. Mossberg is famous for their low cost, high quality, high capacity, pump shotguns. Also "high power" is a term usually used for handguns and rifles, not for shotguns of any type. John Sandford gets this right in his "Prey" books. I do think I owe it to the author and myself to read another Tres Navarre book. Rick Riordan has won several mystery book awards which means you can't go too far wrong in buying one of his stories.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish I could like this author
Review: Among the rest of the glowing reviews for Rick Riordan, I must be the in the definite minority--I just cannot get into his style. I've read (or tried to) his first two books and was mildly interested but not enough to finish them. And I am an avid mystery reader so this is unusual for me. Again with this latest book, I lost interest after about 100 pages. Maybe he's just not my style--I prefer Michael Connelly, Dennis LeHane, Robert Crais. Sorry, Rick. Keep your day job.
Rating: 
Summary: Tomorrow's superstar has written another winner
Review: Dr. Theodore Haimer was forced into retirement after making a racial slur. Soon after, he died from a heart attack. His replacement as an English professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio was Dr. Aaron Brandon. He received several threatening letters. In his first semester at the school, someone murdered Aaron. The administration offers the teaching seat to Tres Navarre. Besides English literature credentials, Tres has the additional experience of working for a private investigator. Tres accepts the position after a home made bomb addressed to Aaron blows up in the office. The head of the Brandon murder investigation, San Antonio police detective Ana DeLeon, demands that Tres do no sleuthing. The police think Aaron's murder is personal and tied to the killing of his father several years ago. Tres, PI boss Erainya Manos also wants him to stay out of the investigation. The university has hired her agency to look into the threatening letters. She wants Tres to teach while another of her operatives, George Berton, uncover the facts. Tres may know his English literature well enough to teach three classes, but he also cannot stay on the sidelines, especially since he potentially could be victim number three. The third Tres Navarre mystery is an entertaining tale that provides insight into the lead protagonist and several of the repeat supporting cast. The enjoyable story line is filled with action and colorful characters that provide insight into San Antonio. The subplots nicely tie back to the main story line. As with his two previous Navarre novels (see BIG RED TEQUILLA and THE WIDOWER'S TWO-STEP) Rick Riordan writes an enjoyable novel that provides readers with much pleasure. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Riordan entices with another winner!
Review: Excellently written and crafted, The Last King of Texas will keep you turning pages even if you're not from the Lone Star state. Riordan expertly puts you into the head of his hero and entertains with a cast of intriquing characters. Riordan's descriptions of his settings are vivid and make you feel right at home in San Antonio. The dialogue is crisp and endures the reader to the hero, Tres. Another winner from a talented author. Read it. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT LOCAL BOOK
Review: I AM FROM SAN ANTONIO AND REALLY ENJOYED THIS MYSTERIOUS AS WELL AS FUNNY BOOK. I WORK AT A LIBRARY AND ITS NICE TO SEE A LOCAL AUTHOR HAVING SO MUCH SUCCESS. I JUST COULDN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. I LOVE A GOOD MYSTERY AND THIS BOOK DEFINETLY IS. AFTER READING THIS BOOK I FOUND MYSELF IN TOTAL DISBELIEF, THE ENDING WAS SOOOO GOOD AND SOOOO SUPRISING! NOW THAT'S A GOOD MYSTERY!
Rating:
Summary: I Enjoyed This Book
Review: I enjoyed this book. I am a huge fan of mysteries, especially mysteries like this one. Rick Riordan is a fine story teller, and he captures the multicultural aspects of contemporary Texas perfectly. The Last King of Texas is an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: I Enjoyed This Book
Review: I enjoyed this book. I am a huge fan of mysteries, especially mysteries like this one. Rick Riordan is a fine story teller, and he captures the multicultural aspects of contemporary Texas perfectly. The Last King of Texas is an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Intrigue in San Antonio
Review: I first read "The Widower's Two-Step" and was a little familiar with some of the characters. This book got a great review in the Dallas Morning News so, I decided to give it a shot. The writing is terrific. Riordan does marvelous descriptions of most of the characters and the various San Antonio neighborhoods. One gripe in the description department, what does Tres (the principal character) look like? Tres' physical appearance, other than his injuries, are glossed over. I want a picture of this guy, please. The mystery behind the murders is not all that puzzling. Riordan gives you a lot of clues before the final enlightenment. The characters in this book are fresh and different--not at all run-of-the-mill, and that includes the bad guys. If you are looking to escape from your everyday world and meet a decidedly cool teacher/private eye then, this is the book for you. People from his past and present collide in rather unexpected ways.
Rating:
Summary: Intrigue in San Antonio
Review: I first read "The Widower's Two-Step" and was a little familiar with some of the characters. This book got a great review in the Dallas Morning News so, I decided to give it a shot. The writing is terrific. Riordan does marvelous descriptions of most of the characters and the various San Antonio neighborhoods. One gripe in the description department, what does Tres (the principal character) look like? Tres' physical appearance, other than his injuries, are glossed over. I want a picture of this guy, please. The mystery behind the murders is not all that puzzling. Riordan gives you a lot of clues before the final enlightenment. The characters in this book are fresh and different--not at all run-of-the-mill, and that includes the bad guys. If you are looking to escape from your everyday world and meet a decidedly cool teacher/private eye then, this is the book for you. People from his past and present collide in rather unexpected ways.
Rating:
Summary: Intrigue in San Antonio
Review: I first read "The Widower's Two-Step" and was a little familiar with some of the characters. This book got a great review in the Dallas Morning News so, I decided to give it a shot. The writing is terrific. Riordan does marvelous descriptions of most of the characters and the various San Antonio neighborhoods. One gripe in the description department, what does Tres (the principal character) look like? Tres' physical appearance, other than his injuries, are glossed over. I want a picture of this guy, please. The mystery behind the murders is not all that puzzling. Riordan gives you a lot of clues before the final enlightenment. The characters in this book are fresh and different--not at all run-of-the-mill, and that includes the bad guys. If you are looking to escape from your everyday world and meet a decidedly cool teacher/private eye then, this is the book for you. People from his past and present collide in rather unexpected ways.
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