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Tres Navarre #7
Rebel Island
Triple-crown winner of mystery’s most coveted awards—the Edgar, the Anthony, and the Shamus—Rick Riordan and his Texas-style take on the crime novel have never been bigger or darker than in this latest Tres Navarre thriller. This time Navarre faces a killer as unstoppable as a force of nature.
Tres Navarre had given up private investigation—and with it a violent past that had buried too many friends. Newly married, with a baby on the way, it was time to find a safer line of work. He and Maia had come to Rebel Island to celebrate their honeymoon and a new future. But no sooner had they arrived than a reminder of the past showed up in the form of a corpse shot dead in room 12.
Just like that Tres finds himself flashing back on the memory of a grim childhood summer spent on the island—a summer that changed everything in his life. A summer he could never forget but never entirely remember either. And when a second corpse turns up, it’s clear to Tres that the past is not dead and buried after all, but is stalking Rebel Island with unfinished business of its own.
What really happened that long-ago summer, what dark secrets were kept, and who has come back to avenge them…these are the questions Tres, his brother Garrett, and the very pregnant Maia must answer—and time is running out. For a monster hurricane is about to hit Rebel Island, cutting them off from the mainland and leaving them trapped on a flooding island with the hotel’s remaining guests brutally dying one by one. Tres knows better than anyone that the bloodlines of South Texas are as twisted as barbed wire. This time they’re guarding a revelation that can turn his dreams of happily ever after into the ultimate nightmare.
From the Hardcover edition.
Tres Navarre had given up private investigation—and with it a violent past that had buried too many friends. Newly married, with a baby on the way, it was time to find a safer line of work. He and Maia had come to Rebel Island to celebrate their honeymoon and a new future. But no sooner had they arrived than a reminder of the past showed up in the form of a corpse shot dead in room 12.
Just like that Tres finds himself flashing back on the memory of a grim childhood summer spent on the island—a summer that changed everything in his life. A summer he could never forget but never entirely remember either. And when a second corpse turns up, it’s clear to Tres that the past is not dead and buried after all, but is stalking Rebel Island with unfinished business of its own.
What really happened that long-ago summer, what dark secrets were kept, and who has come back to avenge them…these are the questions Tres, his brother Garrett, and the very pregnant Maia must answer—and time is running out. For a monster hurricane is about to hit Rebel Island, cutting them off from the mainland and leaving them trapped on a flooding island with the hotel’s remaining guests brutally dying one by one. Tres knows better than anyone that the bloodlines of South Texas are as twisted as barbed wire. This time they’re guarding a revelation that can turn his dreams of happily ever after into the ultimate nightmare.
From the Hardcover edition.
339 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
87 people are currently reading
2249 people want to read
About the author
Rick Riordan
371 books452k followersRick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the Percy Jackson series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
February 4, 2024
Once upon a time, I was ten years old. I was in an unfamiliar public library looking for more books by the author of the Percy Jackson series. I couldn't find the children's section of the library, but I did find this book and check it out.
I remember that it was intriguing, but didn't knock my socks off, and I was not compelled to read the rest of the series.
I remember that it was intriguing, but didn't knock my socks off, and I was not compelled to read the rest of the series.
January 14, 2023
This is the seventh entry in the adventures of Tres Navarre, a part-time English Literature college professor and part-time San Antonio PI. The series is above average with a cast of captivating characters and fairly engaging plots. Unfortunately Rebel Island is a very weak addition.
The book opens with Tres marrying his 8 ½ month pregnant girlfriend and then honeymooning at a childhood vacation spot - Rebel Island - on the eve of a hurricane. As implausible as that sounds - things get worse. Once on the island the hurricane hits, one of the other guests is murdered, Tres is "enlisted" to solve the crime and then things grind to a standstill - for 300+ pages. I think the goal here was to write a Key Largo-like story, (the old Bogart/Bacall/Edward G. Robinson movie), and the author uses flashbacks and switches the narrative from one character's perspective to another to move things along - all to no avail as there really isn't an engaging story here.
This mystery also employs one of my pet peeves, which for the lack of a better term I'll call the "placeholder murderer", i.e. the character who serves no purpose to the story-line only to be named the villain at its conclusion.
As mentioned the earlier books in the series are fairly good reads, so if Tres sparks an interest, read those but avoid this one.
The book opens with Tres marrying his 8 ½ month pregnant girlfriend and then honeymooning at a childhood vacation spot - Rebel Island - on the eve of a hurricane. As implausible as that sounds - things get worse. Once on the island the hurricane hits, one of the other guests is murdered, Tres is "enlisted" to solve the crime and then things grind to a standstill - for 300+ pages. I think the goal here was to write a Key Largo-like story, (the old Bogart/Bacall/Edward G. Robinson movie), and the author uses flashbacks and switches the narrative from one character's perspective to another to move things along - all to no avail as there really isn't an engaging story here.
This mystery also employs one of my pet peeves, which for the lack of a better term I'll call the "placeholder murderer", i.e. the character who serves no purpose to the story-line only to be named the villain at its conclusion.
As mentioned the earlier books in the series are fairly good reads, so if Tres sparks an interest, read those but avoid this one.
November 2, 2016
Rebel Island by Rick Riordan.
This was my first book by this author as well as my first in this series.
I am not going to elaborate on the story itself only to say that I found it captivating. The author's details during the major hurricane/storm was extensive. He caught and perfectly illustrated the fear in the victims and the on the spot thinking of Tres the lead character.
The ending was a bit overdone in my opinion or should I say overkill. A little too much did not go a long way...it became tedious. It did not however put me off of wanting to continue reading another in this series by this author.
This was my first book by this author as well as my first in this series.
I am not going to elaborate on the story itself only to say that I found it captivating. The author's details during the major hurricane/storm was extensive. He caught and perfectly illustrated the fear in the victims and the on the spot thinking of Tres the lead character.
The ending was a bit overdone in my opinion or should I say overkill. A little too much did not go a long way...it became tedious. It did not however put me off of wanting to continue reading another in this series by this author.
March 17, 2014
The seventh and last (far as we know) of the Tres Navarre series.
After reading this, I think it will be the last one, the way Tres does a lot of thinking back on his summers on Rebel Island. A lot happened there when he was a kid, some good, mostly bad memories. Not as much action as his earlier adventures, and with old friend and "vato" Ralph looking down on Tres....it's time to move on. Has been a nice ride around San Antonio......
After reading this, I think it will be the last one, the way Tres does a lot of thinking back on his summers on Rebel Island. A lot happened there when he was a kid, some good, mostly bad memories. Not as much action as his earlier adventures, and with old friend and "vato" Ralph looking down on Tres....it's time to move on. Has been a nice ride around San Antonio......
April 14, 2015
The whole idea of a hurricane coming to an island and the people being clueless (including an 8 1/2 month pregnant woman) was ridiculous. This is not 100 years ago. Too many holes in this story for me, although the idea was good. I fought hard to finish it, but it never got better. No real surprises, just depressing, uninspired writing.
October 19, 2020
Book #74 - Rebel Island by Rick Riordan - While Rick Riordan is best known for his amazing, imaginative young adult books he has also written a great series for adults featuring as protagonist a man named Tres Navarre. Many of the books are set in San Antonio and Austin and other areas local to Riordan (who used to live in San Antonio) and it's fun to see places mentioned that I know well.
This is the last book in the series. Earlier in the series Navarre made a career change from English teacher to private eye.
In this last book Tres and his wife go to a place called Red Island to celebrate their honeymoon and Tres has no intention of doing any private eye work... but then people start dying and questions need to be asked and answered, all white a monster hurricane hits, trapping them on an island that is flooding. A reluctant Tres does what he does so well: solving crimes. The book is full of interesting characters and plenty of good plot twists. I give it an 8.5.
This is the last book in the series. Earlier in the series Navarre made a career change from English teacher to private eye.
In this last book Tres and his wife go to a place called Red Island to celebrate their honeymoon and Tres has no intention of doing any private eye work... but then people start dying and questions need to be asked and answered, all white a monster hurricane hits, trapping them on an island that is flooding. A reluctant Tres does what he does so well: solving crimes. The book is full of interesting characters and plenty of good plot twists. I give it an 8.5.
May 11, 2023
eponymous sentence:
p10: He stood on the dock of Rebel Island as if he'd been expecting us.
ocr:
p18: She never left home without her Lamaze pillow and her. 357.
splatter:
p104: "Why go to the trouble of hiding the body and not clean the blood splatter on the kitchen floor?"
construction:
p166: The bloodlines in South Texas were as twisted as the barbed wire.
p193: "...Let him stand trial, but don't kill him."
This is Tres going out with a bang. This is where I wish Mr. Riordan had not gone down the path he went to.
p10: He stood on the dock of Rebel Island as if he'd been expecting us.
ocr:
p18: She never left home without her Lamaze pillow and her. 357.
splatter:
p104: "Why go to the trouble of hiding the body and not clean the blood splatter on the kitchen floor?"
construction:
p166: The bloodlines in South Texas were as twisted as the barbed wire.
p193: "...Let him stand trial, but don't kill him."
This is Tres going out with a bang. This is where I wish Mr. Riordan had not gone down the path he went to.
February 8, 2023
Wow
The worst thing about this book is that there is not Tres Navarre book 8. Yet. I gave this series a shot because of his teen novels. Riordan does not disappoint.
The worst thing about this book is that there is not Tres Navarre book 8. Yet. I gave this series a shot because of his teen novels. Riordan does not disappoint.
November 4, 2021
Closing my Riordan bibliography of sorts with this last book in the Tres Navarre series (but wait, I think I may have to read the whole Son of Apollo anthology). I think at this point Riordan was able to polish a lot of things that made Percy Jackson a great novel.
Read
May 21, 2020This was an enjoyable mystery, which kept me guessing. He grew up in South Texas and his familiarity with the area adds so much to his books. I have read all his adult mysteries and this is the last one he wrote. When the author experienced fame and fortune with his young adult Percy Jackson fantasy series, he did not get back to his adult mysteries. Perhaps some day.
July 3, 2012
I didn't like this book as much mostly because Tres and company were stranded on an island with a killer during a hurricane. Did I mention no phone service? Yeah, it felt like a bad horror movie script to me. Sure there were some twists and turns, but what makes me most disappointed is that Tres didn't really grow throughout the series or this book in particular. I had hoped for a revelation about his relationship, or work, or something... anything. Nada.
In my opinion, Tres Navarre may have been the center of the books, but truly Ralph Arguello was the hero of the series. We saw Ralph grow as a character from a thug to a respectable father. From the tender moments he shared with his madre in the first book, to his grief and care of her tombstone in a later book mark the progression in his path to the dedicated family man he eventually becomes. His integrity became clear in book six, Mission Road, when we find out that he felt a deep sense of service to his community through owning the pawn shops as a way to help those in need. It is far from the impression we got in beginning of the series of a ruthless, egotistical, greedy, power-hungry entrepreneur.
Ralph chose to take a chance and strive for a different life, marrying his true love and starting a family. On the other hand, Tres sat back and let life take him along for the ride. He abandoned Maia when he moved back to San Antonio, then added insult to their relationship by refusing to move 70 miles to Austin after she moved hundreds of miles from San Francisco to be near him. He made no real life choices intentionally other than what was convenient and easy. Oops, Maia's pregnant guess he better marry her after 15 years of dating. How insulting!
What really upset me more is when Alas, now I remember why I almost exclusively read romance. My mistake.
In my opinion, Tres Navarre may have been the center of the books, but truly Ralph Arguello was the hero of the series. We saw Ralph grow as a character from a thug to a respectable father. From the tender moments he shared with his madre in the first book, to his grief and care of her tombstone in a later book mark the progression in his path to the dedicated family man he eventually becomes. His integrity became clear in book six, Mission Road, when we find out that he felt a deep sense of service to his community through owning the pawn shops as a way to help those in need. It is far from the impression we got in beginning of the series of a ruthless, egotistical, greedy, power-hungry entrepreneur.
Ralph chose to take a chance and strive for a different life, marrying his true love and starting a family. On the other hand, Tres sat back and let life take him along for the ride. He abandoned Maia when he moved back to San Antonio, then added insult to their relationship by refusing to move 70 miles to Austin after she moved hundreds of miles from San Francisco to be near him. He made no real life choices intentionally other than what was convenient and easy. Oops, Maia's pregnant guess he better marry her after 15 years of dating. How insulting!
What really upset me more is when Alas, now I remember why I almost exclusively read romance. My mistake.
March 11, 2016
While browsing in the mystery shelves at the public library, looking for a book by Ellis Peters, I found one by Rick Riordan, of The Lightning Thief fame within the young adult audience. Imagine my surprise to discover this mystery for adults disappointing!
My earliest difficulty was the wholesale introduction of characters--fifteen, by my count--in the first four pages. (I had resorted to pen and paper, thinking this was to be an epic.) And then, between pages 11 and 15, eight more characters joined the story. These last people, it turned
out, were the ones that mattered; other than two brought forward from the first group, plus the protagonist and his wife, none were ever mentioned again.
The protagonist, Tres Navarre, has just married Maia, eight months pregnant, and they are honeymooning on Rebel Island, as suggested by the brother of Tres, Garrett, a bilateral amputee. However, Hurricane Aiden, visits the island, creating destruction of their hotel for the majority
of the story.
According to the back cover, this is number seven, part of a crime series centered on Navarre. Of this series, Booklist, in a starred review, says, "As soon as you start reading Riordan, you understand the acclaim. His voice is fresh yet sure, with insights so trenchant, they nearly provoke tears. And Riodan's characters, even the minor ones, are achingly believable. . . . Gut wrenching."
I'm sorry. This review must be about some other book. For example, speaking of the characters, I found it hard to tell them apart; pronouns instead of names often left me wondering who was speaking. Since I frequently didn't know which character said or did what, I was hard-pressed to solve the mystery. In addition, even my notes left me wondering which of the trio of Markie, Ty and Chase was introduced as the college guy with the UT t-shirt and the bottle of Cuevas. And who was the one with red hair?
The short version: this felt like a very, very rough draft. Not recommended.
October 12, 2010
I think I've said before:
"Tres Navarre, Tai Che master, is good at asking questions and reading reactions. He also excells at getting beat up, hit in the face, and blown up. And when he makes a bad decision, the consquences are huge."
In this one, he gets beat up less, and the attempts to blow him up are only half hearted.
He is newly married and has just been a full time professor for about 7 months when his brother wrangles him into going to Rebel Island, where they spent thier childhood vacations, and where their childhood friend is now running the small hotel. They are their for less than 24 hours when a Marshal named Longoria turns up dead, the hotel manager goes missing, and they are hit by a hurricane. Tres takes the lead trying to figure out what the heck is going on.
I enjoy Rick Riordan's mysteries.
"Tres Navarre, Tai Che master, is good at asking questions and reading reactions. He also excells at getting beat up, hit in the face, and blown up. And when he makes a bad decision, the consquences are huge."
In this one, he gets beat up less, and the attempts to blow him up are only half hearted.
He is newly married and has just been a full time professor for about 7 months when his brother wrangles him into going to Rebel Island, where they spent thier childhood vacations, and where their childhood friend is now running the small hotel. They are their for less than 24 hours when a Marshal named Longoria turns up dead, the hotel manager goes missing, and they are hit by a hurricane. Tres takes the lead trying to figure out what the heck is going on.
I enjoy Rick Riordan's mysteries.
September 10, 2013
2.5
This book didn't do a whole lot for me. I think part of it is that it is book 7 in the series. I typically like to read series in order, even if it is the kind of series that you don't reeeeeally have to. I was unfamiliar with the characters and this particular book didn't inspire me to care that much. It was definitely plot-driven and fast paced. However, the plot was convuluted...awfully convenient for the characters to be stuck on an island with an unknown assassin and a killer storm approaching. But, if you're able to suspend disbelief, it moves quickly enough and has enough twists to keep readers guessing about the identity of the assasin. It will also have appeal for readers who enjoy stories set in Texas (bonus points for referencing Shiner Bock and other Texas-y things).
This book didn't do a whole lot for me. I think part of it is that it is book 7 in the series. I typically like to read series in order, even if it is the kind of series that you don't reeeeeally have to. I was unfamiliar with the characters and this particular book didn't inspire me to care that much. It was definitely plot-driven and fast paced. However, the plot was convuluted...awfully convenient for the characters to be stuck on an island with an unknown assassin and a killer storm approaching. But, if you're able to suspend disbelief, it moves quickly enough and has enough twists to keep readers guessing about the identity of the assasin. It will also have appeal for readers who enjoy stories set in Texas (bonus points for referencing Shiner Bock and other Texas-y things).
September 26, 2018
I have read all previous six books in the Tres Navarre series and enjoyed all of them. Rebel Island, the 7th in the series, in my opinion, was below average to the others. The plot moved slowly and was predictable, the characters were not the typical Riordan characters with lots of personality. Even the ending needed to be wrapped up and summarized...I was happy to get to the finish. Maybe Tres needs to be retired!
March 24, 2025
I thought Alex Huff is the killer, but then Alex has a kind heart after all. Mr. Lindy on the other hand was being rash, now the consequence of killing an innocent and a kind hearted man would haunt him from the rest of his life, knowing full well that the killer of his daughter is still alive and not even on the prison.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2008
Tres Navarre takes his pregnant wife to honeymoon on a friend’s island. While there a terrible storm leaves them stranded. Trapped with them, is a feared, dangerous, and unidentifiable killer who's killing people on the island, one-by-one?
July 8, 2017
I loved the Percy Jackson books for kids by Riordan, and just adore this crime series for adults. Great writing and really likeable characters. Highly recommended for fans of southern crime.
April 10, 2016
Really good
He needs to make more tres Navarre books. They are really good. This would make a good murder mystery dinner party.
He needs to make more tres Navarre books. They are really good. This would make a good murder mystery dinner party.
May 15, 2017
I was very disappointed in this book.
January 12, 2019
Taking your 8 1/2 month pregnant wife to a remote island if the face of a pending hurricane (duh). Then we stumble through chapters of who is the killer in the room.
June 8, 2023
I listened to this audiobook. This is the 7th book and the conclusion of the Tres Navarre series. Tres is a San Antonian through and through. His father was the sheriff of Bexar County where San Antonio is located. Tres is a private eye, who is also a professor of Medieval literature. He fled San Antonio when his father was murdered before his very eyes as a young college student. He went to California where he earned his pHD in English. He met the love of life, Maia, a lawyer, who hired him to do PI work for her. Now, years later, he is back in Texas and is marrying Maia. She is 8 1/2 months pregnant. They have their wedding on Rebel Island, a private island near Port Aransas owned by a friend of Tres's half-brother Garrett. Tres vacationed as a young boy on Rebel Island with his fractured family and his memories of the island are not so good. That's why I can't figure out why he let Garrett talk him to honeymooning there. Oh well, they do, and as you might expect, things to really, really wrong. Hurricane Aidan hits the island with wrath threatening everyone at the old resort. The hurricane is the complication. The real problem is the dead federal marshal found in one of the rooms. Tres knew the marshal and knew his presence on the island was bad news, even without him lying dead. Three UT college students who aren't what they seem, a nervous woman fleeing her murdering husband, an 80 year old former criminal defense lawyer, the resort owner who has an adversarial past with Tres, and another dead body make for the case only Tres can solve.
February 13, 2025
To conclude the Tres Navarre novels Riordan takes a stab at a classic "Locked Room" Mystery. As a lover of classic Detection Club mysteries I think that Rebel Island pulled the format off well. Having all the possible suspects laid out from the start always pulls me in as a reader, and like those classic novels each player in this game is just suspicious enough to make them plausible. The core Mystery is solid and the backdrop of a hurricane adds some environmental urgency to the story.
I think Riordan is probably making a much larger impact on the world by writing great coming of age stories to inspire and entertain the next generation but I'd certainly not complain if he ever decided to pen another Mystery novel.
I think Riordan is probably making a much larger impact on the world by writing great coming of age stories to inspire and entertain the next generation but I'd certainly not complain if he ever decided to pen another Mystery novel.
January 30, 2022
The seventh Tres Navarre book, but only the second that I have read. I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the other book that I read, the fourth in the series, The Devil Went Down To Austin. Tres and his pregnant (newly married) wife go for a honeymoon at his Brother's suggestion to Rebel Island in the midst of a hurricane, of course. This seemed a bit of a stretch, seems like the weather service might have put out a bulletin warning of an oncoming hurricane. There is a lot of Navarre family history uncovered in the story and this slows down the storytelling quite a bit. I'll read more if I run across them.
May 16, 2020
Tres Navarre is a detective who discusses the case with his wife and considers her ideas thoughtfully. Very refreshing. The sleuthing takes place during a hurricane on what seems to be a sand spit in the Gulf of Mexico. The only possible suspects are all trapped on the island together trying to survive the storm which is tearing the roof of the old hotel in pieces. The book is interesting, nicely written and plotted. The main characters have depth and history but the secondary characters could have a little more time on stage. Riordan is a YA novelist and this seem like that.
July 12, 2020
Really like Riordan and had forgotten how much until I read this one. Navarre is a convincing protag, more thoughtful and deliberate than most and the backstory on why he is so careful is nice. The other characters are a mixed bag of evils and discontents, except for Tres' Chinese wife, the very pregnant and intuitive lawyer, Maia who helps to ground the chaos. Lovely setting, a paradisaical Texas coastal island wracked and very wrecked by a hurricane, a perfect setting for a variant of the English country house murder.
January 21, 2021
Not my favorite Tres Navarre book, but a sad one, because it is the last book in my FA oritr series! It does have all the necessary elements: murder, mayhem, a spooky old house, mystery. And true to form, you won't know what's happening until the very end!
I know Rick Riordan has moved on from this award - winning series, to much greener (and more $$$) pastures with the Perry Jackson teen fiction series. But Tres Navarre was unique, and interesting, and come on, it's set in Texas! But sadly this is the end of a beautiful relationship between Tres and his legion of fans.
I know Rick Riordan has moved on from this award - winning series, to much greener (and more $$$) pastures with the Perry Jackson teen fiction series. But Tres Navarre was unique, and interesting, and come on, it's set in Texas! But sadly this is the end of a beautiful relationship between Tres and his legion of fans.
August 6, 2017
Rick Riordan is a master storyteller. I wasn't really impressed with Tres's first outing in the Big Red Tequila, but as I plodded through the series I came to enjoy his company. Tres is stupid, slow and irritating at most times, but his heart is in the right place. He is as human as any one of us, and that's what makes him so real for me. Having read all the books in the series, all I can say is "Rick Rocks!".
March 8, 2019
For the most part, this was a typical Tres Navarre book. By that I mean he knows to keep his nose out of trouble but does it anyway. Poor man can't even go on a honeymoon without people dying and a hurricane heading right for him.. and his brother goes on the honeymoon.. like I said typical Tres. I'm going to miss him though, as there is no more books in the series. I'm a little disappointed because I like closure and there was some things left untold in the series.
January 14, 2018
I like settings involving the beach, islands which is why this caught my eye. Trez navarre I still can't figure out, PI? not working? yes he is working but as CA reluctant crime solver? Soon to become a father ? I was pretty confused throughout this whole book....good ending tho...did not see it coming !!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews