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Inside Out

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Detective Michael Taylor, of the Oakland PD, is the lead on a horrific serial killer case. For six weeks, he has been cleaning up mounds of the killer’s mess. Bodies of men have been found chopped up and left, skin down, for display. Michael, mysterious to many in his department, is desperate to solve this case.

Michael’s only form of stress relief, Candy, a stripper employed at a San Francisco club, begins to show genuine interest in him and they form a relationship a midst all the chaos that is Michael’s life. Between interviews and police reports, Michael makes time for her.

Candy, more commonly known as Vanessa, gets tangled in Michael's case as things unfold. A killer’s desire for retribution leaves her a victim of crime. Vanessa has to use her wit and charm to keep a killer at bay as she leaves bread crumbs for Michael to follow. The lovers must survive a serial killers plot for vengeance while practicing trust and loyalty throughout.

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 9, 2014

6 people are currently reading
110 people want to read

About the author

Tiffany Christina Lewis

13 books159 followers
Tiffany is the author of seven fiction books, two non-fiction books, and has earned publication more than a dozen times in anthologies and magazines.

She’s the queen of plotting, a full-time beta reader with a podcast to prove it, and the Editor in Chief at Rebellion LIT. Additionally, she volunteers as a Board member with WriteHive, working year round to provide free, inclusive events, programs, and resources for writers of all backgrounds. Her goal is to help as many authors with as many author-ly things as she can.

A Bay Area native, Tiffany currently lives in Sacramento, CA with her family and Miniature Pinscher.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Chase Connor.
Author 39 books316 followers
December 3, 2019
Recently, I read Tiffany Lewis' Inside Out and really enjoyed the serial killer/murder mystery. I could definitely see how Lewis was inspired by the Alex Cross series (I think) and loved how the protagonist and his love interest were not perfect characters, but fleshed out, fully-realized people. Additionally, I love how the author set the story in an area she is very familiar with, which really anchored the story in reality and gave it extra depth. Lewis will definitely go on my list of authors to watch!
Profile Image for J.C. Maine.
Author 5 books12 followers
March 13, 2021
If you're a fan of crime books, and television shows like Law & Order, this is the book for you. The author does an excellent job of describing the actions of a sadistic criminal in Oakland, CA, and the detectives that are trying to stop him. There is enough going on in this book that will keep you entertained from beginning to end. I highly recommend it!
Profile Image for Heather.
1,551 reviews9 followers
March 21, 2019
5 stars!

Tiffany Christina Lewis is a new to me author, and I’m going to start this review by telling you, The Michael Taylor series is a MUST read series. Seriously, I loved it from the first page. I read both books in one afternoon and can’t wait to read more!

The first book, Inside Out, has Detective Michael Taylor hunting a serial killer. It took me a little while to figure out Michael because he is not a cookie-cutter male character. I was a little taken aback by his obsession with a stripper, and even more so by his relationship and interaction with her. But, I liked that he wasn’t shaming in his thoughts or actions towards her for her profession. And, in this book, I liked Vanessa/Candy and I liked the two of them together. I thought she helped make Michael a little less uptight, which he needed.

Enough with relationship stuff, the more important part is the serial killer investigation! This book pulled me in from the very beginning and I was invested in Michael’s hunt to find the serial killer. Michael is able to take apart the actions of the serial killer and figure out what he believes the reason is, which leads him to a suspect. The serial killer’s motives will have people questioning if his behavior is just/unjust, especially when he’s so strongly opposed to killing someone who he doesn’t believe deserves it.

Overall, this was a great beginning to a series! I sometimes struggle with the first book in a series because it can be overwhelming, but not so with this one. The author didn’t toss everyone at us at once and slowly allowed the story to build. I thought she did a great job of giving us diverse and unexpected characters. If you enjoy thrillers/mysteries/police procedures, then this is a must read!

**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**
Profile Image for Janice Elliott-Howard.
Author 28 books5 followers
August 27, 2019
Michael Taylor is a serious detective who wants to solve a serial crime. His only outlet is a woman who captives his attention. I enjoyed the interludes the writer takes us through as Detective Taylor tries to solve the crime. The Killer is unique in his methods to execute his plans for each victim. I found myself being pleasantly surprised that I couldn’t figure out the motive beforehand. This story is a quick read with a few twist and turns. The descriptive ability of the writer is masterful. Overall, I enjoyed the story and wonder what becomes of Michael and his lady Vanessa.
Profile Image for Kelli Green.
Author 8 books22 followers
March 15, 2021
Fast paced and intriguing!

I really enjoyed this story. This is the first story I’ve read from Tiffany Christina Lewis, and I’m pleased. I really like the pacing and the flow of the story. I like getting inside various heads so that It all just goes together. I really liked both Michael and Vanessa and found their bond and gradual love story to be very realistic. I would definitely recommend this story to anyone equally interested in thriller/detective stories as well as a little sweet romance.
Author 7 books3 followers
August 7, 2020
Great read!

I read this in one sitting - I had to see how it ended! The characters were realistic and fun to get to know. I loved the banter between the main characters and several of the side characters, especially Michael's brother Max and Vanessa's friend Tina. The story is intriguing and the pacing was excellent. There's more I want to say, but would spoil it, so I won't. I rarely give 5 stars but would give this 4.5.
145 reviews3 followers
June 30, 2021
A detective in Oakland that has to solve a series of murders. Romance is found along the way with opposites personal behavior. There is a moral to the story and discussion of society. An interesting tale for sure. You feel like you’re in the midst of the action. Take a chance and read, you’ll like it.
Profile Image for Sherri Lupton Hollister.
Author 28 books363 followers
June 16, 2020
Love Detective Michael Taylor!

I love Detective Taylor, he’s a good guy in a difficult job. His relationship with stripper, Vanessa keeps him from being a a goody-good. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Profile Image for Jacob Rundle.
Author 3 books165 followers
December 25, 2018
A great thriller was written by Tiffany Christina Lewis.
The character development was great. Tiffany's imagery was encapsulating.
A really good read. I can't wait for Tiffany's next novel.
Profile Image for Leonor Bass.
Author 4 books18 followers
September 19, 2020
This books was perfect in so many waaays! I couldn't put it down. The plot was interesting, the characters were well written. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good crime story!
Profile Image for LaShanta Charles.
Author 10 books225 followers
May 24, 2014
Actual Rating – 3.8 stars

Tiffany Lewis did a magnificent job with the depth of this work even though it was actually a novella. I usually prefer full-length novels (or longer), so I wanted it to be more, but it was well written and the characters were well developed.

What I enjoyed most about this work was Tiffany’s ability to test our moral compass. While I felt I should have been extremely against what the killer was doing, his reasoning behind it gave me pause. He was a vigilante of sorts and that made me question if what he was doing was wrong or if it was actually justified.

I also enjoyed the development of the relationship between Vanessa and Michael. It would seem that it would have been extremely sexual in nature, due to the circumstances of how they knew each other, but it wasn’t and that left me pleasantly surprised. I loved that they found a “middle ground” and were able to build on that instead of letting societal norms decide how they would progress.

What I didn’t like about the work was that it was somewhat predictable. While it was developed well and the plot was thoroughly thought out, I felt that I knew what was going to happen, especially when it came to the final kidnapping. Tiffany Lewis was able to retain my attention regardless of that aspect due to the twists that occurred after the kidnapping.

While this book didn’t have me on the edge of my seat, I would definitely still recommend it as a great read that I enjoyed.
Profile Image for Joseph Samaniego.
Author 12 books11 followers
December 2, 2019
I haven't read much crime fiction. In fact this is my first but I was gripped from the beginning. The main characters, Detective Michael Taylor and Vanessa, feel genuine as does their interactions. The story itself is a good one and not forced. The pacing is good and it seems to be realistic from the stand point that investigations take time to complete and different procedures, such as identifications, take time on their own. This works for this novel because then we can see what happens in the character's lives in the meantime.
As readers we come into the story as it is happening with some events having already taken place. I love this in novels because it draws the reader into the story quicker without some the setting building that slows other novels down. We get that here as the investigation is on going and the personal relationships are already established.
Inside Out is a great crime fiction novel that not only keeps you on the edge of your seat with the crime side of the story but also with the subplot of Michael's personal life. Not to give too much away but the two plots work great within this novel!
I can't wait to see where the characters go from here and what happens in the next novel!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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