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reneesmith's review against another edition
5.0
Lots of favorites here for me: crime drama filled w/ suspense, main character is a wounded, sometimes-cynical-but-secretly-hoping-for-the-happy-ending Hispanic cop, deals w/ family relationships, sympathetic & quirky secondary characters, romance. All good stuff! Enjoyed it on Audible & picked up book 2. (Some strong language, no graphic scenes.)
crosaliee's review against another edition
5.0
More like 4.5, but I just loved how it was different from the typical archetype mystery novel, and the narrator was perfection.
soliteyah's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Intriguing mystery and a fascinating look at of-the-moment sociopolitical issues. Occasional stereotypes and POV switches in the middle of a scene.
myrdyr's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5 stars. Chazin does an excellent job of revealing the plight of undocumented immigrants in the United States without being "preachy" about it. As a third generation Anglo-Canadian citizen, it is a world I know little about, so I found it very interesting. Since this book was written pre-Trump, I can only imagine that life has gotten more difficult for all immigrants than depicted here. The characters were complex, multi-faceted, and sympathetic. My only criticism is that the plot twists were a little too obvious. With that said, I really enjoyed reading this book, and I look forward to reading the next one in the series.
alic59books's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scott_a_miller's review against another edition
4.0
Chazin is really, really good. I loved her series about arson investigation and have been waiting for the next of those. I thought that the illegal immigration angle was appropriate for today and grabbed this. It was very good but a little was left hanging, which I expect to be cleared up in the coming books. It was a sad book, hopefully the next will be a little more upbeat. Looking forward to it though.
auntieg0412's review
4.0
I love a good series so I’m happy I found this book! I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s writing style.
prof_shoff's review against another edition
4.0
A very human story grounded in a mystery that is all too believable.
longtimereader's review against another edition
4.0
I'm happy to read a second book from this author, and it's before the other book I read. That means I can get a bit "caught up" with the series.
Again, I love the cover. This time I'm really getting to know Jimmy more than in the book I read out of order. That was totally my fault, but it probably drew me in more deeply because of that. Don't fear reading these out of order if you happen to do so.
It's a good mystery with immigrants in it, much like the other book I read, but deeper I think. It's very multi-cultural and there is a love story with the mystery.
Overall, I really liked it. My copy came from Net Galley and I wasn't required to leave a review. I have done so of my own volition. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Again, I love the cover. This time I'm really getting to know Jimmy more than in the book I read out of order. That was totally my fault, but it probably drew me in more deeply because of that. Don't fear reading these out of order if you happen to do so.
It's a good mystery with immigrants in it, much like the other book I read, but deeper I think. It's very multi-cultural and there is a love story with the mystery.
Overall, I really liked it. My copy came from Net Galley and I wasn't required to leave a review. I have done so of my own volition. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
petra_reads's review against another edition
4.0
So much more than 'just' a mystery! [b:Land of Careful Shadows|20949503|Land of Careful Shadows (Jimmy Vega Mystery, #1)|Suzanne Chazin|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1400895410s/20949503.jpg|40321047] introduces homicide detective Jimmy Vega who returns to Lake Holly, a small town in NY state, where he spent a large part of his childhood to investigate the death of a young Hispanic woman who had a photo of a baby on her. Who is the woman? How did she die? And where is the child?
With his Puerto Rican roots, Vega is no stranger to prejudice. As a police detective, he is now also facing distrust from the large Latino community in the town, many of whom are undocumented. On top of that, he is trying to remain in his teenage daughter's life after his divorce.
The story doesn't just focus on Vega and the police investigation, though. At its heart, it provides a touching insight into the plight of undocumented immigrants.
It was really interesting to read about the racial tension that had been building over several months and the experience of the different characters, the documented immigrants, the undocumented ones, the families made up of different cultures, such as Vegas and his ex-wife.
You could tell the author is passionate about the subject, without being preachy or heavy on politics, and has researched her topic. Apart from being very topical and relevant, some of it was truly shocking and a real eye-opener. I admit I've learned a lot about immigration from this. But I also particularly enjoyed the way the author delved deeper and explored aspects of bi-cultural and bilingual identities.
The multi-layered mystery aspect of the story was done pretty well, too. Some parts of it were predictable, and I was starting to wonder how it could take Vega that long to catch up with facts that were presented to him early on. Other parts were quite surprising and twisted enough to keep me fully engaged throughout.
The one thing I found a little irritating was the fact that all white American females were described as skinny. Considering the author made a very valid point of emphasizing how diverse groups of people are even if they share some commonalities this sort of stereotyping just didn't fit in.
Overall, though, this was a great story with some memorable characters and I intend to read the next books in this series.
Many thanks to Kensington Books who provided me with a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
With his Puerto Rican roots, Vega is no stranger to prejudice. As a police detective, he is now also facing distrust from the large Latino community in the town, many of whom are undocumented. On top of that, he is trying to remain in his teenage daughter's life after his divorce.
The story doesn't just focus on Vega and the police investigation, though. At its heart, it provides a touching insight into the plight of undocumented immigrants.
It was really interesting to read about the racial tension that had been building over several months and the experience of the different characters, the documented immigrants, the undocumented ones, the families made up of different cultures, such as Vegas and his ex-wife.
You could tell the author is passionate about the subject, without being preachy or heavy on politics, and has researched her topic. Apart from being very topical and relevant, some of it was truly shocking and a real eye-opener. I admit I've learned a lot about immigration from this. But I also particularly enjoyed the way the author delved deeper and explored aspects of bi-cultural and bilingual identities.
The multi-layered mystery aspect of the story was done pretty well, too. Some parts of it were predictable, and I was starting to wonder how it could take Vega that long to catch up with facts that were presented to him early on. Other parts were quite surprising and twisted enough to keep me fully engaged throughout.
The one thing I found a little irritating was the fact that all white American females were described as skinny. Considering the author made a very valid point of emphasizing how diverse groups of people are even if they share some commonalities this sort of stereotyping just didn't fit in.
Overall, though, this was a great story with some memorable characters and I intend to read the next books in this series.
Many thanks to Kensington Books who provided me with a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.