A Blossom of Bright Light

September 14, 2015
Immigration issues loom large in Chazin’s well-paced second Jimmy Vega mystery, just as they did in the series opener, 2014’s Land of Careful Shadows. Vega’s job as a detective with the Lake Holly, N.Y., police puts him at odds with his girlfriend, Adele Figueroa, a Harvard-educated lawyer and founder of La Casa, the town’s Latino community center, which shields undocumented immigrants. One morning, day laborers discover a dead newborn in the woods behind La Casa. Adele and Vega feel they might have prevented the death if Vega hadn’t pressured Adele not to respond to a call she received from the center the previous evening. Meanwhile, an item of clothing on the body of a teenage girl found in the woods near a strip mall links Vega’s college-age daughter, Joy, to the victim. Vega can’t help investigating, despite his superior’s warning not to become involved. Readers will hope to see a lot more of the fascinating, multidimensional lead characters. Agent: Stephany Evans, FinePrint Literary Management.

Thom Rivera is cast perfectly to narrate this police procedural, set in the Hispanic immigrant community of Lake Holly, New York. The body of a newborn is found in the woods behind the community center, and NYPD homicide cop Jimmy Vega is trying to track down the mother. Soon, his own daughter becomes implicated in the case. Rivera sensitively voices the interplay between Vega, who was raised in the Bronx, and his girlfriend, Adele, a lawyer and advocate for undocumented immigrants. The listener will soon identify the "villain," but that's ok because Chazin's book is more a study of vulnerability than a whodunit. The suspense lies in whether Vega can find answers before further tragedy ensues. The listening is compelling. C.A.T. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine