Tahoe Trap by Todd Borg

"He doesn't like smelling dead people, either. Makes him sad."
"Likes to find them alive, huh?"
"Yeah. That makes him happy."

Title: Tahoe Trap
Author: Todd Borg

• ISBN: 9781931296205
• Publisher: Thriller Press/2012)
• Pages: 351

Private detective Owen McKenna gets an early morning call from a ten year old boy who says he has been kidnapped. Own informs the local police and goes looking out for the boy along with his Great Dane, Spot. They find the boy in a forest near the mountains near the Lake Tahoe. Paco, has escaped from the two hired killers.

He had watched his foster mother Cassie being killed by them. Now they are looking for him to kill him. No one knows why anyone is after Paco who is an illegal immigrant. 

Owen McKenna meets everyone with whom Paco's foster mother Cassie had business relations. He gets insights about the boy. But can't fathom who could possibly want to kill him. McKenna decides to set Paco as bait to trap the killers. That means Paco might get killed before the killers get caught. 

Paco is shown to withdrawn and unable to accept friendly overtures. But Paco slowly bonds with Owen's dog, Spot. Paco might be withdrawn but no one wants him to sent back to Mexico. 

Tahoe Trap has that human element which touches the reader. The descriptions of the place is very vivid. The  characters are well drawn out. The pace is good and the plot keeps us hooked.

Tahoe Trap is book 10 in the Tahoe series but stands alone.