Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Todd Borg
Description
Disaster struck when twin sisters Jennifer and Melissa Salazar went hiking with their grandmother on their sixth birthday. Melissa got lost, fell off a cliff on the rock slide above Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe and died. It looked like a tragic accident. Eight years later, fourteen-year-old Jennifer want to hire detective Owen McKenna to look into the death which she believes was a murder ... When Owen begins to investigate, another body is discovered ... Owen uncovers information that takes him from Tahoe to San Francisco to a rich man's private island off the coast of Santa Barbara. The man directs him to an asylum in the Nevada desert ... [where] he learns of a long-buried secret that caused the murder of Jennifer's sister and several others in her family.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member kselenis
I loved this book. Todd Borg keeps you in suspense as to who is the murderer throughout this adventure while cleverly rescuing a gifted young girl.
Spot, a harliquin great dane, accompanies him on all of his adventures, adding a bit of humor to some serious situations. Todd has taken much effort in
Spot, a harliquin great dane, accompanies him on all of his adventures, adding a bit of humor to some serious situations. Todd has taken much effort in
Show More
researching fires, rescue dogs and Lake Tahoe. Show Less
LibraryThing member jbronderblogs
Owen McKenna is just starting up his private investigation business at Lake Tahoe when Jennifer Salazar walks in and wants to hire him to figure out who murdered her twin sister, Melissa, nine years prior. Jennifer is 14 years old and Owen doesn’t want any legal trouble but has offered to look
At first Owen hears from Jennifer’s Gramma that Jennifer’s mother is in a psychiatric ward and that Jennifer has shown similar behavior. Gramma also admits that she thinks Jennifer pushed her sister off the cliff herself. Things don’t seem to add up so Owen decides to keep helping Jennifer. When they find someone lurking in Jennifer’s house when no one is supposed to be there, Owen decides there is a lot more to going on than what is on the surface.
At the same time, Street, Owen’s girlfriend, is a forensic entomologist that has been called in to look at a body that has been found severely decomposed. There is also the missing caretaker, Sam. It’s convenient that he was supposed to take care of Jennifer and now his is missing. There is also the high paid lawyer that has had his last two wives accidentally die and he inherits large amounts of money.
I loved this book. Owen is a strong character and I just love Spot, I wish I had a dog like him. There were great plot twists and a really surprising ending. This was a quick read of 255 pages but it left me wanting more. I will definitely be getting the rest of Todd Borg’s books.
Show More
into the “accident” for Jennifer. At first Owen hears from Jennifer’s Gramma that Jennifer’s mother is in a psychiatric ward and that Jennifer has shown similar behavior. Gramma also admits that she thinks Jennifer pushed her sister off the cliff herself. Things don’t seem to add up so Owen decides to keep helping Jennifer. When they find someone lurking in Jennifer’s house when no one is supposed to be there, Owen decides there is a lot more to going on than what is on the surface.
At the same time, Street, Owen’s girlfriend, is a forensic entomologist that has been called in to look at a body that has been found severely decomposed. There is also the missing caretaker, Sam. It’s convenient that he was supposed to take care of Jennifer and now his is missing. There is also the high paid lawyer that has had his last two wives accidentally die and he inherits large amounts of money.
I loved this book. Owen is a strong character and I just love Spot, I wish I had a dog like him. There were great plot twists and a really surprising ending. This was a quick read of 255 pages but it left me wanting more. I will definitely be getting the rest of Todd Borg’s books.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bjmitch
I hate to gush over a book but this is truly gush-worthy. I have fallen head over heels in love with the hero's dog, a Great Dane named Spot. Unlike some series where the hero has a pet, Spot doesn't solve crimes. His owner, former cop and current P.I. Owen McKenna, is the crime solver. Spot is
Now that we have the gushing over with, I totally enjoyed the mystery in this volume. When twins Melissa and Jennifer Salazar were only six years old and out hiking with their very stern German gramma, Melissa somehow went over a cliff and died. It has been considered a tragic accident until the brilliant Jennifer is 14 and tries to hire Owen to find out who murdered her sister. She has always thought it was murder and now she's old enough to do something about it. Although Owen can't be hired by a minor, he is intrigued by the story, particularly when he sees two people following Jennifer as she leaves his office. He agrees to look into it unofficially.
Very soon he realizes that not only was Melissa's death probably a murder, Jennifer is apparently also in great danger because she's poking into it. Owen's girlfriend Street watches over the girl, Spot too of course, as Owen sets off on an investigation that takes some wild twists and turns. I suspected who murdered the girl but there were other aspects to the story that were surprising to me. Regardless, I couldn't put the book down.
The other characters in the book are well-drawn and realistic. I could picture each one easily. I loved the setting too, mainly in the area of Lake Tahoe, a place I have never been but would love to visit.
Highly recommended reading for crime lovers and dog lovers.
Source: gift from friend who knows I love Great Danes.
Show More
simply a dog, a Harlequin otherwise known as "your largeness." As a former owner of two fawn Danes, I can attest to the fact that Todd Borg obviously owns and loves a Great Dane because he has Great Danehood down pat. Now that we have the gushing over with, I totally enjoyed the mystery in this volume. When twins Melissa and Jennifer Salazar were only six years old and out hiking with their very stern German gramma, Melissa somehow went over a cliff and died. It has been considered a tragic accident until the brilliant Jennifer is 14 and tries to hire Owen to find out who murdered her sister. She has always thought it was murder and now she's old enough to do something about it. Although Owen can't be hired by a minor, he is intrigued by the story, particularly when he sees two people following Jennifer as she leaves his office. He agrees to look into it unofficially.
Very soon he realizes that not only was Melissa's death probably a murder, Jennifer is apparently also in great danger because she's poking into it. Owen's girlfriend Street watches over the girl, Spot too of course, as Owen sets off on an investigation that takes some wild twists and turns. I suspected who murdered the girl but there were other aspects to the story that were surprising to me. Regardless, I couldn't put the book down.
The other characters in the book are well-drawn and realistic. I could picture each one easily. I loved the setting too, mainly in the area of Lake Tahoe, a place I have never been but would love to visit.
Highly recommended reading for crime lovers and dog lovers.
Source: gift from friend who knows I love Great Danes.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Steph2472
Fun book, written by a local to SLT...will probably be reading the rest of these...thanks Lori!
LibraryThing member Jen_Bartels
Six year old Melissa fell off a cliff on a hike, or was she pushed? That is what her twin sister Jennifer, now 15, hires P.I. Owen McKenna to find out. This was a pretty good story with a lot of great characters. The mystery was a bit contrived, but overall it held my interest and was a good read.
Show More
I will continue with the series, but I don't need to immediately read the next one. Great scenery descriptions though, makes me want to visit the Lake Tahoe area. Show Less
LibraryThing member bsquaredinoz
Owen McKenna is a former police officer now working as a private investigator on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. His sidekick, and the character who constantly upstages him, is a pony-sized Great Dane called Spot. This is the first of what is (so far) a 14 book series and my only real concern about
A 14 year-old girl named Jennifer Salazaar wants to hire Owen to investigate the death of her twin sister. When they were both six Melissa died in a fall while hiking. Jennifer has always believed her sister’s death was not an accident but her family – in the form of a grandmother who has guardianship over her due to her mother being confined to a psychiatric facility – has dismissed her claims. Because she is a minor Owen can’t legally be hired by Jennifer – even though she has the financial resources to do so – but he does agree to ‘look into things’. He soon becomes convinced that something is awry in the Salazaar’s world but it takes him a while to uncover the family’s layers of secrets.
Plot is king in this tale so its complications and action-packed sequences are fitting and though they stretch the bounds of credibility on occasion they don’t actually go too far. And Borg does more than enough to make the reader care whether or not the characters (both human and canine) survive their various brushes with death. For me this kind of thriller can be a totally enjoyable read but only if I’m given enough reason to cheer on the good guys. There are a few clichés in the plot but there were enough twists to keep me guessing on some fronts and the resolution – sickening though it is – is in keeping with the rest of the story.
Overall the book has a light tone, in spite of the sometimes grizzly plot. Owen seems to be a decent guy and is not beset by dysfunction like so many fictional sleuths. His girlfriend Street – a forensic entomologist – has the potential to be a bit darker though I suspect there is more to learn about both of their pasts in future instalments of the series. The relationship between the two is not strained and their banter provides a lot of the book’s humour.
I chose this book only because the kindle version happened to be free one day and I needed to visit Nevada on my virtual tour around the USA via its crime fiction. I half-expected it would be a DNF (as so many free books have been over the years) but I was quickly engrossed in the story, wishing my home was big enough to house a relative of Spot’s and thinking I would like to meet up with these characters again. It even offers a good sense of place, reminding me that Nevada isn’t just repulsive (to me) casinos and desert heat (I’ve only ever been to Las Vegas) and has a lot of natural beauty as well.
Show More
reading the more recent instalments is, assuming Owen and his lovable dog age in real time, it would be impossible for Spot to still be featuring in the stories. Not sure I can bring myself to go there. I am more than a little bit in love with Spot.A 14 year-old girl named Jennifer Salazaar wants to hire Owen to investigate the death of her twin sister. When they were both six Melissa died in a fall while hiking. Jennifer has always believed her sister’s death was not an accident but her family – in the form of a grandmother who has guardianship over her due to her mother being confined to a psychiatric facility – has dismissed her claims. Because she is a minor Owen can’t legally be hired by Jennifer – even though she has the financial resources to do so – but he does agree to ‘look into things’. He soon becomes convinced that something is awry in the Salazaar’s world but it takes him a while to uncover the family’s layers of secrets.
Plot is king in this tale so its complications and action-packed sequences are fitting and though they stretch the bounds of credibility on occasion they don’t actually go too far. And Borg does more than enough to make the reader care whether or not the characters (both human and canine) survive their various brushes with death. For me this kind of thriller can be a totally enjoyable read but only if I’m given enough reason to cheer on the good guys. There are a few clichés in the plot but there were enough twists to keep me guessing on some fronts and the resolution – sickening though it is – is in keeping with the rest of the story.
Overall the book has a light tone, in spite of the sometimes grizzly plot. Owen seems to be a decent guy and is not beset by dysfunction like so many fictional sleuths. His girlfriend Street – a forensic entomologist – has the potential to be a bit darker though I suspect there is more to learn about both of their pasts in future instalments of the series. The relationship between the two is not strained and their banter provides a lot of the book’s humour.
I chose this book only because the kindle version happened to be free one day and I needed to visit Nevada on my virtual tour around the USA via its crime fiction. I half-expected it would be a DNF (as so many free books have been over the years) but I was quickly engrossed in the story, wishing my home was big enough to house a relative of Spot’s and thinking I would like to meet up with these characters again. It even offers a good sense of place, reminding me that Nevada isn’t just repulsive (to me) casinos and desert heat (I’ve only ever been to Las Vegas) and has a lot of natural beauty as well.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Vesper1931
P.I. Owen McKenna has a new client. Fourteen year old Jennifer Salazar wants Owen to discover who killed her identical twin sister Melissa 8 years ago.
I enjoyed the story and found it easy to read with some likeable characters. Look forward to reading the next in the series
I enjoyed the story and found it easy to read with some likeable characters. Look forward to reading the next in the series
Local notes
Owen McKenna, 1
DDC/MDS
| Fic Mystery Borg |