“I’ll tell you. I promise.”
As Ty falls back to sleep, I look at him, and then close my eyes and begin to recite my list.
Acknowledgments
Victoria Skurnick, agent extraordinaire, thank you for your insight, expertise, and enthusiasm. And everyone at Minotaur Books, especially my fabulous editor, Kelley Ragland, for your discerning eye, and Elizabeth Lacks, for your patience and guidance.
I wrote the first draft of this book in a workshop at Grub Street. Thank you to my classmates and instructor, Sophie Powell, for the feedback and fellowship.
To my friends in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles: Joan Rater, Jenny Kane, Laurie Grotstein, Betsy Beale, Elizabeth White, Chris White, Ursula Knight, Mary Beth Long, and Sarah Ellis—I’m so grateful for your pep talks, notes, and guest rooms.
Billy Bob Thornton, thank you for listening to my stories and for sharing yours, for suggesting that I write this book, and for cheering me on along the way.
Thanks to my brother, Peter Wechsler, for your championship and counsel. And to my father, Henry Wechsler, for your unwavering encouragement, confidence, and support.
About the Author
Pamela Wechsler grew up in the Boston area and is a graduate of Tufts University and Boston University School of Law. After spending years as a criminal prosecutor at the local, state, and federal levels, she moved to Los Angeles, where she spent seven years as a legal consultant and writer for network television shows, including Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Conviction, and Canterbury’s Law. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
MISSION HILL. Copyright © 2016 by Pamela Wechsler. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by James Iacobelli
Cover photographs: columns © Paul Gooney and woman © Collaboration JS / Arcangel Images; cityscape © Shutterstock
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-07569-7 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-8713-8 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466887138
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First Edition: May 2016