Edgar Award winner Rick Riordan captures San Antonio at its grittiest with his mysteries featuring Jackson "Tres" Navarre--unlicensed P.I., Tai Chi master, and imbiber of Big Red cream soda laced with tequila. It's been a decade since his father was murdered, and Tres left town. But he's got an itch that can only be scratched by looking for answers. Returning to San Antonio with his enchilada-eating cat, he uncovers a conspiracy involving the Mafia and dirty politicians. It isn't long before Tres stirs up more trouble than he can handle and finds himself the target of ill-willed bullets. Riordan paints a memorable portrait of Texas in its many unique hues, while narrator Tom Stechschulte captures the characteristic flavor of the Lone Star state.
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"Tres Navarre has returned to San Antonio after a ten year absence at the invitation of his old girlfriend, Lillian. He left at age nineteen after witnessing his father, the county sheriff, murdered. In the ten years that he has been gone he has become a private investigator, a tai chi master and earned a Ph.D. in English.(What a slacker!) Shortly after his reunion with Lillian she disappears. Is it related to his father's unsolved murder? This novel is full of interesting charecters and has a good plot draws the reader in. It is the of a series of seven novels which I look forward to reading."
— Bob (4 out of 5 stars)
“A standout…A crooked construction company, corrupt cops, old enemies—you can almost feel the summer storms rolling over South Texas.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)" Stumbled across this book by accident, was not aware Rick Riordan had written an series before the Percy Jackson series. Good book very enjoyable, the hero is flawed but is very witty which can get him into further trouble. "
— Davesp, 6/18/2018" I read this out of curiosity born from my love for the Percy Jackson series. I wanted to see if I liked them solely for the story, or if Riordan's writing really was good. AFter finishing this novel, his first ever published,I would have to conclude that his writing is actually able to help me through any story, not just one I already enjoy from the concept. In the Percy Jackson series there is always a hint of side comments and sarcasm, but in this adult novel with much more room to play, these qualities come out i full force, making the book an enjoyable read. "
— Jillian, 2/9/2014" A decent book from Rick Riordan, one of my all-time favorite authors. He does a great job setting the seen and building the characters. You are sucked in with a great primary character, Tres Navarre. He's interesting and funny and is the most positive thing out of this book. The mystery he unravels is okay, not a must read and you can definitely put it down. It's the start of a series but I have no desire to read the rest of them. "
— Sydney, 2/8/2014" A solid kick-off to the Tres Navarre books. Having read several of them out of order, things were a little repetitive. I recommend reading them in the order in which they are written. Interestingly, these earlier books are not on Kindle despite his popularity as an author. "
— Myra, 2/8/2014" I love anything Rick Riordan writes. If you've read anything else by him, then you've likely read a children's book. While I'll be the first to admit how much I love Percy Jackson, this is different. It's written for adults. There are some pretty morbid pieces to the story, along with the wit Riordan's readers have come to love from him. Riordan is originally a teacher, and I think that plays into his writing a good deal. He loves to learn, and he manages to work some pieces of history or interesting facts into each of his novels. In this one, you might learn some acupuncture, or even some tips on how to survive in a profession where you see corpses day in and day out. As always, Riordan's story is full of fascinating characters. "
— priddymomma, 1/24/2014" Picked this up because I ran out of Riordan's YA novels to read. Turned out to be compelling enough to get me through the whole series. "
— A., 1/15/2014" good book, but it took me forever to read. not sure if i just wasn't in a reading mood or if it didn't keep my attention enough to sit and read for hours. "
— Jessica, 1/10/2014" He's an entertaining writer, for sure. And I enjoy the back drop of San Antonio. "
— Merrin, 12/30/2013" By the author of the Lightning Thief, etc. Good summer read. "
— Fran, 12/26/2013" Not bad, but I like his books for younger readers better. "
— Laura, 12/8/2013" The series of Tres Navarre mysteries by Rick Riordan is so entertaining, characters so well drawn that scenes from these books stay with me. Riordan writes for adults and teens. His main character Tres is smart, lucid, compassionate, and worth remembering. "
— Linda, 11/23/2013" The best of Rick Riordan is here! I dare anyone to read the first chapter of this book and not read on! "
— Donna, 10/7/2013" I had seen my students reading Rick Riordan but didn't know he had adult series. Now I know why the kids are hooked on his books! Great read. Story keeps moving forward and I didn't see the ending coming. Of course, maybe I'm just slow! Can't wait to read the next one. "
— Christine, 9/10/2013" I love Percy Jackson, and I gave this 196 pages, but I just couldn't get into this Texas hard-boiled detective! "
— Carrieuoregon, 8/22/2013" I just could not get into this book. I thought it would move like Riordan's Percy Jackson's novels and it did not. "
— Cami, 5/23/2013" Funny, great characters, good mystery and always interesting to read a book set in a city or area you know personally. "
— Layla, 3/12/2013" Fun, almost pulpy, novel. After reading all of his kids books it was cool to find some adult stuff. "
— Digbeta, 3/12/2013" This is a mystery/detective series that takes place in San Antonio, my hometown. It was cool to read because I knew of all the locations, buildings, etc. that they were talking about. The characters in this book are classic. I really enjoyed the series. "
— Sharis, 11/4/2012" Fast reading; kept you guessing but ending still disappointe me; however, I plan to read his latest book. "
— Diana, 8/26/2012" Good mystery. Adult content with a TON of "language". "
— Sonya, 2/22/2012" solid detective story. "
— Gretchen, 1/27/2012" This was the first book in a series with Tres Navarre as the main character. I liked it, but I feel a big part of it is set up for the upcoming books. I will read more of them. "
— Dawn, 1/2/2012" I was disappointed. He wrote the Percy Jackson books, so I was hoping he would be good with this. It was just blah. And he used the F word just a little bit too much. I don't know if I will read another adult book by him or not. "
— Lena, 6/21/2011" This is the first of Rick Riordan's book - it is a paperback original mystery (as was the second in the series)..Great, fun books, based in Texas. He went on to write a lot of kids books. "
— Elisa, 5/4/2011" I didn't read this book yet, so i'm hoping to find it, the books sounds cool and exciting at least "
— Ricky, 4/11/2011" Had a more language than I was expecting but enjoyed the story line. "
— melody, 3/20/2011" My reading was in many short segments - very disjointed. Difficult to enjoy at this rate. However, I do want to re-read. The main character, Tres, was very likable - tenacious in his quest for his father's killer. "
— Megengelter, 3/8/2011" Read this in April of 1999, so I can't remember details. Only know that I noted it was "pretty good", and I have since read at least one more book in the Tres Navarre series. "
— Carolyn, 3/4/2011" I enjoyed this mystery set in San Antonio. I have then next two books to read. "
— Richard, 1/11/2011" He's an entertaining writer, for sure. And I enjoy the back drop of San Antonio. "
— Merrin, 12/18/2010" The best of Rick Riordan is here! I dare anyone to read the first chapter of this book and not read on! "
— Donna, 12/7/2010" I was told this was like a male Janet Evanovich, and in many ways it was. But it was missing the key ingredient of humour. OK as a crime novel, but not really my thing. "
— Pam, 8/24/2010" Just started this one. A mystery so I will probably like it. A bit slow moving right now, but I'm only on page 30 of 380. <br/> <br/>Continued to be a bit slow. I'm now reading the 2nd book in the series. It is slow too. "
— Sherri, 8/16/2010" Picked this up because I ran out of Riordan's YA novels to read. Turned out to be compelling enough to get me through the whole series. "
— A., 6/8/2010Rick Riordan is the New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Kane Chronicles, and the Heroes of Olympus. He is also the author of the award-winning Tres Navarre mystery series for adults, winner of the top three awards in the mystery genre. For fifteen years, he taught English and history at public and private middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Texas and was honored him with the St. Mary’s School’s first Master Teacher Award.
Tom Stechschulte (1948–2021) was an acclaimed narrator and winner of the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He had been a college athlete and business major when a friend dared him to audition for a play. He got the part and traded the locker room for the dressing room, eventually taking him to New York City and to recording audiobooks.