Series
Publication
Blackstone Audio, Inc. (2014)
Collections
Genres
Awards
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Mystery — 2016)
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:"A tremendous talent."--Lee Child From award-winning author Suzanne Chazin comes a powerful novel of passion, bigotry, and murderous secrets in a homicide detective's picturesque hometown... A body is found in a reservoir fifty miles north of New York City. The victim is young, female and Hispanic. In her purse, the police find a photograph of a baby they believe is her daughter--a little girl they can't identify. Or find. Where is the child? Is she still alive? And what is the meaning behind the disturbing note in the woman's bag? "Go back to your country. You don't belong here." Arriving at the scene is homicide detective Jimmy Vega, who spent the better part of his childhood in the area and still carries the scars. A Latino himself, Vega knows all too well how hard it can be for an outsider to fit into a close-knit place like Lake Holly. Even now, as a respected officer of the law, he has to watch his step in an investigation simmering with ethnic animosities and steeped in local gossip. Both challenged and intrigued by Adele Figueroa--a passionate defender of immigrants' rights who reminds him uncomfortably of his own family's struggles--Vega must rethink everything he believes to uncover long-buried truths about his community, his loved ones . . . and himself. Filled with drama, mystery and raw emotions, Land of Careful Shadows shines a nuanced and timely light on a small town's darkest secrets and deepest obsessions. It is not only a tour de force of literary suspense, but an intimate journey into the human heart.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member sraelling
Action, choice, consequence. There's always a consequence to every choice we make, any action we take (or happens to us). Interesting take on the preconceived notions we have toward other immigrant groups, but they, too, have ideas about us that are just as stereotypical and not true of everyone.
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The only way to understand someone is to speak their language and understand a bit of their culture. It's a two-way street and must go beyond music, food and television. Show Less
LibraryThing member Pet12
So much more than 'just' a mystery! Land of Careful Shadows 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
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.
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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.
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LibraryThing member Carlathelibrarian
When the body of an undocumented woman from Guatemala is found in the lake in a tonny area of Lake Holly, New York, Jimmy Vega, a Latino himself, is assigned to the case. Growing up in both Brooklyn and Lake Holly, Jimmy knows full-well how this case will be treated. What intensifies the plot is a
This is a solid series and Chazin's characters have incredible depth. The relationships are hard to understand as they seem to have some loyalty, but there are so many questions. There are plenty of twists and turns with a highly-flawed protagonist. Vega is a complex character that I hope to get to know better as this series progresses. This was not an easy story to read or listen to. It was highly controversial with a plot that is timely and relevant. It touches on events such as racial profiling, immigration issues, police/civilian relations, and hate crimes. Chazin did an great job weaving together a multilayered crime amidst complex issues. The ending was totally unexpected, yet fit the story perfectly. I am looking forward to the next in this series. I listened to the audio book and although it took me awhile to get used to the narrator, it was well done. I enjoyed listening to this one and will look for the audio book of A Blossom of Bright Light, the next in the Jimmy Vega Mystery series.
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photo of the woman with a small girl on her lap. When there is a small shoe found in the lake, the search is kicked up a notch. Who is this child and is she still alive? When an undocumented male is found to have had a relationship with the dead woman, he is immediately the suspect. Vega finds himself in between a rock and a hard place due to his sworn duty, but also because of his own heritage. As the story unfolds, he finds himself bucking the trend to stop the railroading of an innocent man, find a missing child and pushing for the truth, even if he does not like the outcome.This is a solid series and Chazin's characters have incredible depth. The relationships are hard to understand as they seem to have some loyalty, but there are so many questions. There are plenty of twists and turns with a highly-flawed protagonist. Vega is a complex character that I hope to get to know better as this series progresses. This was not an easy story to read or listen to. It was highly controversial with a plot that is timely and relevant. It touches on events such as racial profiling, immigration issues, police/civilian relations, and hate crimes. Chazin did an great job weaving together a multilayered crime amidst complex issues. The ending was totally unexpected, yet fit the story perfectly. I am looking forward to the next in this series. I listened to the audio book and although it took me awhile to get used to the narrator, it was well done. I enjoyed listening to this one and will look for the audio book of A Blossom of Bright Light, the next in the Jimmy Vega Mystery series.
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LibraryThing member Carolesrandomlife
I thought that this was a really well-done detective story. This is one of those books that I have had no my tbr forever but kept skipping over it for one reason or another. I am glad that I finally dusted it off and gave it a try. I liked this book from that very start and found that I felt
Jimmy Vega is a detective in New York state. He is called to the scene when the body of an undocumented female is found. Jimmy is a Latino and he realizes very quickly that the small town that he is working in may not give equal treatment to everyone. There is a large immigrant population in Lake Holly with many being undocumented. Not only does Jimmy want to learn how the woman died, but he is also trying to find out what happened to the child in the photograph that she had with her.
I liked Jimmy right away. He was a smart cop and because of his heritage, he was able to see both sides of the case a little clearer than some of his co-workers. He was determined to get answers about the woman's death and make sure the child was safe. He also wasn't afraid to question how things have been done in town and worked to right as many wrongs as he could. He had a few more personal matters to deal with in this story which made him seem a little easier to relate to. He doesn't do everything perfectly in this story but he works to learn from his mistakes and I always felt like he was trying to do what was right.
I loved the way the author was able to incorporate the lives of undocumented workers in this story. I found that the way she painted the picture of what their lives were like both in this country and at home was really powerful. I thought that the motivation of the characters to risk so much to come to the states for a chance to work felt very authentic. I really liked the way that we really were able to see both sides of this story.
Armando Durán was the perfect narrator for this story. There was quite a bit of Spanish sprinkled throughout the book and I thought that he made everything flow very well. Don't worry, you don't need to know how to speak Spanish to enjoy this book (I don't) but I thought the fact that the narrator made those passages sound natural was a big plus. I thought that he handled all of the character voices very well and was able to add a lot of excitement to the story. I wouldn't hesitate to listen to his work again.
I would recommend this book to fans of detective stories. I thought that this was a nicely plotted, complex mystery with really fantastic characters. I would not hesitate to read more of the Jimmy Vega series!
I received a digital review copy of this book from Kensington Books via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
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invested in the mystery. I had a great time with this book.Jimmy Vega is a detective in New York state. He is called to the scene when the body of an undocumented female is found. Jimmy is a Latino and he realizes very quickly that the small town that he is working in may not give equal treatment to everyone. There is a large immigrant population in Lake Holly with many being undocumented. Not only does Jimmy want to learn how the woman died, but he is also trying to find out what happened to the child in the photograph that she had with her.
I liked Jimmy right away. He was a smart cop and because of his heritage, he was able to see both sides of the case a little clearer than some of his co-workers. He was determined to get answers about the woman's death and make sure the child was safe. He also wasn't afraid to question how things have been done in town and worked to right as many wrongs as he could. He had a few more personal matters to deal with in this story which made him seem a little easier to relate to. He doesn't do everything perfectly in this story but he works to learn from his mistakes and I always felt like he was trying to do what was right.
I loved the way the author was able to incorporate the lives of undocumented workers in this story. I found that the way she painted the picture of what their lives were like both in this country and at home was really powerful. I thought that the motivation of the characters to risk so much to come to the states for a chance to work felt very authentic. I really liked the way that we really were able to see both sides of this story.
Armando Durán was the perfect narrator for this story. There was quite a bit of Spanish sprinkled throughout the book and I thought that he made everything flow very well. Don't worry, you don't need to know how to speak Spanish to enjoy this book (I don't) but I thought the fact that the narrator made those passages sound natural was a big plus. I thought that he handled all of the character voices very well and was able to add a lot of excitement to the story. I wouldn't hesitate to listen to his work again.
I would recommend this book to fans of detective stories. I thought that this was a nicely plotted, complex mystery with really fantastic characters. I would not hesitate to read more of the Jimmy Vega series!
I received a digital review copy of this book from Kensington Books via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
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LibraryThing member Vesper1931
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
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
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would grab me or that there would be a mystery. But no.A NetGalley Book
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LibraryThing member PattyLee
Pretty impressive first outing- mystery with a sensitive and deep understanding of Central American immigration issues and racism. Well handled all around.
Language
Original language
English