THE LAST KING OF TEXAS

(Bantam, $23.95) This rollicking San Antonio mystery starts off with a literal bang and then gathers speed from there. Its hardboiled hero, Tres Navarre, is a tai-chi-proficient PI with a Ph.D. in medieval literature. The setting being Texas, killer margaritas feature prominently alongside the baddest of baddies, drug runners who are shielding themselves behind a carnival-ride company. Happily, Navarre's boss, a no-nonsense Greek, is as adept at sleuthing as she is at making homemade dolmades and spanakopita. Her presence, together with that of police officer Ana DeLeon, lightens the novel's testosterone load ever so slightly. B+