No Witness but the Moon

This is a fantastic thriller, and so relevant for the world today. After mistakenly shooting a robber, Detective Vega has to face the consequences of his actions. The issue of race is a strong theme in this story. Detective Vega is also trying to solve his mother's murder. The author blends these story lines seamlessly. This is a mystery that will keep you reading into the night. Finished it in two settings! Highly recommend!

While we "think" we know the story of illegal immigrants No Witness but the Moon, gives us another perhaps more truthful look. From the mothers and fathers leaving their young children back in their native home, to the coyotes bring them across the desert into the US and robbing them. When the desire to better their children's lives makes them willing to risk their own. Causing chaos in one town within the police department and murders that go unsolved and a policeman accused of killing an innocent man. Where the only witness is the moon.

Detective Jimmy Vega has to make a split second decision that will change his life forever. Called to the scene of a home invasion in a wealthy New York suburb, Vega sees a Hispanic man fitting the description of the robber running away. Vega chase him into the woods and when he commands the man to stop, the suspect puts his hand in his pocket. Jimmy feels he has no choice and fires his weapon in self defense. Of course, that’s not the way everyone else sees it, even in his own neighborhood he’s seen as a bad guy rather than a cop doing his job. Vega’s own girlfriend wonders about his motives. With no one to vouch for him, it becomes obvious to Vega that he’ll have to work this case on his own and that’s when he uncovers a link to the dead man and his own mother’s unsolved murder. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to hide the truth and if Vega gets in the way, his murder will be the next one splashed across the headlines. Gritty and realistic, this book showcases the danger cops are in every day and the choices they have to make in a heartbeat.

What a great debut novel and an author to keep you eye on. Full of twists and turns when you are guessing to the very last page. The characters are the people you see everyday. Like them or not. There is a line between hatred and racism in the this town and it's up to you to choose what side (if you side) you want to be on. It is a worthy read.

Absolutely fantastic!! Powerful and timely ... Hispanic police detective kills unarmed alleged robber, also Hispanic ... and we are thrown into the maelstrom of detective Jimmy Vega's turmoil ... his anxiety, his constant memory of the incident, his recall of his mother's murder, and his relationship with his girlfriend who is an advocate of immigrants' rights ... mix into this a dash of a publicity driven immigrant civil rights movement and community leader ...

I read Suzanne Chazin's first two books in the Jimmy Vega series and was hooked. She now has a lifetime follower.

I received an ARC edition for an unbiased review from Net Galley.

Undercover officer Jimmy Vega is on his way home and gets involved in a reported home invasion. He chases a suspect into the woods and end up shooting him before the local cops arrive. It turns out the man was an illegal and unarmed and the media fueled rage against him is escalating by the minute. Even his daughter and girlfriend (who runs an immigrant outreach center) don't think he's innocent.
Then Jimmy learns the man he shot was the super in the building where his mother was murdered two years ago. Can he learn what happened without sacrificing himself or his career?

This fast-paced story has a timely theme of police shootings and public rage. Chazin also gives a voice to many of the lesser known areas of social injustice involving illegal immigration. Although it is part of a series, I didn't feel as though I had missed anything by not reading the previous books.

Thanks to Netgalley for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This is the first book by this author that I have read - I've been missing some good reads obviously! I'm sure that the reading of this latest installment in the Jimmy Vega series would be even better had I read the previous books, but I still found this one a thrill ride.

Jimmy Vega is an upstate New York detective who also deals with the undocumented in his corner of the world. He's involved with Adele, who is head of an organization dealing strictly with immigration issues. When Vega shoots and kills a suspect, it sets both of their worlds and their relationship on fire.

This book and its subject matters are so prevalent in today's volatile environment between police and society. It really gives you a look from the other side - definitely one that isn't talked about enough. When an officer kills someone in the line of duty, they are never the same.

So a great mystery, relevant subject - just a really good read!

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. What a great and intense story. It is also so relevant to today and the issues going on. I loved Vega. A man who is dedicated to his job and struggles with his convictions. This book did such a great job showing the cop's perspective and the suffering community. Very well written.

This was a great read. first time to read this author and I would read more of her books. Kept me reading and wanting to find out what was going to happen next. Cop responds to a routine break in, but his evening takes a turn for the worse. Our main character Vega has to get people on his side to help him prove that he is innocent and hasn't intentionally killed the man he was chasing through the forest. would absolutely recommend as a must read.

Suzanne Chazin did it again. After having read A Blossom of Bright Light I was happy to find her new book on Netgalley. It fully satisfied my expectations. She has a unique way of weaving together suspenseful crime with deep psychological insight and the backdrop of hispanic immigrants.
This backdrop is as important and as painful as the main characters and she describes it in a way that puts the reader right in the middle. I didn't feel like an outsider looking on from a distance. My heart broke for these people.
Vega and Adele are loveable main characters deep in conflict, both just trying to do the right thing without hurting the other, a seemingly impossible task.
This is an open-minded and courageous novel that cleary takes the side of illegal immigrants and at the same time the side of a cop who shoots one of them supposedly in self-defense.
I found myself feeling compassion with Vega's guilt and regret, his struggle to cope with what he has done.
This alone would be reason to love this book.
But there's more to it. The fast pace and the excellent writing kept me glued to my kindle. This sure is one of my favorite reads this year.

I want to thank Netgalley and Kensington for this thrillling ARC in exchange for my honest review.