Mission Flats: A Novel

Although I'm giving this novel four stars, I think I'm going off "crime" novels for a while. "Crime novels" may be distinguished from "thrillers," or "suspense novels," or "mysteries," however, I think the reason I'm enjoying certain Scandinavian authors at present is that crime is not the dominant feature of their novels. Yes, there is always crime, but the psychological aspects are critical, the interaction of the characters is superb, and there are multiple themes threaded through the books, giving a view on time and place that is very rewarding. In any case, I generally prefer mysteries that focus more on tea (English) or coffee (Scandinavian) than on grisly crime scenes.The problem with Mission Flats is that it's all about crime - that's all there is. After a while, that gets depressing. The cops, the victims, the perpetrators. All this is very well done in Landay's book, but there are only so many scenarios for crime fiction, and I can see why police officers might get tired of doing the same thing year after year, for an entire career, knowing that when one crime is solved, there's always another one to take its place. As a cop, it might be nice to be in a profession where one is contributing more to the betterment of society. And of course, that's what cops do. They do away with criminals and try to make society a safer, better place for others to live. But it seems like a Sisyphean task to me.This book makes the four-star category, however, because of the characters. Ben Truman, police chief in the one horse (imaginary) town of Versailles, Maine, goes to big-city Boston and adds an entirely different dimension to policing while there. The fact that the residents pronounce the name of their town "Ver-sales" rather than "Ver-sigh" adds a whimsical touch, and highlights the difference between sophisticated Boston cops and back-country hayseeds. Also, interactions among the cops are interesting, and the mixture of bad guys who aren't always bad and cops who aren't always good is another plus.Reviews characterize Landay as the new John Grisham, but I think Landay is better than that. I used to enjoy Grisham, but I now find him one of the "popular" crime authors who seem rather repetitious. So, I'll probably give Landay another try, but not right away.

Enjoyed this novel very much. I read Defending Jacob a number of time, all before reading this, Landay's first, and while this is not as good as that book, it is a very, very good book.

Liked the writing style. Local color. I solved the crime much too early so too much of the rest of the novel was boring. Love interest poorly developed. No character to really care about.

I have read three of Landay's books, and this is the least likable. Too many tangents of unnecessary philosophies and events did not flow smoothly. The mother's death is a good example. It was impossible to predict the ending since so many facts were withheld. I almost gave up on finishing it several times.

Overall, I'd say I liked the book. I did find it engaging and at times hard to put down. With that said, some of the plot is unbelievable. Ultimately, a police officer from a small town in Maine, with little real police experience to speak of, makes his way to Boston to investigate a murder which occurred in his hometown that another agency has taken jurisdiction over. The fact that Boston PD and the DA's office essentially allows this small town cop access to all files and all aspects of their investigation is ridiculous. That's the part that turned me off to the book. I know it's fiction and I try to keep that in mind, but that part was just totally unbelievable. One thing in the end that irked me, and this may seem petty to some, is that there was a statement that reads "the glass was smudged with my ninhydrin-stained fingerprints". I have been processing crime scenes for 15 years, but one only has to have little knowledge of scene processing or fingerprinting to know that's a ridiculous inference. One would never process a glass with ninhydrin - ninhydrin is for porous surfaces like paper. Like I said, it may seem petty, but the author himself was an ADA and would have/should have known that. I think that statement was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Landay's other book, Defending Jacob was much better and I would give that book at least 4 stars. I do think the author shows great promise.

The author’s writing chops are undeniable. This is a book that is difficult to put down. However, it is full of improbabilities, which others have noted. It is also poorly researched. The author should know, for example that the ammunition for a semi-automatic pistol is contained in a magazine, not a “clip.” He should also know that rifle and shotgun are not interchangeable terms for the same kind of weapon. The biggest flaw of this novel, however, is that the author misleads the reader to the extent that the solution not only comes out of left field but out of a different ballpark entirely. If you know your mystery novels, you will recognize a variation on the “Roger Ackroyd” theme. In sum, this is a readable novel spoiled by misleading descriptions of certain events that make the reader feel deceived when the solution is finally revealed.

I recently finished "Defending Jacob" which was amazing, so I immediately downloaded the other two Landay books. The story of "Mission Flats" is well described by other reviews so I won't recap the details. I think that Landay is a very excellent author. I enjoy the way he writes as much as the complex stories and people he writes about. Initially Ben Truman seemed to be a pretty colorless character and his life pretty uneventful. As the story unfolded, it was clear that he was a complicated and surprising character and nothing is what it seems. I read several reviews before purchasing this book, so I knew that the ending was a shocker. I read all the time so I figured out all the possible surprise endings there could be. I was totally wrong! Landay does not write Hollywood endings. Although I like Hollywood endings, I think that the way Landay brings his stories to a conclusion have more depth and left me thinking about them long after I finished his books. I look forward to reading the third novel and all his future novels as well.

Over the summer I was searching for a few 'holiday reads' and came across the wonderful 'Defending Jacob' - which I greatly enjoyed to the extent I wanted to seek out William Landay's other works.Having finished 'Mission Flats' I can honestly say it is one of the best books I have ever read. The plot is gripping, the characters engaging and the pacing superb. I found the whole novel utterly scintillating - my only issue is that it took me so long to discover this book!If you are a fan of the mystery/thriller genres, I would give this book the highest possible recommendation.

Loved Defending Jacob, so bought this one as a follow up. It is very long, and although I finished it, I did not enjoy it nearly as much as Defending Jacob.It is an interesting whodunnit, with a good twist. Also a study of a poor neighbourhood (fiction) in Boston and the drug dealing culture.

Excellent stuff. The plot is full of twists and turns and I couldn't put it down. Everything a good thriller should be.

Never what you expect.....a great book full of the unexpected. I like this author and will be on the look out for more of his work.

I didn't know the author and wasn't sure about the book. I liked the way it was written and the twist at the end