Tahoe Trap

Owen McKenna #10

by Todd Borg

When Tahoe Detective Owen McKenna answers his phone early one morning, a young boy named Paco cries out, "Help me!"

Owen talks to Paco and discovers that the boy is trapped in the back of a speeding pickup somewhere in Tahoe. In the front of the truck are two men who have just murdered Paco's foster mother. The men want the boy, but they don't yet know that the boy witnessed the murder and that he hid in their truck.

As McKenna races to find Paco, he learns that the two men are contract killers from Las Vegas. Their MO is to use electronic stun guns to immobilize their victims prior to asphyxiating them with plastic wrap.

While McKenna doesn't have a clue why the killers are after the boy, he knows that if he does nothing, the killers will keep coming for Paco. So McKenna plans to set a trap for them using Paco as bait.

McKenna's plan carries a huge risk. If it goes wrong, he will be handing the boy to the killers....

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Book Club

351 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 24, 2012

About the author

Todd Borg and his wife moved from Minnesota to Lake Tahoe in 1990. After his fourth Tahoe novel, he sold his business to write full time.

In addition to winning the Ben Franklin Award for Best Mystery of the Year, Todd Borg's Owen McKenna mysteries have been chosen for Top 5 Mystery lists by the prestigious Library Journal, and by Mystery News Reviewer G. Wedgwood. He's won Best Mystery and Best Thriller honors from the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association and received Best New Fiction accolades from libraries. His novels have also received starred reviews and raves in major trade journals and newspapers across the country.

Todd Borg and his wife live on Lake Tahoe's South Shore.

Series:
* Owen McKenna Mystery

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young Basque boy's (Paco) foster mom is killed and he is on the run when he is saved by Owen. The boy is an orphan and has nowhere to go as well as being hunted by people he doesn't know. Owen takes him in temporarily while he researched the Basque communities in California. When he realizes that every attempt to find the killers fails, he is left with only one alternative: using the boy (and himself) as bait. While Paco believes what people have told him, that he is stupid, Owen discovers he is clever and resourceful. So he and Paco devise a plan to lure the killers into a trap with the help of Street, Owen's brilliant girlfriend.

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

An illegal immigrant, a foster mother, an undercover agent, a "large" dog, thugs, murders, and Lake Tahoe are the essence of this thriller.

You will fall in love with the almost-silent, unemotional Paco and feel his pain for the life he has lived for the past ten years. You will also have respect for McKenna who has no children of his own but who is taking on the responsibility of protecting Paco and being a father to him.

The dialogue between characters is wonderful, and the descriptions of the scenery and settings takes you right there enjoying the moment or fearing for your life along with the characters.

I have never read a novel by Todd Borg even though Tahoe Trap is his latest book out of ten. He is an outstanding author with great attention to the reader's reactions to the book's situations. He draws you right into the action, and the end definitely has a lot of action. You will be on the edge of your seat. Excellent author and book with a great deal of research.

Enjoy!! 5/5

This book was given to me by the author free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

[Marni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I read of the Owen McKenna series by Mr. Borg. I enjoyed it. Since we have a vacation home in Tahoe, I recognized the many references to the area and could picture exactly where actions were happening. The story moved along nicely and I got wrapped up in saving Paco. I will definitely be reading more of Todd Borg's series. My only down note to the book was that it got a little preach-y at times. Also six pages devoted to how to construct a home made defense items seemed a bit much. I got bored with the tedious how-to's and admit to skipping ahead to where we got back to the story. But on the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will seek out more from this series.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge Owen McKenna (and Spot ... and Street) fan. I gobble up Borg's books. I thoroughly enjoy the Tahoe setting and that I can count on learning something new in each installment of the series. This time I learned quite a bit about the Basque culture - and am appalled that I attended high school in Basque-rich Minden/Gardnerville and knew so little of my classmates heritage.

This one ranked a little lower on the enjoyment scale as I really felt like the ending was reaching and it was, thus, less satisfying to me.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read about 4 of this author’s books now. I was introduced to them through our book club. I enjoy the action, and each book seems to focus on a particular topic, which the author has clearly researched. While being entertained with a good “who-done-it”, I learn something interesting.

This was the best of the books by Borg I’ve read so far. I recommend it, and I look forward to reading All of his books!

[Kelli Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I continue to read The Owen and Spot detective series.....there is always something new and different in the author's research and back story.

Although I lived in then Tahoe area myself, and loved what I knew of the Basque people (and their food) but I learned so much more from this book!
My only criticism was the "trap" Owen set for the bad guys. I found it to be tedious...and unrealistic. But...Still enjoyed the story!

[Lisa Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

another good, reliable read

Following Owen, Street, Spot and other recurring characters in these Tahoe novels is always enjoyable. The only reason I don’t give the books 5 stars is because Owen gets in outlandish and somewhat unbelievable situations, and the big twist in the story often comes at of left field. Looking back at the story, one can find some foreshadowing, but it’s rather obscure. Nevertheless, I’ll read every book in the series.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have lived at Tahoe for almost four years and really enjoy reading Borg's books for the considerable local flavor and interesting history he includes. But I also find his story lines have a very ScoobyDoo-like quality to them (thin, unbelievable plots and action sequences while unmasking the suspects and finding it's really someone else). I found the "trap" using peppers and fire ants to be especially ridiculous. As always, still a fairly enjoyable read.

[John Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best McKenna story yet.

Although complex, the plot was easy to follow. Some artistic freedom is always allowed in a great yarn such as Tahoe Trap and Borg does push the envelope in this case, but it is a nail-;biter to the very end.
I will never feel the same about hot sauce again!

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t think it one of Borg’s best novels. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood. Or maybe I have read too many of his Tahoe novels. It was an interesting story with a couple intense parts, but overall, I thought it was just ho-hum. I don’t think I’ll recommend this book.

[Kim Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still the best!

Owen is such a great detective and devoted boyfriend. I don't understand why Street stays with him after all the danger he unwillingly puts her in. Fast pace and full of action. I am hooked on Todd Borg!

[Donna Ransdell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great thriller!

Todd Borg knows how to grab your attention (and keep it throughout the storyline) from the first few paragraphs! Another great book. Now on to the next in the series!

[Trudy Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned a lot from this book!

Thanks for the lessons about viper peppers and fire ants and the Basque people. Very interesting book. I was glad to be back reading about Owen and Street and Spot and meeting Paco.

[Judy A. Kuhl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story!

I love the books by Todd Borg. They are always informative, exciting, use words to paint pictures of Tahoe and its surrounding areas. Hey, spoiler alert, he doesn't blow up a boat.

[Staci Pauly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the 10 year old Paco and learning about the Basque heritage.

[Emily Kammerer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite book from this series!

[Cathy Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Line: Paco Ipar awoke to the night fear.

When private detective Owen McKenna answers his phone at 6:30 AM, a young boy's voice cries out, "Help me!" Getting as much information from the terrified child as he can, Owen contacts the police before he and his Harlequin Great Dane, Spot, jump in the Jeep in an effort to locate Paco.

They find him in the forested mountains not far from Lake Tahoe. Paco witnessed his foster mother's murder, and the only way he could escape the notice of the killers was to hide in the back of their truck. Miracle of miracles, Paco managed to escape-- but now there are two hired thugs from Las Vegas looking for him so they can tie up loose ends.

Neither Paco, an illegal immigrant, nor McKenna have the slightest idea why the two killers are after the boy, but McKenna realizes that the killers are not going to stop until their job is done. The only way the detective can see to put an end to the boy's terror is to set a trap... with Paco as bait. This trap is the ultimate in high risk because if McKenna's plan goes wrong, the boy will die.

I know this book is published by Thriller Press, and I know it's listed as a thriller, but that seems such a misnomer. Perhaps I'll start a new subgenre: Thriller with Heart, because Tahoe Trap (and all the other books in the series) have plenty of it. The plots are high octane and the action is faster than a cheetah on speed, but those elements never, ever assume more importance than the characters.

As a former homicide detective, McKenna has a good working relationship with the local police, and he helps them whenever he can. He has a steady relationship with an intelligent, attractive entomologist, and no one has a better sidekick than the Harlequin Great Dane (His Largeness himself), Spot. What makes this tenth book in the series so special is that, for an intense period of time, a child becomes an important part of McKenna's life-- something McKenna doesn't care for at all.

One of my favorite comedians, W.C. Fields, is credited with saying, "Never work with children or animals." McKenna has already broken that rule once with Spot and lived to tell the tale (several times), but Borg's decision to have him deal with Paco is a piece of genius. Paco has learned to be distrustful of people; more often than not he uses an extensive repertoire of shrugs instead of speech. And right now, the only other living being he seems to place any trust in at all is Spot. Everyone McKenna turns to tells him that he's the best person to care for the boy. McKenna-- the man who's never wanted children.

I think I smiled through all the scenes in which McKenna interacts with Paco. He uses a combination of close observation to discover what makes the boy tick and common sense: treat the boy as an intelligent human being. Tell him what's going on. Give him some say in the decision-making process. Paco's been through a lot. He needs to feel as though he's got some measure of control over his own life. McKenna may not want children, but he genuinely cares about people, so he does just fine.

The villain of this piece is sickening, and although some readers may take offense at McKenna using a child as bait in a trap, you have to know that, with characters like Owen and Spot, everything will turn out well.

How well? I suggest you get your hands on a copy of this book and find out for yourself. If you're anything like my husband and me, you're going to find yourself reading all the rest of the books in the series, too.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story starts with Cassie meeting a couple guys in the middle of the night in Tahoe. Her foster son is in the back of the van. He knows something is wrong and that something bad has just happened to Cassie. So he escapes the van to sneak into the attackers truck. He is told to call Owen McKenna if anything happens to Cassie.

Owen doesn’t know where to begin when he gets a call from Paco. Paco can’t really give him too much information and although Owen can tells he is really scared, he is really limited with how much help her can provide. When Paco escapes the attackers, Owen finds him and starts piecing the story together.

Cassie provides a fresh produce from field to table service of some clients around Tahoe. Someone was paying her for information about these clients. She had a feeling that something was going on with this information but didn’t know where she fit into the puzzle. She also had created a special tomato and pepper that people were trying to get but she wouldn’t sell.

When Owen learns that Paco is an illegal alien, things start getting though trying to figure out the best way to help Paco. It seems like someone targeted Cassie, but when the attackers try and kidnap Paco and keep after Owen, things don’t seem to add up.

I love Todd Borg’s books. They are quick reads, even though they are over 300 pages, that suck you in and leave you bleary eyed at 3 in the morning realizing that you need to go to work in a couple hours.

Tahoe Trap brings up a touchy subject, illegal immigrants. There are many sides to this subject. I like how it is portrayed in the book. It talks more about the immigrants that are just here trying to make a better life for themselves and not causing trouble. You really feel for Paco. This poor kid has nowhere to go but back to a country he knows nothing about. Of course, there is the usual great twist ending that I never would have guessed.

If you like mysteries, you really need to read this series. You will not be disappointed.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tahoe Trap, an excellent addition to Todd Borg’s Tahoe Mystery Series, starts with a phone call to Owen McKenna from a young boy named Paco who is in the back of a truck careening down a road near Lake Tahoe. The boys just screams “HELP ME!!” McKenna tries to get Paco to talk to him but all the boy can say is that he is trapped in the back of a pick-up truck near Tahoe and two men who are driving the truck have murdered his foster mother, Cassie. The men do not know that Paco had jumped into the truck and also didn’t know that he had witnessed the murder of his mother. McKenna, using all the police authorities in the area are trying to pin point Paco by using the GPS in his phone and McKenna finds out that the two men are contract killers from Vegas that use stun guns on their victims and then smother them with plastic wrap.



They do find Paco and Owen takes him home as the boy is an illegal and the only person that took care of him was Cassie. Paco knows a lot about gardening that he learned from Cassie and he also goes to school to learn English. McKenna doesn’t know why these men are after Paco but, wants to catch them as, if he doesn’t, they will keep after the boy. So, McKenna and his police cohorts hatch a plan, using Paco as bait, to catch them.



This is a wonderful story and a one-day read. Of course, my favorite character is a big dog, named Spot that I thoroughly love. Good Job and I’m looking forward to the next Tahoe Mystery.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tahoe Private Detective Owen McKenna receives a frantic call for help by ten year old Paco Ipar. Paco has escaped the two men that have just killed his foster mother. McKenna realizes he must help this young boy. As he comes to know Paco and realizes that not only is he hunted by two contract killers out of Las Vegas but Paco has the additional problem of being a boy without a country. His mother brought him across the Mexican border as a baby and the died. Paco was raised by various families until Cassie chose to raise him and now she is died.The only way to stop the killers is to set a trap using Paco as bait. There's the added mystery of why someone killed Cassie and wants Paco.There is plenty of action and mystery.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read. Our Tahoe friend, Owen McKenna, must solve a murder/kidnapping mystery with the help of a 10-year old illegal alien farm worker, whose account of the crimes is doubted by some whose help Owen relies on. The story is smooth reading and you and Owen hope and wait for the boy's emotional development to unfold. Owen and the boy, Paco, develop a unique and dangerous plan to trap the criminals, but after it unfolds Owen learns the real source of the danger.

The investigation takes us around the lake, from tracking desperate murderers to getting entry into the homes of the wealthy Lake Tahoe residents.

[Fern Slotman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tahoe Trap by Todd Borg: Good books. Good story. As this author lives in the area written about in this book, I assume that the issues wrote about pertain to people in that area of the country. I've not know about the people group in this book and it opened my eyes to them, a bit of their history and their story. Also his description of roads, towns and attractions in the area were in great detail. Unknown to me but to someone who lives there would make great sense. I've not read any of his other Tahoe books, and having picked this one out of the middle of the series I was still able to connect with the characters. I'm hoping to go back and read some of the others.

[Lynn Lerch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owen McKenna, a Tahoe detective, gets a call from a young boy named Paco in the middle of the night. Paco has just seen his foster mother killed by two men and is now in the back of the pickup being driven by the men. Owen has to find him and rescue him. Paco is an undocumented child who has been protected in his community. His foster mother and he raise tomatoes and peppers and delivers produce to people around Lake Tahoe. Why was she killed? Why do the killers want Paco? Todd Borg ties everything together and wraps it up with a bow. A great read and great characters even Spot the Great Dane!

[Doug Mace]

TAHOE TRAP is the best yet of a terrific series. Great writing, wonderful characters, interesting background information and an ending you won’t see coming. Borg deserves a lot more public acclaim than he’s gotten so far; he’s easily on a par with Deaver, Connelly and Child. Owen McKenna, his main character, is reminiscent of Reacher and even Travis McGee, and much of the dialogue is like vintage Robert Parker. Once you read any of Borg’s books you’ll be hooked.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each year, I eagerly await Todd's next book. I'm now enjoying his 11th book in the series, Tahoe Chase. It is difficult to put down. I'm eager to learn why bad things keep happening, even though I'm sure all will end well.

I learn a lot about Lake Tahoe sites and history while having adventures. See all his books at http://toddborg.com/ -- I have them all on my special Tahoe bookshelf so other Tahoe lovers can enjoy.

[Brian Taylor]

Todd Borg’s new book Tahoe Trap is another great read. Each of his Owen McKenna mystery books grab you from the first page and pull you through to the conclusion. The Tahoe Trap is a wonderful read from the prologue to epilogue. Just as with his other books I just could not put it down. I can’t wait until Owen McKenna’s next case.

[Harvee Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

The interesting twist in the plot came as a pleasant surprise as it turned the mystery into a suspenseful thriller. Detective McKenna is a likeable guy and turns out to be a superhero himself. More...>

[Sandy Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun Owen thriller! I do enjoy the inclusion of a youngster as a major character (desperately needing help). Borg does the child thing very well... and of course the dog thing! Another aspect I really enjoy is the settings... been there and loved it! Thanks!

[Sharon Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tis was my first book by this author and I found it solidly plotted, it read well as a stand-alone and the characters were intriguing. I found the characterization of the young 'illegal' boy very well presented in particular, an interesting and quite in depth presentation of current issues.

[Suzanne DeVlieger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tahoe Trap

Another night of no sleep and dragging today. Todd Borg has done it again, a very intriguing storyline, great characters and more SPOT! Already purchased next in series, need to wait for weekend to read, so looking forward to it.