No Witness But The Moon by Suzanne Chazin (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

I honestly don't know why I'm so enthralled with Suzanne Chazin's Jimmy Vega books. They aren't pleasant. They aren't funny. They aren't cozy. There are no ghosts or vampires or faeries or wizards. They're intense and thought-provoking and I don't seem to be able to read them without a tightening in my chest and an almost constant lump in my throat. They make me uneasy and rarely are the feelings that they provoke warm and fuzzy ones.

No Witness But The Moon is the third Jimmy Vega book and just as emotionally disturbing for me as the first two were -- and just as gripping and "ohmygoodness I can't put it down." I suppose it's possible to read them as stand-alones, but you'll understand so much more about the characters and their issues if you read them in order. 

(click on the book covers to see the rambles)

In this latest installment, homicide detective Jimmy Vega is on his way to his immigrant-activist girlfriend Adele's place when he hears over his radio that there's a break-in nearby his current location. Since he's so close he arrives on the scene first and goes in pursuit of the suspect and, believing that the man has a weapon and is about to use it, shoots him. When it turns out that the suspect was an unarmed immigrant with no prior record, the media has a freaking field day tearing him apart. The whole ordeal torments Vega mentally and emotionally -- especially when he discovers that the dead man not only had ties to his girlfriend, but also to his mother whose murder has gone unsolved for two years.

Once again, Chazin delves deep into the psychological nuances of both the immigrant society and the members of law enforcement and their families brilliantly. She doesn't shy away from the hard topics or the uncomfortable feels in the world. I look forward to revisiting Jimmy again in the future and I'm hugely thankful to Kensington and NetGalley for making this available to me.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is the first paragraph (or two) of a book being read now or in the future and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" from Books and a Beat asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.