 |
| A display of Todd Borg's Owen McKenna mystery novels. (Photo by Mark C. Taylor) |
Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. Situated on the California/Nevada border, Lake Tahoe offers fantastic summer and winter activities. My uncle lived in South Lake Tahoe for more than 30 years. He passed away in March, at the age of 92. Last week we had a celebration of life service for my uncle. On that trip, I found Todd Borg’s series of mystery novels set in and around Lake Tahoe. I don’t often read mysteries or thrillers, but I decided to pick up Tahoe Deathfall, the first book in Borg’s series of novels featuring the private detective Owen McKenna.
Tahoe Deathfall opens with 14-year-old Jennifer Salazar wanting to hire Owen to look into the death of her twin sister Melissa. When Jennifer and Melissa were six years old, Melissa fell off a cliff while hiking. Jennifer always felt that Melissa’s death was more than just an accident. Owen starts investigating the case, and of course there are more layers to unravel.
Owen McKenna is a fun and engaging lead character. One of the things I enjoyed most about Owen is that he is an appreciator of art. He has a poster of Edward Hopper’s New York Movie in his office, and his ruminations about art are fun to read.
It’s always fun to read about places that you know very well, and I enjoyed reading about Emerald Bay and Zephyr Cove and thinking to myself, “Hey, I’ve been there!” It’s the little things. If you’re unfamiliar with Lake Tahoe, there’s a helpful map at the beginning of the book.
Owen is aided in his investigation by his harlequin Great Dane Spot, and his girlfriend Street, who is a forensic entomologist. They make a fun team, and Owen and Street have a fun relationship.
I was looking at Todd Borg’s website, and I learned that he grew up in Minnesota, my home state, so it’s fun that I have two places in common with him. If you’re looking for an engaging mystery series, pick one of Todd Borg’s Tahoe series.
No comments:
Post a Comment