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infosifter's review against another edition
4.0
Jimmy Vega is a Latino cop who feels caught between the needs of two communities. He is viewed as Latino by white people, but he is not part of the immigrant community either because he is of Puerto Rican Heritage, and thus lives in the US legally. In this mystery, his past, present, professional, and personal lives all collide.
My only grumble with this book is that the solution to the homicide hinges on the kind of coincidence which, when it happens in real life, people say, "if someone wrote that in a novel, they would be made to rewrite it."
Content advisory: this book is a modern police story which contains some offensive language, in English and Spanish, as well as A couple of graphic descriptions of violent death. There is much less of both then in many modern police procedurals, but more than you would find in a cozy or classic mystery.
My only grumble with this book is that the solution to the homicide hinges on the kind of coincidence which, when it happens in real life, people say, "if someone wrote that in a novel, they would be made to rewrite it."
Content advisory: this book is a modern police story which contains some offensive language, in English and Spanish, as well as A couple of graphic descriptions of violent death. There is much less of both then in many modern police procedurals, but more than you would find in a cozy or classic mystery.
booksuperpower's review against another edition
4.0
Land of Careful Shadows by Suzanne Chazin is a 2014 Kensington publication.
This first book in the Jimmy Vega series is quite impressive. Vega is a cop that can read between the lines and see the shades of gray between right and wrong, which leaves him as conflicted as those who are not in law enforcement, but he must do his duty, which is to uphold the law, no matter what.
When a young Hispanic woman is found dead, a picture in her purse of a child, sparks panic as the whereabouts of the child are unknown.
Vega, who is also Hispanic, understands the dilemma many immigrants face, but he must also follow the letter of the law, but when his investigation leads him to Adele Figueroa, a woman who champions the cause of immigrants, his enlightenment and belief system is put to the test.
This story highlights the many layers of immigration, the struggles ethic groups cope with, as they attempt to build better lives for themselves, but also shows the many ways in which they are vulnerable to suspicions, bigotry, and how they are often taken advantage of.
Vega finds himself in between a rock and a hard place due to his sworn duty, but also because of his own heritage.
The mystery unveils the identity of the dead woman, and the mysterious way she died, and the whereabouts of the woman’s child, which opens up a plethora of small town secrets and crimes, that will hit Vega where it hurts.
I thought the author did an amazing job with this novel. Vega is a complex character I hope to get to know better as this series progresses, and the issues addressed in the story are timely, presented in a realistic and thought provoking manner.
There is plenty of room for character development and growth, and the writing is stellar, so I am positive this series is going to become a strong, dependable, ‘automatic buy’ kind of thing for me. I can’t wait to get started on the second installment!
4 stars
This first book in the Jimmy Vega series is quite impressive. Vega is a cop that can read between the lines and see the shades of gray between right and wrong, which leaves him as conflicted as those who are not in law enforcement, but he must do his duty, which is to uphold the law, no matter what.
When a young Hispanic woman is found dead, a picture in her purse of a child, sparks panic as the whereabouts of the child are unknown.
Vega, who is also Hispanic, understands the dilemma many immigrants face, but he must also follow the letter of the law, but when his investigation leads him to Adele Figueroa, a woman who champions the cause of immigrants, his enlightenment and belief system is put to the test.
This story highlights the many layers of immigration, the struggles ethic groups cope with, as they attempt to build better lives for themselves, but also shows the many ways in which they are vulnerable to suspicions, bigotry, and how they are often taken advantage of.
Vega finds himself in between a rock and a hard place due to his sworn duty, but also because of his own heritage.
The mystery unveils the identity of the dead woman, and the mysterious way she died, and the whereabouts of the woman’s child, which opens up a plethora of small town secrets and crimes, that will hit Vega where it hurts.
I thought the author did an amazing job with this novel. Vega is a complex character I hope to get to know better as this series progresses, and the issues addressed in the story are timely, presented in a realistic and thought provoking manner.
There is plenty of room for character development and growth, and the writing is stellar, so I am positive this series is going to become a strong, dependable, ‘automatic buy’ kind of thing for me. I can’t wait to get started on the second installment!
4 stars
vesper1931's review
2.0
When a young, female Hispanic body is found in a reservoir at Lake Holly, north of New York City homicide detective Jimmy Vega, is called in to help with the investigate.
Unfortunately I just couldn't connect with any of the characters, or care what happened to them, but I read to the end hoping it would grab me or that there would be a mystery. But no.
A NetGalley Book
Unfortunately I just couldn't connect with any of the characters, or care what happened to them, but I read to the end hoping it would grab me or that there would be a mystery. But no.
A NetGalley Book
rachelsreadsandreviews's review against another edition
4.0
Land of Careful Shadows follows detective Jimmy Vega as he searches for the truth behind the death of an immigrant woman. Her identity and the whereabouts of the child in a photo found with her body are a mystery. Chazin uses astute descriptions of communities and individuals to tell a story that is both captivating and informative. After reading Land of Careful Shadows, I feel motivated to educated myself. When a book inspires development, I think it has truly succeeded at something special.
Plot – 4.5
Writing & Editing – 4.5
Character Development – 5
Personal Bias –4
Final Score: 4.5
Plot – 4.5
Writing & Editing – 4.5
Character Development – 5
Personal Bias –4
Final Score: 4.5
jgeisler's review
4.0
An interesting mystery with a different and compelling lead character. Eager to read the second in the series.
biblio_beth's review
3.0
Decent thriller based on one of the hottest political topics of our day, illegal immigrants. The characters were well developed but the story was too predictable.
rebleejen's review
4.0
I enjoyed this more than I expected to. It's a good mystery (though the coincidences add up to be a bit much in the end), but also interesting commentary on immigration and cultural assimilation.
marc's review
3.0
A Latino woman is found dead in a reservoir with a photo of a young child in her personal effects. Who is the woman? Who and where is the child? Jimmy Vega is a detective in the area who gets involved in the case. He is a divorced father, so there is the typical love interest, and conflict with his ex and teenage daughter. Overall, I appreciated the writing and the story line, but it wasn't as suspenseful or mysterious as I had hoped. I figured out the photo and connection fairly early on.
Regardless, I enjoy the genre, and would probably choose to read another Jimmy Vega novel.
Thanks to Kensington Books for the ARC of this novel.
Regardless, I enjoy the genre, and would probably choose to read another Jimmy Vega novel.
Thanks to Kensington Books for the ARC of this novel.
tonstantweader's review
4.0
Land of Careful Shadows is the first in a new mystery series by Suzanne Chazin who is probably better known for her Georgia Skeehan, fire investigator, novels. This series features Jimmy Vega a county sheriff in a fictional county with a fictional town called Lake Holly (Doubly fictional, as the lake is actually a reservoir.) located about fifty miles north of New York City. The book opens when he is called to the scene of a homicide, a body dumped in the reservoir, and tasked to support the lead investigator, Greco.
Vega is a Nuyorican, a New Yorker of Puerto Rican ancestry, still holding on to his heritage, but seeing is slip away in his daughter Joy, who lives with his ex-wife in The Farms, the upper-income enclave of Lake Holly. The victim is Latina and unidentified and Vega’s facility with Spanish is expected to help him identify her with help from the immigrant community. However, for them, his identity as a police officer trumps any shared language connection.
Chazin wants to say something about undocumented immigrants, to address the misconceptions and biases against them. I am wary of “message” books, but Chazin does it well. Vega shows an awareness of how police underserve the community, for example, not arresting a man who has beaten his wife because that might qualify her for a U visa for crime victims and eventually a green card. Rather than just mention that practice, there is a potential witness whose details they do not have because they made just that kind of decision.
Vega goes to La Casa, a local community center serving the immigrant community with a worker center for day laborers, English language classes and other services. He hopes they can help identify her. One of the volunteers remembers her, a volunteer who just happens to have been Jimmy’s first love. This complicates his investigation when her husband, an immigrant rights lawyer, appears to have a vendetta against him.
There are several complications, ethical quandaries that pits Jimmy’s humanity against his training and his duty, and all sorts of personal dilemmas including his past relationship with Linda and his growing attraction to Adele, the director of La Casa. On top of that, his daughter is giving him grief, giving up on her research project with a local doctor, in danger of failing in school and acting out. All these personal connections complicate the case.
I enjoyed this mystery. It’s fair and I figured out who killed our victim shortly before Vega, but then I was not under all the personal pressures and influences that made the real solution unthinkable. I appreciated the natural and organic way Chazin incorporated her point about immigrants and their status, about how the justice system interacts with them and how bias works in policing and in the community, sometimes in seemingly small ways like a person cheating people out of their pay or even their businesses because they have no legal recourse without legal status. It was all just part of the story, not added on with monologues from this or that character. That takes real skill.
Chazin’s characters are well-developed. Even those who seem one-dimensional at first like the hard-as-nails Greco developed into someone more complicated and compassionate than you might suppose at first, second and third meeting. However, what sets Land of Careful Shadows apart is Vega’s humanity, how he addresses the conflicts between what he wants to do and what he is obligated to do, and how he finds ways to do the right thing whenever he can, if he can only figure out what the right thing is. That makes for a compelling mystery, because when you are not sure what the right thing is, it is a tough road.
I was given a e-galley of Land of Careful Shadows by the publisher through NetGalley. Also in this series, look for A Blossom of Bright Light and No Witness But the Moon which is coming out October 25th.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2016/08/20/land-of-careful-shadows-by-suzanne-chazin/
Vega is a Nuyorican, a New Yorker of Puerto Rican ancestry, still holding on to his heritage, but seeing is slip away in his daughter Joy, who lives with his ex-wife in The Farms, the upper-income enclave of Lake Holly. The victim is Latina and unidentified and Vega’s facility with Spanish is expected to help him identify her with help from the immigrant community. However, for them, his identity as a police officer trumps any shared language connection.
Chazin wants to say something about undocumented immigrants, to address the misconceptions and biases against them. I am wary of “message” books, but Chazin does it well. Vega shows an awareness of how police underserve the community, for example, not arresting a man who has beaten his wife because that might qualify her for a U visa for crime victims and eventually a green card. Rather than just mention that practice, there is a potential witness whose details they do not have because they made just that kind of decision.
Vega goes to La Casa, a local community center serving the immigrant community with a worker center for day laborers, English language classes and other services. He hopes they can help identify her. One of the volunteers remembers her, a volunteer who just happens to have been Jimmy’s first love. This complicates his investigation when her husband, an immigrant rights lawyer, appears to have a vendetta against him.
There are several complications, ethical quandaries that pits Jimmy’s humanity against his training and his duty, and all sorts of personal dilemmas including his past relationship with Linda and his growing attraction to Adele, the director of La Casa. On top of that, his daughter is giving him grief, giving up on her research project with a local doctor, in danger of failing in school and acting out. All these personal connections complicate the case.
I enjoyed this mystery. It’s fair and I figured out who killed our victim shortly before Vega, but then I was not under all the personal pressures and influences that made the real solution unthinkable. I appreciated the natural and organic way Chazin incorporated her point about immigrants and their status, about how the justice system interacts with them and how bias works in policing and in the community, sometimes in seemingly small ways like a person cheating people out of their pay or even their businesses because they have no legal recourse without legal status. It was all just part of the story, not added on with monologues from this or that character. That takes real skill.
Chazin’s characters are well-developed. Even those who seem one-dimensional at first like the hard-as-nails Greco developed into someone more complicated and compassionate than you might suppose at first, second and third meeting. However, what sets Land of Careful Shadows apart is Vega’s humanity, how he addresses the conflicts between what he wants to do and what he is obligated to do, and how he finds ways to do the right thing whenever he can, if he can only figure out what the right thing is. That makes for a compelling mystery, because when you are not sure what the right thing is, it is a tough road.
I was given a e-galley of Land of Careful Shadows by the publisher through NetGalley. Also in this series, look for A Blossom of Bright Light and No Witness But the Moon which is coming out October 25th.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2016/08/20/land-of-careful-shadows-by-suzanne-chazin/