Tahoe Death Fall

FANTASTIC mystery, I'm so glad I discovered the Owen Mckenna series set in Lake Tahoe. This P.I. and his sidekick "Spot", a Harlequin Great Dane, make for an interesting team. The guy is funny, erudite, and has interesting observations on art and life along the way. You also get to take your mind for a ride to Lake Tahoe, which makes the mystery even more exciting. Borg makes good use of the rugged landscape for rousing adventure, and brings plenty of high-ticket toys to the action (boats, planes, cars, etc.) not to mention stunning homes overlooking one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in the world. Mckenna often kicks back on his high deck with a beer and surveys the breathtaking scenery dropping a thousand feet below his heels, while doing his detective "thinking", commenting on how hard his job is. The dog Spot is adorable, a giant dog so real he'll stretch off the page and lap your face. Borg's descriptions of his every day dogginess are funny and entertaining, especially to us dog lovers. Borg makes Street, Owen's forensic entomologist girlfriend , as real as the person next to you. The mystery is gripping, and yes it is a page turner--hard to put down. Also have to add that it's very refreshing to read a tough P.I. thriller that is gloriously absent of profanity and graphic sex. It's all about the mystery! His writing sizzles, and I can't wait to read TAHOE BLOWUP, and all the rest of the series.

Todd Borg is a Minnesota native who followed the lure of lakes in the mountains to live in Lake Tahoe. He has created the art-loving detective, Owen McKenna, in his action-packed series beginning with Tahoe Death FALL, which was published in 2001. He quickly followed his maiden book with Tahoe Blowup. Thriller Press launched its business with Todd's Tahoe Death Fall, which was an astute decision.Fourteen-year-old Jennifer Salazar, a wealthy young heiress, shows up at Owen McKenna's office to hire him as a private investigator because she feels the death of her twin sister nine years before is no accident. She has the I.Q. of a genius, is set to inherit almost four hundred million dollars, and is rightly convinced someone is out to kill her. McKenna, his Harlequin Dane named Spot, and his girlfriend, an exotic beauty who is an entomologist named Street, believe Jennifer. Her claim is verified everywhere they turn as dead bodies from the past and present speak of a family full of evil secrets and unsuspecting victims: "'That's what they say,' Immanuel said. 'What do you mean?' 'Just what I said. That's what they say.' 'You don't believe it?' 'Put it this way,' the old man said wearily. He leaned his head back and rested it against the pillow. 'There is something wrong with the woman. She is disturbed. No doubt about it. But a paranoid schizophrenic needing to be locked up? I doubt it.'"Todd Borg writes a rip-roaring, suspense-driven mystery that keeps the reader glued to his book until the final breathtaking denouement. His characters are superbly crafted, especially his dog Spot, who looms over the action like a benevolent giant, finally risking his life when necessary. Borg knows how to spin a yarn, and he is adept at utilizing every nook and cranny of the Lake Tahoe area as his backdrop. Tahoe Death Fall is an outstanding effort from a true up-and-comer in the mystery business. Borg is able to send shivers up our spine and make us think twice about checking all the doors and windows before we go to bed at night, as well as looking for skeletons in our ancestry. A tremendous read from a great writer.Shelley Glodowski Reviewer

I picked up this book at a local (to Lake Tahoe) independent bookstore. It is a treat of a book and as a local to Lake Tahoe, I appreciated that all the references were accurate. Owen and Spot, along with girlfriend Street, were dynamite in this book. The book is well written and I was hard pressed not to stay up all night finishing it. I have the second book which I am anxious to start. Well written, well research, and a great story! I urge others to pick it up and give it a read!

LIVELY AND ATMOSPHERIC THRILLER THAT WILL SPELLBIND MYSTERYFANS WITH THE NOTION OF A NEW AND EXCITING AUTHOR.I FOUND A WONDERFUL SETTING WITH CHARACTERS YOU CARE ABOUT ANDA PLOT TO KEEP YOU TURNING PAGES!DEFINITELY AN AUTHOR TO WATCH!

Read a good book lately? I have. Actually one of the best I have read for quite some time. It was the first in a series of mystery thrillers written by Todd Borg, a Lake Tahoe author who is on the road to success if his first novel is any indication of what is in store. The mystery series features private investigator, Owen McKenna, who, along with his faithful companion, a Harlequin Great Dane called "Spot," sets off to solve a number of baffling crimes. As the name of his first book, "Tahoe Death Fall," implies, the background for the series is the Lake Tahoe area, making the story really come alive for readers living along Interstate-80 from Auburn to the Nevada State Line. Borg deftly blends the reality of familiar places around Lake Tahoe like, Emerald Bay, Incline Village and Mt. Rose with his make believe characters and their life threatening situations. In "Tahoe Death Fall," what starts off as a long shot murder investigation of a six years old falling from the cliffs above Emerald Bay, turns into a very revealing expose of an extremely wealthy Lake Tahoe family. Plenty of nail-biting action with no foul language. Just plain ol' "who done it.""The Colfax Area Express," Colfax, CA