Lonesome Point

The revelation of a damaging old secret threatens two Florida brothers in Vasquez's dull tale of corruption. Leo Varela ekes out a living as a mental health technician in a Miami hospital, sneaking out for a marijuana break whenever he can and writing poetry on the side. His older brother, Patrick, is a powerful county commissioner in the midst of a cutthroat mayoral campaign. When an old friend approaches Leo about letting a certain patient “disappear” from the psych ward, Leo doesn't want to get involved. But it soon becomes clear that he doesn't have a choice, since the men behind the request know the long-held secret Leo and Patrick have kept concerning the violent death of a prominent man in their native Belize. Now Leo's life is in danger, and he starts to wonder how far Patrick will go to protect his political career. Vasquez (In the Heat ) starts off strong, but soon stumbles with stilted dialogue and a paper-thin plot. The ending is neither surprising nor satisfying. (June)