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 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.