The Southland

This engrossing crime novel from Shaw (the Jimmy Veeder series) focuses on the tribulations of three undocumented Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles. Ostelinda was brought to the States under false pretenses by a corrupt family who keep her locked in their garment factory along with other women, forcing her to work long hours. Nadia, a journalist, sought refuge in the U.S. under an alias after her husband and son were gunned down in front of her by government officials with ties to the cartel she had exposed. Luz Delgado came in search of a better life for her and the family she left behind. After working seven years in two jobs with little pay, she sends to Mexico for her 17-year-old son, Eliseo, who she discovers after their reunion has become an angry, uncaring person. When Eliseo disappears, Luz sets out to find him, and crosses paths with Ostelinda and Nadia. Shaw movingly reveals how each woman, under unbearable circumstances, survives in a land that doesn’t want her. Those who like their crime fiction with a social conscience will welcome this timely novel. (Aug.)