The Southland

by Johnny Shaw

Overview

THE SOUTHLAND tells the story of three unauthorized Mexican immigrants living in Los Angeles: Luz works multiple jobs to provide for herself and her teenage son Eliseo. Nadia, a former journalist with PTSD, fled Mexico and tries to stay hidden from the dangerous men that she exposed in Sinaloa. Ostelinda works as a laborer in a garment factory, having been deceived by coyotes and imprisoned in the same building since her arrival. Their lives intersect through terrifying circumstance that clarify and contrast the horrors of existence.

When Eliseo goes missing, Luz is lost. She doesn’t trust the authorities to help. One wrong move could get her deported. Luz has no option but to investigate her son’s disappearance on her own. Engaging Nadia and her roommate, they navigate an increasingly hostile American environment in an effort to reunite Luz’s small family. When Luz and Nadia uncover a link to the people that run the garment factory, the two women become determined to save more than just Luz’s son.

THE SOUTHLAND is a crime story, but more than that, it’s a story of America and the dangers that migrants face when being forced to live in the shadows.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781951709617
Publisher:	Agora Books
Publication date:	08/31/2021
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Johnny Shaw was born and raised on the Calexico/Mexicali border in the stifling heat of the California desert. He is the author of six novels including the Jimmy Veeder Fiasco border novels: DOVE SEASON, PLASTER CITY, and IMPERIAL VALLEY.

Johnny has been nominated for the Anthony Award three times, winning for Best Paperback Original in 2013 for the comedic adventure novel BIG MARIA. He has been shortlisted for a number of awards and has won the Spotted Owl Award twice. His short fiction has appeared in Thuglit, Plots with Guns, Crime Factory, Shotgun Honey, and numerous anthologies.

He was the Grand Marshal of the Holtville Carrot Festival Parade in 2016, which means nothing to you, but everything to him. You can find Johnny on Twitter at @BloodandTacos.

Editorial Reviews

• "Johnny Shaw's novel THE SOUTHLAND will rip you up and put you back together. His story of the convergence of three undocumented immigrant women is a revelation: by turns harrowing, truthful, and a rip-roaring ride through their world."—Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author
• "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."—Publishers Weekly
• "Johnny Shaw once remarked that his initial concept for his books tends to circle around three guys with a really bad idea. The results were hilarious, but there was always an atmosphere of struggle and injustice lurking just below the surface . With THE SOUTHLAND, he brings that substratum to the surface with gripping, powerful, compassionate results. His eye for the telling detail; his understanding of the sprawling, embattled, multi-ethnic terrain of southern California; and his commitment to portray honestly each and every one of his characters, justifying not judging, makes this not just an excellent novel, but an exceptional one. A moving, gripping, eye-opening story. I loved it." —David Corbett, award-winning author of THE LONG-LOST LOVE LETTERS OF DOC HOLLIDAY”
• "THE SOUTHLAND is a terrific novel, both compelling and illuminating. Johnny Shaw writes with deep empathy for his characters and an unflinching eye for the dark side of the American Dream. Highly recommend."—Lou Berney, Edgar Award-winning author of NOVEMBER ROAD
• "Urgent, compulsively readable crime fiction that never takes the easy way out. While it's both a gripping page turner and a deft examination of justice and what it means to belong, it's the three complex women at the heart of this novel that make it unputdownable. I'll be thinking about Luz, Nadia, and Ostelinda for a long time."—Jess Lourey, Amazon Charts bestselling author of UNSPEAKABLE THINGS
• "Great frontera fiction, full of strong women, grief, hope, love, pain, humor, and a critique of our immigration system. It's also devoid of nonsense and white saviors. This is a novel about people chasing the American Dream and finding a nightmare, and Shaw's gigantic heart screams for change in every page.” —Gabino Iglesias, author of COYOTE SONGS
• "Johnny Shaw is an incredible talent. Southland is full of heart. A novel that stays with you long after reading. Shaw is the new Dennis Lehane."—Steve Cavanagh, author of THIRTEEN

From the Publisher

08/17/2020

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.)

Publishers Weekly