Inside Out: A Novel

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.

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

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

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