A Place in the Wind

August 28, 2017
The disappearance of 17-year-old Catherine Archer propels Chazin’s nail-biting fourth mystery featuring detective Jimmy Vega (after 2016’s No Witness but the Moon). The girl was last seen at La Casa, the community center in Lake Holly, N.Y., where she volunteered. Run by Adele Figuero, Jimmy’s girlfriend, La Casa serves the local immigrant population. A security video taken the night Catherine vanished shows a blond girl resembling her walking out of Hank’s Deli with Guatemalan Rolando Benitez-Ochoa. Catherine’s body is found in the woods, and Rolando becomes the prime suspect in her murder. Rolando’s stepbrother, Wilfredo Martinez-Ochoa, a premed student, is arrested for lying to the police about Rolando’s whereabouts. Adele, to prevent Wilfredo’s life from being destroyed by the community’s anti-immigrant fervor, takes him under her protection, further outraging people already angry at her for running the center. Jimmy, meanwhile, comes to believe Rolando is innocent and, despite police disapproval, doesn’t rest until he uncovers the truth in this tense page-turner. Agent: Stephany Evans, FinePrint Literary Management.

March 1, 2018

Detective Jimmy Vega was taken off active duty after a previous case went awry, but that doesn't stop him from investigating when 17-year-old Catherine Archer-beautiful, blonde, and rich-is found dead in the woods. She was a tutor at La Casa, a support center for immigrants headed by Jimmy's ex-lawyer girlfriend, Adele, in Lake Holly, NY, and suspicion automatically falls on Rolando Benitez-Ochoa, a young Guatemalan from the center who has a history of violence. Anger toward the immigrant community, fueled by the self-aggrandizing actions of the local county supervisor, polarizes the town as the hunt progresses for Catherine's killer. Jimmy unofficially helps with the investigation until his actions result in the killing of the accused. As punishment, he is sent to work as a valet for the supervisor, but behind the scenes, he discovers that there is much more to the story of the girl's death than meets the eye. Chazin emphasizes how choices made under dire circumstances have lingering repercussions. VERDICT For those seeking a first-rate detective novel with suspense, red herrings, and insightful social commentary.-Connie Williams, Petaluma Public Library, CA

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