The Devil Went Down to Austin

by Rick Riordan

Book Overview

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

Rick Riordan, triple-crown winner of the Edgar, Anthony, and Shamus Awards, brings his fast-talking, hard-living, Texas-hip P.I. Tres Navarre to the heart of the Lone Star State--Austin--to unravel a case so dark, twisted, and deadly, it can only involve family....

Tres Navarre, the P.I. with a Ph.D. in literature, heads...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553579940
• ISBN13: 9780553579949
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Riordan has hit his stride

English professor-cum-PI Tres Navarre heads from San Antonio up to Austin just in time to see his brother Garrett arrested for murder. A highly personal case becomes even more personal when attorney Maia Lee, the past love Tres never got over, arrives to defend Garrett and uncover facts about one of her own ex-clients. I read 'Devil Went Down...', the fourth Tres Navarre title, immediately after finishing the first one, 'Big Red Tequila.' It's clear that author Rick Riordan's style and plotting have improved over time. Not that they were ever bad to start with -- far from it. But though still packed with Riordan's trademark twists and turns, the story in 'Devil Went Down...' was easier for me to follow than the often convoluted plots of earlier titles. Part of the difference may be that there seemed to be fewer characters to keep straight in this story.There's one element of this book I'm not so sure about. From time to time, Riordan interrupts the narrative to include anonymous email messages. I won't spoil anything by saying what relevance, if any, these have to the story. But for the first time in the series, the reader has information that's not available to our narrator. As I said, I'm still not sure what I think of that.On the other hand, I want to thank Rick Riordan for not allowing this novel's scuba-diving scenes to become James Bond-movie-style underwater mega-battle parodies. That would have been a tough hurdle for me to overcome.This story takes place almost entirely in Austin, not Tres' hometown of San Antonio. But the South Texas atmosphere is still strong, Tres is maturing as a person (in his world) and as a fully drawn character (in ours), the other characterizations are solid, and the story itself is powerful. Of the four Navarre titles so far, the third and fourth have been my favorites. Which suggests that even greater things are to come -- he wrote hopefully.

Rick Riordan's Back and Better than Ever.....

Tres Navarre, San Antonian private investigator with a PhD in English Lit is, as the saying goes, hip deep in alligators. It seems his paraplegic brother, Garrett, a programming phenom and Jimmy Buffet parrothead, has mortgaged the family ranch to help pay his portion of a high-tech start-up, Techsan Security Software, and the lender is about to foreclose. Techsan's software product has run into all kinds of problems and bugs since a corporate takeover offer was refused and now lawsuits are being filed by all their beta-testers. When Garrett's oldest friend and partner, Jimmy Doebler is found murdered and all the evidence points to Garrett, Tres decides to head on down to Austin, wade into this mess, against his brother's wishes, and see if he can sort out what's really going on..... Rick Riordan has outdone himself with his latest unforgettable mystery/thriller, The Devil Went Down to Austin. His compelling, intricate plot comes at you from several different directions and is full of powerful, riveting scenes and his cast of terrific characters are original and well drawn. But it's Mr Riordan's sharp, witty writing and attention to detail that really make this novel stand out. With a stunning climax that ties up all the loose ends and a very satisfying ending, this is an intriguing story that's a "must read" for all mystery/thriller fans. If you're new to the Tres Navarre series, start at the beginning with The Big Red Tequila and read them all. If you're already hooked, you definitely won't be disappointed this time out!

The Reigning King of Texas Mysteries

As a mystery writer with my first novel in its initial release, I've been an admirer of Mr. Riordan's work since his first Tres Navarre book appeared in print four novels ago. Tres Navarre is a San Antonio PI and English professor, and this current case involves his brother Garrett as the prime suspect in a homicide. Jimmy Doebler gets murdered a short while after getting divorced from Ruby McBride, one of Garrett's business partners. Garrett has mortgaged the family ranch to start an Internet company. In THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO AUSTIN, Tres has to solve the murder, clear his brother, and save the homestead. This book is another winner for Rick Riordan. Read it today.

Don't Mess with Texas

Author Rick Riordan is on a roll! In this story, a murder investigation of Tres Navarre's friend, yields Navarre's brother as the #1 suspect. No room for error in Texas--a certain death sentence is looming. Riordan displays quite an aptitude for characterizations, as well as a great grasp of the great state of Texas.