Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Keep Reading, Feb 14 2003
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?
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Starts slow, speeds up, but can't quite equal the first book, Oct 19 2001
In this second book in Rick Riordan's Tres Navarre series, PI-in-training Tres gets off to a bad start when the person he is tailing dies before his eyes (murder? suicide?). From there, our hero finds himself pulled into the worlds of drug dealing, family politics, and -- most deadly of all -- country music.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.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
More like a slow waltz, Jul 27 2001
By A Customer
I really, really want to like the Tres character, after all, anyone who shares his home with a cat can't be all bad, right? However, after a pretty good start with "Big Red Tequila" this one took a giant leap backward. Mr. Riorden puts too many characters in his books, and then doesn't help the reader keep track of everybody. A woman we were barely introduced to in the first book, all of a sudden pops up as a sort of live-in in the second. Perhaps if I was able to read the books in one setting, I could keep everybody straight, but put it down for a couple days and I kept thinking I should have taken notes.The first book had an interesting storyline, what with his old girlfriend and the murder of his father to keep him busy, but the story line in Two-Step gets all jumbled up, and in the end, isn't all that intersting anyway. I am going to give Mr. Riorden another chance and I will read his third book in the series, but if the same problems persist, it may be my last. For me to enjoy a book, I have to like the character, and so far, I just haven't been able to care that much for Tres.
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