Customer Reviews

Inside Out (Winter Massey)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You might remember a book from 1996 titled THE LAST FAMILY, John Ramsey Miller's debut novel. Miller, a journalist and photographer of some renown, had a winner on his hands. A fast-paced thriller dealing with retribution and rough justice, THE LAST FAMILY left its readers wanting more. It was published to critical and popular acclaim, and more and even greater things were expected from Miller. Readers waited. And waited. And waited. It appeared as if Miller had retired. Fortunately, that was not the case.

INSIDE OUT introduces U.S. Marshal Winter Massey, a somewhat unassuming gentleman who attempts to balance the twin duties of job and single parenthood while keeping his priorities straight. At the beginning of the novel, Massey is reluctantly inducted into a team assigned to protect Dylan Devlin, a contract killer who is taking a turn as a Federal witness against Sam Manelli, possibly the last of the old-school gangsters. Manelli's reach doesn't stop at his cell bars; knowing that Devlin's life is the only thing that stands between him and his freedom, Manelli arranges a contract hit on Devlin. The resulting carnage leaves the government's case in a shambles, and the reputation and life of Greg Nations, Massey's best friend, tarnished.

But the contract is not quite complete. Devlin's beautiful wife Sean escaped the hit as the result of Massey's intervention. She apparently was blissfully unaware of her husband's occupation, yet she too is now the target of a group of seemingly omnipresent assassins. Meanwhile, Massey is attempting to salvage Nations's reputation, despite orders from his superior to the contrary.

He soon learns that all of what has happened --- the contract on Devlin, the apparent culpability of Nations --- is minor compared to a major clandestine operation being carried out by a shadowy organization that answers to no one but itself. Massey quickly finds himself alone, unable to trust anyone, with only his wits and talent to guide him through a labyrinthine puzzle where the first misstep will mean death not only for himself, but also for his loved ones.

Readers who fondly remember THE LAST FAMILY will find INSIDE OUT to be well worth the long wait. Massey is a believable hero, one who is a balance of lethal talents and real-world compassion. More importantly, Miller is a first-rate author, plotting and writing with a muscular confidence that draws the reader in almost from the first page while slowly weaving layers of intricacy around what initially appears to be a deceptively simple plot. Readers who become addicted to Massey will not have to wait long for another dose --- UPSIDE DOWN, a second Winter Massey novel, will be published in late June 2005, with yet a third, SIDE BY SIDE, scheduled for publication in the fall. Clear your calendar now, and jump on board.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

There are a couple ways of reading Miller's INSIDE OUT, as a great novel with multiple sub-sub-plots, or as a great novel with one big complicated (but not too complex) plot. Either way this is one heck of an enjoyable thriller.

Winter Massey is an United States Deputy Marshal, who after a phone call from long standing friend Greg Nations, expands his specialty from tracking down fugitives to working a Witness Security detail for assassin Dylan Devlin and his lovely wife Sean. Dylan was a contract killer for Sam a godfather type figure in the New Orleans Mob, hence the need for protection. However even some of the best marshals fail to protect the target, leading a reader to think oh oh end of story...Wrong after Dylan is hit the real action/intrique begins.

Miller does an excellent job building the principle characters into people a reader wishes to get to know better, and luckily this is the first of a projected Winter Massey trilogy.
Winter is a complex widower whose son is blinded in the plane accident that killed his wife. Rush is a very likable boy as well, and Miller paints a teasing glimpse of what it must be like to be a young person that is "handicapped" with loss of sight. Rush and Lydia, Winter's mother are both intricite pieces to a plot whose focus is largely around family.

This novel is virtually non-stop action, that would make an excellent movie as well as the casting is right and the actors do not overly play their roles. There are stereotypes in this book which is one of the reason it recieved 4 stars instead of five. Overall a great read anytime but I would credit the publishers for releasing the first entry when they did as it really seems with the action and pacing to be a custom made beach read.

John Ramsey Miller's first novel, THE LAST FAMILY was an amazing suspense thriller and I waited patiently for another offering. I'd heard rumors of a new Miller novel for the past several years, and I was delighted to find out that he had three novels being released in six months. The main character is a US Marshal, Winter Massey, a single father raising a blind 13 year-old son.

I bought and devoured INSIDE OUT in one sitting (here comes the sun time), and over the course of the next weeks read it over again slowly to savor it. All of Miller's plot twists were intelligent and unexpected and just when I knew I had things figured out, Mr. Miller jerked the rug from under me. His books move at the speed of fright, but he develops his characters so they feel like real people. Miller's style is crisp and there is not a wasted word or a word too many. My only disappointment was that the story ended. Don't get me wrong; the ending was dead-on and wholly satisfying, but I was left wishing I could follow the characters beyond the last chapter. Well, I was able to do just that. The second book in the series, UPSIDE DOWN, was even better and took up with the Masseys a few months later. I was able to rejoin the characters I had grown to care about in the first book and follow the perils of the most amazing young girl in modern fiction. On Aguust 28th I intend to be reading my copy of the final book in the series, SIDE BY SIDE, and I know it will be wonderful.
...And then the wait begins for the next dose of Miller

Dylan Devlin is driving around New Orleans when he gets in a car accident and his trunk pops open, spilling out the bodies of two men he murdered on orders of Sam Manelli, a former Mafiosi who has gone legitimate. Sam bequeathed his illegal enterprises to his second-in-command Johnny Russo. Devlin, who has killed over a dozen men on Manelli's orders, makes a deal with the federal prosecutor and is taken into protective custody.

Dylan is taken to Rook Island off the coast of North Carolina and his wife Sean is brought to him. Federal Marshal Winter Massey is assigned to watch them along with other U.S. Marshals, but a group of men find out Dylan's location and kills everyone on the island except for Sean and Winter, who survive until help arrives. Sean goes into hiding knowing that Sam is looking for her and Winter is kidnapped by the head of a black ops agency with links to the Rock Island fiasco. Both Sean and Winter are targets and it will take a miracle to outwit their enemies who want them dead.

John Ramsey Miller, author of THE LAST FAMILY, has written a compelling and exciting action thriller starring a likeable protagonist, a widower raising his blind son who still misses his wife who died in the same accident that injured their son. Winters is attracted to Sean and goes beyond the call of duty to make sure he is safe. Be on the lookout for UPSIDE DOWN which continues the adventures of Winter coming next month.

Harriet Klausner

I looked forward to this book with great anticipation, but ultimately was somewhat disappointed.

The plot twists and turns were not presented all that clearly, thereby making the story difficult to follow in some places. In some cases, I found that I had to go back to previous chapters to remember who was who and the context of their connection(s) to the characters in the current chapter I was reading.

The author did not always indicate what the abbreviations he was using stood for, which would have been very helpful.

Also, I did not quite *get* one of the revelations at the end; I won't say what this is so as not to give away anything to people who may be reading this review prior to reading the actual book!

John Ramsey Miller rocks. His plots twist and turn, zig and zag. His pacing is whip-smart. His characters are intelligent and believable, and his powers of description formidable.

Very good. I read two of his books in one weekend. I am waiting to get the third Winter Massey book from my mom. They are excellent.

Fast paced, tightly plotted, and filled with non-stereotypical characters. Thrillers don't get better than this. If you liked 'Last Family', you'll love 'Inside Out'.

This was a pretty good but sometimes confusing novel. I just finished reading and all I can think of is how confusing it was at times. I just wasn't as satisfied as I was with this author's previous effort (The Last Family..totally awesome read). That being said, I did like the Massey character and look forward to reading what comes next with him. I just hope it doesn't leave me scratching my head.

This was the first book I read by the author John Ramsey Miller. I was pleasantly surprised. The hero/main character of the story is a U.S. Marshall who is still grieving the loss of his wife. He's then forced into protecting a mob assassin turned federal witness and his naive wife, all the while fending off other killers who he has no idea how they have found him on a supposedly "safe" island. The reader ends up joining him in wondering who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. Good read.