San Antonio author Rick Riordan has become a household name – at least in households with children – for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series which features a twelve-year-old boy who discovers he is the modern-day son of an ancient Greek god. His young fans will be happy to hear that Twentieth Century Fox has purchased the rights and a feature film is expected to be released in February 2010.
Riordan also wrote the multi-award-winning Tres Navarre mystery series for adults. Jackson “Tres” Navarre is not your stereotypical private investigator. He is a Tai Chi master with a Ph.D. in English from Berkeley.
There are seven titles in the series which began in 1996 with Big Red Tequila. Next Sunday, August 16th, at 2 pm, the Usual Suspects Mystery Reading Group will discuss the third title, The Last King of Texas, published in 2000.
When a controversial University of Texas at San Antonio English professor is found shot to death, Tres Navarre is the only local academic crazy enough to accept the emergency opening. The police have assured him that they already have a suspect, and all Tres has to do is teach three of the dead man’s classes while they wrap up the open-and-shut case. But when the case starts looking just a little too perfect to Tres, he ends up on the bad side of not only the police but all of the drug dealers, gangs, and other unsavory characters in town in his search for the truth.
One of the reviews at Amazon.com raves “Riordan's style blends the hipness of Elmore Leonard with the sardonic humor of Janet Evanovich. And like Evanovich, Riordan draws on the colorful character of his locale–in his case the twangy chili con carnage of San Antonio academic life–to pepper his narrative with a mixture of medieval literature, Tex-Mex dialogue, and Sherlock Holmesian puzzles.”
New faces are always welcome. To reserve a copy of the book, call 291-4821.
Want more Texas flavor? Two recently released books feature female Texas Rangers – Jon Land’s Strong Enough to Die and Kathryn Casey’s Blood Lines. The word “feisty” is applied to both women in several reviews!
Established in the early 1830s, the Rangers were originally hired by settlers as protection against Indian attacks. Renowned for their expert marksmanship, they established the Colt revolver (six-shooter) as the weapon of choice in the West. After Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836, the Rangers also served as a border patrol. In 1935 they were merged with the state highway patrol.
For the definitive list of all Texas-based mysteries – including James Lee Burke’s Billy Bob Holland, former Texas Ranger, and many other favorites – visit stopyourekillingme.com.
