Customer Reviews

The Last Family

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A great debut novel. It was hard to put dowm. Mr Miller has written a very entertaining, action-packed, fast-paced, compelling book. The characters were great, the villain was incredibly scary and believable and Paul Masterson was great, flaws and all. I can't wait to read his next novel. A sequel would be great. I highly recommend this book if you like fast-paced action. But beware if you're squeamish.

WOW! What a great read! From start to finish this book will keep you on the edge of your seat! I could not put it down!

John Ramsey Miller has produced a fine first effort. The evil Martin Fletcher was a captivating character. The story was a page-turner, and except for some slightly flawed elements,the book is a fine example of this genre.

Now, to the flaws. The main character, Paul Masterson, was brought out of a retirement funk (physically, mentally and emotionally) too quickly. More time could have been devoted to Paul's recuperation. Also, some of the peripheral characters were hard to believe (Tod Peoples). Finally, the security used to protect the "last family" was, at times, laughable. Ten ardent fans of any television crime series could have made better plans.

Having said this, I feel as if I am being too hard on Mr. Miller. These flaws are minor and do not take too much away from a fine first effort.

The trend in fiction today seems to be in presenting protagonists who are morally flawed, sort of like Ishmael in MOBY DICK, who nonetheless rise above their shortcomings to persevere. This is what John Ramsey Miller has achieved in THE LAST FAMILY.

While certainly not on a par with SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, this novel is certainly a cut or two above the standard fare within the thriller genre, with a high, original concept and one of the best baddies since Hannibal Lecter and Lyle Pointer.

The ending, too, seemed telescoped, gotten over with, unsatisfying, which marred the whole book and largely invalidated what Mr. Miller had worked so hard to set up. The main problem I had while reading LAST FAMILY was that there was not one character in it that I liked.

However, the book has one of the best closing lines I've ever read. I'll certainly give Mr. Miller's next book a chance.

and if you read it you'll see why. It's not only suspenseful, but beautifully written with sentences that flow easily. The characters are brought to life, giving you an understanding, as well as sympathy for the family, and a hatred for Martin (the villian). The setting sets into the jigsaw puzzle, and completes the pieces to form a beautiful picture. If you adhore suspense, or just love a great story, then passing this one up would be a grave mistake. If you have read it and share the same opinion as myself, then sit tight, because his next novel, Lost and Found, is on its way.

I have read all of Miller's work and each seems to be better than the one before. His characters are realistic and his plots are believable. He knows his surroundings and the books never have slow sections. I'm a real fan.

If you are a fan of action thriller novels you likely will enjoy reading "The Last Family." Relatively standard fare here - highly flawed hero leads an elite force to hunt down a super-villain before he can murder one last family. While being very readable, author John Ramsey Miller doesn't offer anything really original (character-wise nor dialogue-wise) - nothing that you haven't read before. The plot had real possibilities but sort of fell apart as the supposed super-elusive villain gets caught in a relatively standard manner thus diluting the climatic suspense. Still, if you are looking for a good, quick read "The Last Family" wouldn't be a bad choice.

The story was griping from the first page. It takes you unto the characters lives, and just when you think you have something firured out everything changes. This may be the authors first book, I hope it won't be his last. My life was put on hold untill I turned the last page

This is a book on par with Silence of the Lambs. It is a roller coaster of a novel with real characters and a plot. As an ex DEA agent I have to say this one is right on as far as the authenticity is concerned. Miller is as good as any thriller writer to come down the pike

Was recommended by Larry King in his newspaper column as a super, fast, unbelievable read. I found it was too contrived and not even remotely reality based. Tried to be an action thriller but never got there. I couldn't wait to finish it but I sure had a tough time getting there. Thank goodness for skimming! It sure was not worth the money I spent on it The next time I read a review and tout by Larry King, I'll do some further research before buying the book. This is the author's first novel. If there is another one, it had better be better than this one. John Grisham, rest easy, your throne is still safe