Jimmy Vega Mystery

Land of Careful Shadows by award-winning author Suzanne Chazin is a powerful mystery full of passion and secrets that deals with a clash of cultures and familial relationships, and it's full of drama, mystery, and raw emotions. When the dead body of a Latino woman is found in a reservoir about fifty miles north of Manhattan, with a photo of a baby in her purse nearby, the police try to determine who the child is and if it is still alive. Along with the photo, they also find a disturbing note in the purse: "Go back to your country. You don't belong here. "Homicide detective Jimmy Vega is Latino too, so he knows how hard it can be for an outsider to fit into a close-knit town like Lake Holly. Vega is a highly respected officer of the law, and he is challenged and intrigued by Adele Figueroa, a passionate defender of immigrants' rights. Vega must rethink everything he believes in order to uncover the truths about his town, his family, and himself. Land of Careful Shadows is a tour de force of literary suspense and an intimate journey into the human heart.

Award-winning author Suzanne Chazin returns with a stirring novel of deadly misdeeds and heartbreaking choices in a seasoned homicide cop's hometown. A split-second decision thrusts Detective Jimmy Vega into the epicenter of a disturbing case when a body is found near a gathering place for immigrants in upscale Lake Holly, New York. The cold-bloodedness of the crime and the innocence of the victim torment Vega. But so does the feeling that he's to blame. Could the ravings of a delusional vagrant hold the key to the killing? And if so, why can't the police locate him? In a community gripped by fear of deportation, Vega needs the help of his girlfriend, activist Adele Figueroa, to gain people's trust. But Adele is acting strangely, consumed by a secret that threatens to tear them apart. When the case takes a personal turn, both Vega and Adele discover that Lake Holly's tranquil facade hides a terror of monstrous proportions, poised and ready to strike again. To confront the killer and save their relationship, Vega and Adele must forge a new level of trust-in each other, and in their most deeply held beliefs-to expose an evil that threatens to eclipse anything they'd previously imagined. Written with equal parts passion and suspense, A Blossom of Bright Light takes readers on a journey of stunning revelations to uncover a small town's most sinister secrets-and brightest hopes for the future. Mystery, sacrifice, and unremitting love converge in this gripping work by a master storyteller.

In this powerful novel from award-winning author Suzanne Chazin, a tense standoff between a Hispanic police officer and an undocumented immigrant leads to the shooting death of one, the shattered life of the other, and the shocking connection between them. On a clear, moonlit night in December, police detective Jimmy Vega races to the scene of a reported home invasion in an upscale New York community. As Vega arrives, he spots a Hispanic man who fits the description of the armed intruder running from the victim's estate. Vega chases him into the woods. When the suspect refuses to surrender-and reaches into his pocket-Vega has only seconds to make a life-or-death decision. What begins as a tragic mistake takes an even darker turn when Vega uncovers disturbing links between the dead man and his own mother's brutal, unsolved murder. Vega's need for answers propels him back to his old Bronx neighborhood, where he is viewed as a disgraced cop, not a homegrown hero. It also puts him at odds with his girlfriend, Adele Figueroa, head of a local immigrant center, who must weigh her own doubts about his behavior. When a shocking piece of evidence surfaces, it becomes clear that someone doesn't want Vega to put all the pieces together-and is willing to do whatever it takes to bury the truth. Only by risking everything will Vega be able to find justice, redemption, and the most elusive goal of all: the ability to forgive himself.

The disappearance of a teenage girl in upstate New York sets off a powder keg of accusations, bigotry, and fear-with deadly results-in Suzanne Chazin's stunning new thriller featuring Hispanic police detective Jimmy Vega. On a frigid, January night, a blond, blue-eyed high school girl walks out of an English class she tutors for immigrants-and vanishes. Suspicion quickly falls on the men she was teaching, many of whom are undocumented. As disturbing evidence trickles in, news of the incident spreads beyond the scenic town of Lake Holly, New York, unearthing deep-seated fears and enflaming cultural tensions. For county police detective Jimmy Vega, the situation is personal. His girlfriend, Harvard-educated attorney Adele Figueroa, heads the immigrant center where the teen volunteer disappeared. If Vega can't find the girl soon and clear Adele's clients, the place of refuge may be forced to shut its doors. Still reeling over his own recent career missteps, Vega does his best to run interference between Adele and the local police. But when Vega's boss assigns him a grunt detail working for the new county supervisor, the man's political ambitions clash with Vega's deepest convictions. Vega can't imagine a worse turn of events-until he uncovers even darker forces at play. Someone wants to destroy far more than Vega's career. And no matter which way he turns, every step will put him and his family in the killer's cross-hairs.

A long-buried family secret and a chance encounter with an estranged sibling force police detective Jimmy Vega to confront his deepest fears in this gripping new mystery by award-winning author Suzanne Chazin Its spring in Lake Holly, New York, a time of hope and renewal. But not for immigrants in this picturesque upstate town. Raids and deportations are on the rise, spurring fear throughout the community. Tensions reach the boiling point when the district attorneys beautiful young bride is found hanging in her flooded basement, an apparent victim of suicide. But is she, wonders Vega? If so, where is her undocumented immigrant maid? Is she a missing witness, afraid to come forward? Or an accessory to murder? Vega gets more help than he bargained for when Immigration and Customs Enforcement sends an investigator to help findand likely deportthe maid. Its Vegas half-sister Michelle, the child who caused his father to leave his mother. Now an ICE agent, Michelle tangles with Vega and his girlfriend, immigrant activist Adele Figueroa. The law is the law, Michelle reminds Vega. And yet, his heart tells him he needs to dig deeper, not just into the case but into his past, to a childhood terror only Michelle can unlock. While Vega searches for the demon from his youth, he discovers one uncomfortably close by, erecting a scheme of monstrous proportions. Its a race against the clock with lives on the line. And a choice Vega never thought hed have to make: Obey the law. Or obey his conscience. Theres no margin for error