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A review by booksuperpower
Land of Careful Shadows by Suzanne Chazin
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