John Ramsey Miller's The Last Family is one of the most engaging thrillers I've read in a long time. Featuring a bad guy as cold-blooded as they come, and a good guy as flawed as they come, the action and suspense never let up for a minute.

Basic Plot

Martin Fletcher wants revenge. In the worst possible way. A few years back he was framed for a crime and sent to prison. Don't feel bad for him though. Although he was framed for this particular crime, his list of past crimes was huge; the frame-up was just a means to a very justifiable end, as far as most folks were concerned. Now Fletcher's escaped from prison and looking for revenge against those who turned against him. What's the best revenge? Not killing them, that would be too quick. Instead, kill off their family members, one by one.

Now there's only one family left on Fletcher's list.

Paul Masterson was the brains behind the framing. During the raid, innocent lives were lost, and Paul was left crippled - emotionally and physically. Unable to cope with his mangled life, he's taken off to live as a recluse in the mountains of Montana. But now that Fletcher's ready to check off the last family from his list, Paul must come out of hiding, and do what he can, to protect his family.

The Characters

What makes this book so hard to put down, is the depth of the characters. Fletcher is the worst kind of bad guy, there's no doubt. But we get to learn about his childhood, and although it doesn't justify his choices as an adult, at least we can understand, a little bit, what went wrong in his life. I dislike books that present us with evil-doers, without giving us a hint of their motivations. Sometimes it's nothing more than greed. In this case, it's far more complex: a psychological breakdown following a nightmare childhood.

Similarly, we are told what makes Paul think and act the way he does. While it's hard for me to understand a man abandoning his wife and kids simply because he was crippled, in fact, it goes quite a bit deeper than that. The author tries very hard to get us to understand that Paul's sense of guilt over the innocent lives lost during the raid, leaves him feeling "undeserving" of happiness. While I think I would make other choices for myself in that situation, at least we're given Paul's reasons for his choices.

Not For The Squeamish

This book wants to present a BAD guy, and it does so. Without holding anything back. Since Fletcher's plan is to torture his victims by killing off their families, you can expect to read about some very violent and very sad murders. Children, wives, mothers, etc. No one is safe from Fletcher. After all, revenge against his enemies wouldn't be complete if a loved one were spared. Although it sounds cruel to admit, I admire the book for going as far as it does. Since it's fiction, I'm completely OK with going to those violent extremes for the sake of the story. Others might find this type of story too violent, too extreme, leaving a bad taste in their mouths. If you choose to read this book, don't say I didn't warn you.

Overall

I enjoyed this book for what it is - a tale of revenge. With characters I can understand (even if I don't like them) and non-stop action, this one was hard to put down. Recommended for those who enjoy thrillers, if you can take the violence.


Recommended: Yes