In this page-turner Abby wants to find out who murdered her colleague and former boyfriend outside a bar in Jamaica Plain. Meanwhile, she takes over his prosecution of a despicable and violent criminal for a drive-by shooting that killed one and maimed others. Questions of professional impropriety and corruption emerge, adding to the danger Abby faces, and at the same time she is trying to understand her relationship to a thoughtful saxophone musician. This is a quick and enjoyable read, with satisfying surprises and resolutions. ( )

Excellent Boston-based police procedural by a writer for Law and Order. If you love L&O, you'll enjoy Mission Hill, and I guess the converse is true. I thought this was a very well-written police procedural with a special depth in its portrayal of relationships - romantic, family, and work. A fine addition to the Boston based Lehane/Parker/Barnes (Carlotta Carlyle, give them a try) canon. ( )

Mission Hill is Pamela Wechsler's debut novel.

This first novel in a planned series introduces us to Abby Endicott, Chief of the Boston DA's Homicide Unit.

Abby is a bit of rebel - she's tough, wealthy, but prefers to work for a living, she butts heads with the higher ups, feels rules are made to broken and her personal life is, well, let's say - unsettled and complicated. I think she's an interesting protagonist - I like that I couldn't predict her actions, reactions or the path she would take. She's not warm and fuzzy and I didn't agree with or like all of her choices, but she's intriguing. I'll be curious to see where Wechsler takes her in future books.

When she's called out to Boston's latest homicide, Abby's personal and work lives collide. Wechsler has crafted a good plot, incorporating murder, lies, corruption, gangs, courtroom drama running parallel with a personal plotline.

Wechsler is herself a lawyer and worked as a criminal prosecutor for fifteen years. That insider knowledge gives credence to her plot and characters. Her descriptions of time and place are excellent as well, drawn again from personal knowledge. Wechsler has also worked as a legal consultant and writer for television dramas. I did find that the action in the final chapters read more like a script with short staccato sentences. I just didn't find myself caught up and drawn into the drama of the closing scenes, though I thought I should be.

That being said, I think Mission Hill is a good first book. The groundwork has been laid in regards to players and settings. Wechsler is currently at work on the second Abby Endicott novel - I look forward to her next case ( )

Mission Hill is the first book in a new series about Abby Endicott, a district attorney in Boston prosecuting homicide cases. It's also Pamela Wechsler's debut novel and very well written. The author's extensive experience of working within the legal system is obvious. Mission Hill is quite an intense legal thriller with a plot that becomes more and more complex involving murder, gangs, betrayal and corruption, and it's all very, very personal for Abby. It was a genuine page turner and I really enjoyed it.
I'm a bit torn about my feelings about Abby. I guess she's kind of the perfect flawed character. She's incredibly determined when it comes to her job and getting justice for victims. She also seems to be oblivious and totally comfortable when it comes to telling lies or maybe just hiding some facts. She does it to everyone, her boy-friend, her family, her colleagues. But there is also a very vulnerable side to her, and at times, she has quite a good dry sense of humor. So all in all, she's very intriguing.
I am looking forward to reading more about Abby, her complicated relationships with her family and the men in her life as well as the cases she is working on.
Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for my ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. ( )

Rich girl Abby Endicott has chosen to work as an ADA in Boston rather than make mega-bucks in private law. The homicide cases she has prosecuted haunt her. She is wealthy so does not need the money though her parents threaten to remove her allowance if she does not toe their line. Abby is not always likable but she is motivated by the need to see justice done and is willing to go out of her way to achieve that end.

In the very beginning her friend and one-time-lover is murdered as he is about to begin a murder trial. Was he killed by the man on trial’s friends or for another reason entirely? Abby takes over the case, seeks justice and in her quest she also uncovers more than she expected – enough to be life threatening to more than one person in the story.

As a debut novel I found this story well written. It kept me interested from beginning to end. It introduced a number of characters that will no doubt return in future books in the series. I look forward to finding out how Abby will move forward as a person and as a lawyer in future books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for the copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review. ( )