SalAnne "Silence" Ramirez was an exceptional artist, and, according to one of her teachers, brilliant. She was also autistic and mute and had not spoken a single word in her 17 years. When Silence is kidnapped for a priceless secret that she possesses, Tahoe Detective Owen McKenna investigates. McKenna discovers that the likely kidnappers belong to a motorcycle gang with ties to an ancient Aztec religion. As he learns more, he comes to a horrifying realization. The gang plans a ritual sacrifice at the next full moon, and Silence is to be the victim...
Library Journal A heart-wrenching mystery that is also one of the best novels written about autism.
On the morning that Silence Ramirez and her brother are kidnapped from their front yard, no one is around to see it happen. Their mother begs retired San Francisco cop-turned-private investigator Owen McKenna to find them. The autistic Silence has not spoken in her 17 years, and in pursuing the case (and a cold-blooded killer) with the aid of his Great Dane, Spot, McKenna develops an appreciation for those afflicted with autism. He also discovers that he is not infallible.
Borg, the auther of four other McKenna mysteries (e.g. Tahoe KillShot), turns what could have been a typical PI novel into something rather special. This is his best book to date and should call wider attention to a little-known but excellent series. Borg lives in Lake Tahoe. (STARRED REVIEW)
Chosen by Library Journal as one of the Five Best Mysteries of the Year. --Library Journal --Library Journal
Mystery News In this latest book in the "Tahoe" series, Owen McKenna finds himself hired to find two kidnapped children: a seventeen-year-old autistic girl, and her younger brother, Charlie, her self-appointed protector. The kids were snatched from their front yard at the beginning of a biker fest at Lake Tahoe.
While Charlie was a high achiever, and pretty much universally liked, SalAnne is unresponsive and locked in her own little world. She has never spoken and, in fact, is nicknamed "Silence." Her distraught mother cannot fathom why anyone would take these two, as it isn't as if she had money. Owen faces the same dilemma, and he believes that finding out the "why" of the kidnapping will lead to the "who." In order to do this, he feels that he must learn more about both children.
Everyone pretty much agrees about Charlie, but the views on Silence run from severely retarded to extremely bright, but non-verbal. Although the mother feels that Owen is wasting valuable time, he heads to Southern California, then to Sacramento, in order to discover more about the girl. His paths cross with a variety of people, from a cultish motorcycle group of former felons to college professors to venture capitalists, and it is only by sorting out the bits of information that he finds out from each that he can put together the big picture.
The book opens with the reader meeting Silence as she spins on the front lawn. When I first realized that this was about an autistic girl, I figured I might be a tough reviewer: after college I worked for several years with autistic children in a special day care setting. However, the way Silence's character was treated by the author, with the utmost dignity, respect and compassion, won me over from the start. It is obvious that Mr. Borg did research into this condition, and his sensitivity into its many confusing manifestations is evident. Not only that, but after "meeting" Silence, I found myself totally captivated: not only by the plot, but by the bits and pieces about her as revealed by those that knew her.
This is one engrossing novel, with a tight plot, compelling characters - including Owen's right hand "man," Spot (a delight as always)-and a good deal of suspense. If the future as reflected in the book might be a little unrealistic-well, who knows: maybe it isn't, and at any rate, doesn't lessen the story in the least. I have had the honor of following Mr. Borg's writing from the first book in this series, and each one has shown greater development as he hones his skills. This is his best effort to date, and it is superb. This is an original trade paperback, and I connot believe a major publisher has not snapped up this author. Gayle Wedgwood (5 Quills - Highest Recommendation.) --Mystery News --Mystery News
Nevada Appeal This one is a real page turner, rich in local scenery and ever richer in knowledge about autism... Anyone reading this book is going to come away with not only respect for Borg's writing, but also for what he imparts about the disease... Borg has won several prizes for his Tahoe series, all richly deserved. --Nevada Appeal --Nevada Appeal
About the Author
Todd Borg is the author of the award-winning Owen McKenna Mystery Thrillers. Tahoe Silence is the 5th in the series.
Description:
SalAnne "Silence" Ramirez was an exceptional artist, and, according to one of her teachers, brilliant. She was also autistic and mute and had not spoken a single word in her 17 years. When Silence is kidnapped for a priceless secret that she possesses, Tahoe Detective Owen McKenna investigates. McKenna discovers that the likely kidnappers belong to a motorcycle gang with ties to an ancient Aztec religion. As he learns more, he comes to a horrifying realization. The gang plans a ritual sacrifice at the next full moon, and Silence is to be the victim...
From Publishers Weekly
There's little to distinguish the predictable fifth Owen McKenna novel (after 2004's Tahoe Killshot) from countless similar contemporary thrillers. McKenna, a San Francisco police inspector turned Tahoe PI, struggles to maintain his sanity in the face of traumatic memories of a case involving a murdered child. Those demons threaten to resurface when he's hired by Marlette Remmick to find her teenage children, who were abducted by a notorious biker gang. When Marlette's son, Charlie, is found dead, she further pressures McKenna to locate her autistic daughter SalAnne, known as Silence for her inability to speak. McKenna finds coded messages and drawings from Silence and struggles to interpret them as the tension rises. The predictable plot offers nothing new, and McKenna himself is insufficiently engaging to attract a wide readership.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
When Charlie and his sister SalAnne "Silence" Ramirez disappear from their front lawn, their mother, Marlette, cries "kidnap" to the local police, and when they don't take her seriously, she turns to former cop turned private eye Owen McKenna. Silence has autism, which manifests itself in ways both typical and unique: she's an obsessive artist who is never seen without her sketchbook, she doesn't speak (hence her nickname), she doesn't like to touch or be touched, and she finds comfort in spinning in place. In fact, she was spinning when a biker gang approached and absconded with her. Thanks to Silence's own sketches, McKenna learns the identity of the bikers and determines that their leader believes in an ancient Aztec ritual, which suggests the horrible fate that could be in store for the kidnapped kids. McKenna and his Great Dane, Spot, make a wonderful investigative duo, and the Tahoe atmosphere comes through loud and clear. Another exciting entry into this too-little-known series. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
Library Journal A heart-wrenching mystery that is also one of the best novels written about autism.
On the morning that Silence Ramirez and her brother are kidnapped from their front yard, no one is around to see it happen. Their mother begs retired San Francisco cop-turned-private investigator Owen McKenna to find them. The autistic Silence has not spoken in her 17 years, and in pursuing the case (and a cold-blooded killer) with the aid of his Great Dane, Spot, McKenna develops an appreciation for those afflicted with autism. He also discovers that he is not infallible.
Borg, the auther of four other McKenna mysteries (e.g. Tahoe KillShot), turns what could have been a typical PI novel into something rather special. This is his best book to date and should call wider attention to a little-known but excellent series. Borg lives in Lake Tahoe. (STARRED REVIEW)
Chosen by Library Journal as one of the Five Best Mysteries of the Year. --Library Journal --Library Journal
Mystery News In this latest book in the "Tahoe" series, Owen McKenna finds himself hired to find two kidnapped children: a seventeen-year-old autistic girl, and her younger brother, Charlie, her self-appointed protector. The kids were snatched from their front yard at the beginning of a biker fest at Lake Tahoe.
While Charlie was a high achiever, and pretty much universally liked, SalAnne is unresponsive and locked in her own little world. She has never spoken and, in fact, is nicknamed "Silence." Her distraught mother cannot fathom why anyone would take these two, as it isn't as if she had money. Owen faces the same dilemma, and he believes that finding out the "why" of the kidnapping will lead to the "who." In order to do this, he feels that he must learn more about both children.
Everyone pretty much agrees about Charlie, but the views on Silence run from severely retarded to extremely bright, but non-verbal. Although the mother feels that Owen is wasting valuable time, he heads to Southern California, then to Sacramento, in order to discover more about the girl. His paths cross with a variety of people, from a cultish motorcycle group of former felons to college professors to venture capitalists, and it is only by sorting out the bits of information that he finds out from each that he can put together the big picture.
The book opens with the reader meeting Silence as she spins on the front lawn. When I first realized that this was about an autistic girl, I figured I might be a tough reviewer: after college I worked for several years with autistic children in a special day care setting. However, the way Silence's character was treated by the author, with the utmost dignity, respect and compassion, won me over from the start. It is obvious that Mr. Borg did research into this condition, and his sensitivity into its many confusing manifestations is evident. Not only that, but after "meeting" Silence, I found myself totally captivated: not only by the plot, but by the bits and pieces about her as revealed by those that knew her.
This is one engrossing novel, with a tight plot, compelling characters - including Owen's right hand "man," Spot (a delight as always)-and a good deal of suspense. If the future as reflected in the book might be a little unrealistic-well, who knows: maybe it isn't, and at any rate, doesn't lessen the story in the least. I have had the honor of following Mr. Borg's writing from the first book in this series, and each one has shown greater development as he hones his skills. This is his best effort to date, and it is superb. This is an original trade paperback, and I connot believe a major publisher has not snapped up this author. Gayle Wedgwood (5 Quills - Highest Recommendation.) --Mystery News --Mystery News
Nevada Appeal This one is a real page turner, rich in local scenery and ever richer in knowledge about autism... Anyone reading this book is going to come away with not only respect for Borg's writing, but also for what he imparts about the disease... Borg has won several prizes for his Tahoe series, all richly deserved. --Nevada Appeal --Nevada Appeal
About the Author
Todd Borg is the author of the award-winning Owen McKenna Mystery Thrillers. Tahoe Silence is the 5th in the series.