Deadly Focus - (Vega & Middleton Novel) by Sue Hinkin (Paperback)

About the Book

"When Los Angeles TV news photographer Lucy Vega, whose family was killed in a car crash, investigates another crash during the worst El Niäno storm in decades, she is horrified to learn the victim is her uncle. Though the medical examiner declares the death accidental, Lucy suspects otherwise. She sets out on a murder investigation of her own, and soon discovers secret underworld involvement by Mexican cartel members. Bent on finding answers, Lucy travels to Mexico, where she meets a handsome but burned out CNN war correspondent who helps her trail the cartel deep into their own territory. Corruption and brutality are rampant, and Lucy must risk all to find the truth behind her uncle's murder"--Publisher's website.

Book Synopsis

When Los Angeles news photographer Lucy Vega's uncle, a formidable Hispanic businessman, is killed in a car accident in Malibu during a violent El Niño storm, Lucy and reporter-colleague Beatrice Middleton are out to prove murder.

Lucy discovers secret underworld involvement by Mexican cartel members, and bent on finding answers, she travels to Mexico, where she meets a handsome but burned out CNN war correspondent. Trailing the cartel deep into their own territory, they soon find that corruption and brutality are rampant, and Lucy must risk all to find the truth behind her uncle's murder.

Review Quotes

2018 International Book Awards "Finalist" in the "Fiction: Thriller/Adventure" category

"One of the more suspenseful and fully engrossing books I've read in a long time, DEADLY FOCUS grabs you in the first chapter and never lets go. With a gift for instant and vivid characterizations, Sue Hinkin has created a highly sympathetic heroine in Lucy Vega whom you will never forget and will want to follow as the series unfolds. Lucy's raw sorrow and constant struggles are so truly written and common to the human heart that your soul will recognize and feel them deeply. Thriller, mystery, and mainstream readers have a new author to follow and enjoy, year after year. Keep 'em comin', Sue!" -- Sonja Massie (G. A. McKevett) author of more than 60 published works including the highly acclaimed Savannah Reid Mysteries under the pseudonym G.A. McKevett and the bestselling novel Far and Away adapted from the movie by Ron Howard starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

This is the first book of the Vega & Middleton series. Lucy Vega, Bea Middleton, Ray Truckee, and the lot are likeable and genuine, and Hinkin does a good job of portraying the trust, camaraderie, and friendship that develops between people when they have been working together for a while, often under tense circumstances. While the Middleton of Vega & Middleton takes a bit of a back seat to Lucy in this book, Bea is a strong, capable, entertaining character in her own right. Hopefully we'll see more of her in a future Hinkin novel. Until then, Lucy and her wild, page-turning exploits in a remote Mexican jungle will definitely satisfy those looking for a story chock-full of adventure and chicanery with a tough, tenacious, and tender heroine at its heart. -- Colorado Book Review

An exciting series opener that delivers murder, drugs, and romance. -- Kirkus Review