books:

	The Widower's Two-Step Rick Riordan Bantam, 1998 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 22 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

for more information click here

for more information click here

This title, like 'The Last King of Texas' (the third book in the series) starts off with a literal bang. But I found both 'Big Red Tequila' and 'Last King' easier stories to get into than this one was. Once the story starts moving, 'Widower's Two-Step' bears all the hallmarks of the Tres Navarre series: a plot that twists and turns, lots of characters (most with complex and hidden motivations), dramatic fights and confrontations, and truckloads of South Texas character. This book also introduces the Manos Detective Agency -- the employees of which have become regular characters in the Navarre series.

Devotees of the series will definitely want to read this title. I would recommend newcomers start with the first book ('Big Red Tequila') instead of dropping into the middle of the series, like I did. But even on its own merits, this interesting and atmospheric mystery is definitely worth a read or two.

for more information click here

Keep Reading

Although not nearly as good as the Last King of Texas, my first introduction to the series, The Widower's Two-Step was a good addition. I'm not usually a mystery/cop novel lover but Tres Navarre is a great character, and I've liked every book with him so far. Some other reviews said that there were too many characters to keep straight, but I don't agree at all. This is a series with reoccurring characters, and all of the non- reoccurring ones have an important role in the mystery. Another reviewer said that this isn't award material, and I won't begrudge someone their opinion, but perhaps these books are just not for everyone. I personally find them funny and smart. A PI with an English Phd who practices Tai Chi? Can't you see the humor in that?

for more information click here

Corruption and Country Music

Texan Tai Chi master, private detective in training, English Phd holder and cat owner Tres Navarre returns in The Widower's Two-Step, following on from his introduction in the harrowing Big Red Tequila. Author Rick Riordan provides us with a tangled mystery based around the budding career of a promising country singer and the creeping corruption that lurks behind the lure of success.

Tres is within 10 hours of finishing his apprenticeship before a P.I. license is his when the case he is working, a simple surveillance job goes horribly wrong. When the dust clears he's on the verge of quitting with very few prospects on the horizon. Holding a degree in English Literature, he lines up a job teaching English at UTSA, thanks to his mother's pushiness. But before stepping into a life of academia, he still has some unfinished business to attend to.

Old school friend and now a partner in a talent agency, Milo Chavez makes Tres a huge offer to find his partner Les Saint-Pierre who has been missing for two weeks. Saint-Pierre had been involved in a tug-of-war battle with Tilden Sheckly over the right to represent up and coming country singer Miranda Daniels. What Tres uncovers is more than simply a couple of would-be agents squabbling over an up and coming musical talent. It's more about the money that can be made by the music industry through black market dealings. It's a tangled web that just gets worse when the nose of Tres Navarre is shoved in the middle.

In his search for Saint-Pierre, Tres finds himself drawn into Miranda's world, forming an emotional attachment that reveals a more sober, thoughtful Tres Navarre than we have seen in the past. His involvement with the singer and her family threatens to distract him from the main game. Fortunately, Tres is a talented guy who is able to juggle the problem of the missing agent, the turmoil of the singer's family and the shady dealings of a marginally scrupulous agent.

The story starts off at a solid clip as Tres is up against a deadline, both in the missing person case and in his bid to find a new profession. Rick Riordan writes with an engaging style which is complemented by the breezy first person delivery from Navarre. I felt as though I am being welcomed back to San Antonio after visiting when reading Big Red Tequila, such is the familiarity with which the city and the South Texas customs are described.

The only minor problem I had while reading the book was a flat spot mid-way through where the investigation tended to lose momentum and the story tended to drift along without anything of interest happening. It didn't last overly long, but I found it difficult to maintain my attention through it and was then struggling to pick the pieces of the plot back up again.

I've found Tres Navarre an extremely likable protagonist with a roguish wit and quiet confidence (very reminiscent of Elvis Cole in the early books by Robert Crais). Riordan returns a few of the more memorable characters from Big Red Tequila such as Ralph Arguello his invaluable pawnshop owning friend who fought his way out of the slums and now carries a lot of weight on the streets of San Antonio; his barely in control, wheelchair-bound computer genius brother Garrett; and, of course, his neurotic cat Robert Johnson. They're all becoming charmingly familiar, slightly off-beat and a reason to return to the series.

The Widower's Two-Step is a fine follow-up to Big Red Tequila bringing all the down-home good nature of Texas to life while taking us through a well constructed mystery. The fact that at the end of it all, Riordan has given us the odd punch in the gut with a sudden unexpected revelation only adds to the enjoyment.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

products you might be interested in

recommendations

books i've read in 2003
Chris Nakamura