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Feminist Mystery Reviews BRIDGE OF SHADOWS Reviewed by Harriet Klausner By 1992, Esmeralda Sanchez had become so desperate to cross the border into the United States, she paid the dreaded coyotes to escort her and her six-year old son, Jaime. However, the journey inside a hot car trunk goes wrong, leaving Jaime dead and his mother near death. American Pete Ross is involved with a drug deal when he manages to save the life of Esmeralda, who is deported back to Mexico. The shock of the incident is so great, Pete joins the Border Patrol. Over the next four years, Pete falls in love with Esmeralda, who has become a renowned healer due to her ability to get in touch with Jaime. Her touch placed skeptical Pete's cancer in remission. At the same time, local leader Ramon Cruz plans to bring his form of justice to the mean streets of El Paso. They begin by blowing up the border patrol station, killing many people. If Pete, Esmeralda, and Pete's ex wife Dr. Ana Gutierrez don't find a way to stop Ramon, the bloodbath could reach biblical proportions. BRIDGE OF SHADOWS is a well-written combination of an- otherworldly and suspense thriller within a relationship drama. The illegal immigration question that haunts the Mexican-American border is well done as various sides of the argument are presented with dignity and grace. The story line is filled with action. However, it is the four main characters, brilliantly symbolizing the different aspects to the border issue, while still being fully developed people that turn Roxanne Conrad's novel into a must read for sub-genre fans.
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