Hot and Sweaty Rex: A Dinosaur Mafia Mystery

By Eric Garcia

Vincent Rubio, the most hard-boiled reptile detective ever, is back on the case in the third installment of Eric Garcia’s cult mystery series about dinosaurs who are still alive and committing crimes in L.A. Rubio’s latest assignment: the dinosaur mafia.

As fans of Anonymous Rex and Casual Rex already know, the dinosaurs faked their extinction and live among us, disguising themselves as humans in elaborately designed latex costumes. Anyone could be a dinosaur. Your podiatrist. The crotchety old man who lives next door. Julia Roberts, it is well known, is actually a Stegosaur. When the head of the Raptor mafia asks Vincent Rubio to perform a service, he has no choice but to head for Miami to investigate a team of Hadrosaurs who are muscling in on Raptor territory. It’s dangerous business. Make the wrong move and your tail gets chopped off.

Eric Garcia’s third Rex novel is a wildly entertaining mystery and an instant classic of dinosaur mafia fiction—further proof that this gifted author really knows where the bones are buried.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 2, 2004
• ISBN: 9781588364005

Eric Garcia

ERIC GARCIA is a journalist based in Washington, DC. Previously, he was an assistant editor at the Washington Post’s Outlook section and an associate editor at The Hill, as well as a correspondent for National Journal,MarketWatch, and Roll Call. He has also written for the Daily Beast, the New Republic, and Salon.com. Garcia is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Reviews for Hot and Sweaty Rex

[ficusfan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The 3rd and final (?) book in the Dino PI series. I have no idea why it seems to be called the Dino Mafia series, because this is the only book in which the Mafia make an appearance. It was well written, and tightly plotted, if a bit out of new ideas. The books prior to this have had an actual mystery for the main character, Vincent to solve. This book has Vincent sucked into doing low level work for the Mob in LA. He is tailing a big wig from another family. The man leaves LA and goes to Miami and Vincent follows.In Miami, Vincent along with an old friend who pops up unexpectedly, gets involved in a nasty gang war between two families. One is the Miami branch of the LA gang he is working for, and the other is headed by his best friend from childhood. Vincent and Jack lost touch as teenagers, but they grew up together and were very close. Vincent almost married Jack's sister Noreen. Now Vincent is torn between both groups, trying to sort out whom to be loyal to, and keep himself alive and clean of the dirtier Mafia business.The only real mystery is how Vincent can meet the demands of each family, while keeping each ignorant of the other's claims on him, and stay alive. Eventually Vincent has to pick where he belongs, and then he gets just as dirty as the others. There are side stories of his and Jack's childhood, his engagement to Noreen, and glimpses that he was a herb addict even as a young man. Most of the action seems to be happening backwards as memories and background stories. Its not bad, but it doesn't really point in any future direction.The characters are good, and we get more info about how dinos live in the world, and keep their secrets from humans. There is a good bit of violence and gore. The story explores addiction, lost love, painful memories, loyalty, revenge and forgiveness and personal responsibility.