Todd Borg is back with No. 8 in 'Tahoe' thriller series; book signing on Saturday at Carson City Borders
Todd Borg is one fine writer. His series of “Tahoe” books have won over readers from all over the country, and that’s without the usual big-money promotion by a New York publisher.
Borg does it all himself, from his home in South Lake Tahoe, to book fairs and arts and crafts festivals all over the west. He prints his books, warehouses them and distributes them himself. And readers love the his books, and enjoy the antics of his Great Dane Spot and the quiet beauty of private eye Owen McKenna’s girl friend Street.
All of which is to introduce No. 8 in Borg’s “Tahoe”series — “Tahoe Heat.” Heat is the name some locals have attached to a wild mustang roaming the lake area where few mustangs wander. But Heat is just part of the story.
Seems that wealthy entrepreneur Ryan Lear, a fidgety man at best, has received a warning note and an experienced mountain climber dies in a fall from Cave Rock, where he shouldn’t have been climbing in any event. And Lily is there, ailing but charming as only a little girl can be.
Then there’s the piano tuner who left a strange message in tuning a piano that Owen has problems figuring out.
And Lear, it turns out, is working on a secret project at a cabin located up the hill from the Meadows, and one of his trusted employees doesn’t deserve the trust given him. And happily the girl Lily and Heat manage to get together in the end, a decidedly happy ending.
No details on plot; wouldn’t want to spoil the fun for readers. But as in all eight books, some of which are already in their second or third reprinting, Borg has a deft touch, mixing the rough with the gentle and making it all sound reasonable and enjoyable. His characters are sharply drawn and there is a minimum of gratuitous violence. And Tahoe gets a burnishing of its many beauties, makes one happy to live here. And all this at a modest cost of $16.95 for 350 pages (Thriller Press, see www.thrillerpress.com).
The book comes out this week and Borg is signing copies of all his books at Carson City Borders, 911 Topsy Lane from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday Aug. 7. Look for him — he’s the bearded guy with the ready smile. He’ll sign your book and explain that he doesn’t really have a dog, certainly not a Great Dance named Spot.
—Sam Bauman