Mission Flats

When a small-town police chief from Maine discovers the body of a Boston prosecutor in a remote cabin, he gets sucked into a maze of murder and deception that twists back over 20 years.

As he did in ‘Defending Jacob’, Landay creates a densely plotted tale, full of twists. There are some nice clues here, with just enough of them discernible to lull the reader into a false sense of whodunnit, but there are plenty of unexpected jogs in the path.

Most of Landay’s characters are awash in moral ambiguity, and one might quibble that he has withheld some pretty vital information about his protagonist until deep into the book. Said protagonist also takes actions that make no sense in retrospect, though they do serve to carry and tangle the show more plot. This is the kind of sleight-of-hand writing that delights some readers and annoys others – and is the sort of thing that can be determined only in hindsight.

The reader who likes mysteries to conclude with the detective explaining to all the house guests just how and why The Butler Did It, won’t much care for this work. On the other hand, the reader who’s willing to think about the underside of the American criminal justice system will find much to chew on. show less

I loved William Landay's DEFENDING JACOB but didn't know what to expect of MISSION FLATS, his first novel. Surprise: I think I loved MISSION FLATS just as much.

Young Ben Truman is the chief of police in a small town in Maine. The story begins with his discovery of a dead body, which he learns was a Boston DA. When Ben notifies the Boston police, they immediately come to Maine and take over the case. I'm not sure how realistic that is, but I went along with it.

Ben and his new friend, a retired lieutenant with the Boston police, go to Boston to investigate. In the 17 days they are there, the two discover, if not the true murderer, the unknown details of a 10-year-old case that appears to be connected to this one.

If you can overlook the show more corny bits about the night stick that the retired lieutenant carries wherever they go, always spinning and slapping it, this is a great story. Landay won a best-first-crime-novel award for it. show less

I'm enjoying listening to this novel, but where is it going? It's narrated in the first person by the small town cop at the centre of the story. It's interesting following him, after his discovery of the body of the town's DA.

The writing is great. But I may not get much further than chapter 4 of 11 where I'm at now.

Although there’s a recently-published edition on offer, Mission Flats is actually author William’s Landay’s debut crime thriller and it first saw light of day well over a decade ago. Landay obviously aimed at the literary end of the spectrum, and attempted to blend a pacey page-turner, brimming with plots twists and artful authorial deception, with more meaningful debate on policing, personal and social issues. Mission Flats aims high, then.

It’s also a curious mixture. The back-cover blurb suggests a bleak, backwoods murder investigation set in small-town Maine, where the summers are short and the introverted permanent population hunker down in the mountain forests to endure each bitter winter. Indeed, that’s the atmosphere show more evoked by the first few chapters.

Then suddenly Mission Flats jumps tracks and goes wildly into The Wire territory. We’re thrust into the heart of the narcotics scene on the projects in Boston, where there’s a thin line between confidential informants and corrupt police. The majority of the plot takes place in Boston, where the young ‘Chief’ Truman from out of town neatly adopts the traditional role of the rookie detective, being mentored by an admirably cranky retired Boston officer.

Landay wittily plays with genre conventions and our expectations, introducing layers of ambiguous characters. His writing is thoughtful, scattered with observations on the nature of loss, criminality and culpability.
There's more notes on plot and character over at:
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/mission-flats-where-the-wir...

However, this is also quite obviously an early novel. In places – especially in the crucial conclusion – the pace suddenly stalls and the prose ambles along in over-extended exposition and authorial self-indulgence. Can’t fault the plotting, mind, which caught me slack-jawed more than once.

All of which led me to investigate what the author has done since, which turns out to be two more thrillers, one historical and one legal. I’ve bought both of them, and will be intrigued to see how the potential displayed in Mission Flats develops…
7/10 show less

The story revolves around small-town sheriff Ben Truman. Ben is sort of an accidental sheriff, he took over from his father, the long-time sheriff of their Maine town, following the death of Ben's mother. On his regular rounds, Ben discovers a murdered body in one of the lakeside cabins which has been closed up for the season. The plot follows Ben as he determines to be part of the investigation even as it is taken over by the Boston Police Department. The plot is intense and the characters are well-drawn. However, the standout in this book is Landay's utterly unique voice. This is his description of a criminal defense attorney, "Beck had the look of a True Believer. His hair was a snarl of salt-and-pepper curls that tumbled over his show more collar. Plastic pens poked out of various pockets. His necktie was wrenched loose. The message in all this anti-fashion seemed to be: Citizens, fighting Government Oppression is hard work! I have no time to worry about clothes! It was pretty effective, actually."
For more of the review, see my blog: http://thejoieofreading.typepad.com/joannalongbourneblog/2010/01/index.html show less

This book is like a blindfolded roller coaster ride – starts off slow and steady then sends you through twists and turns, with no idea just how the ride will end. I picked this book up because I enjoyed the author’s latest book – “Defending Jacob”. Initially, I wasn’t as impressed but then I was hooked and in for the ride. Very enjoyable read – couldn’t put it down during the last 100 pages.

The beginning was slow; I stopped reading for about a week and started again just so I could finish it and move on to another book. There was information about certain characters that was withheld to create a twist that confused me when it was revealed. I thought that was misleading and didn't allow the reader to try and solve the mystery. The ending wouldn't have been as much of a surprise if he hadn't held back those pieces of information. Perhaps that was the point but I don't think that is the best way to write a mystery. I thought the book was a bit flat (pun not intended) and bland, the ending, though I felt cheated,
helped make it a three star rating.

I would recommend his second novel Defending Jacob, much better than this one.