What do you think?
Rate this book
Wrong Town: A Mark Landry Novel
An Amazon Top 10 Best Seller in the U.S., U.K., Canada, & Australia! "I read it twice. It's that good." - Colonel D. Paquin, U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division Wrong Town fuses the worlds of special operations, counterintelligence, police work, and small-town drama into a gripping adventure full of characters with monumental responsibilities and real-life troubles. Follow thirty-nine-year-old veteran Mark Landry as he returns home, having retired from an American government black-ops unit. In a small town north of Boston with a rich history, Landry finds that the only girl he has ever loved, Luci Alvarez, is now an extraordinary policewoman at the precarious center of a community’s struggles with change, amidst a powder keg of fear and paranoia not seen since colonial times. Landry seeks to convince Officer Alvarez that he is home for good as he learns the astonishing answer to a lifelong mystery. Landry is eager to begin his new life, but events threaten to expose disturbing details of his past that would send shockwaves through the country and sabotage the only relationship he cares about. As terrorist attacks and targeted mass shootings increasingly litter American soil, two new realities come into the war on terrorism’s geographic center of gravity is shifting, and Landry’s new life is beginning to look a lot like the career he left behind. Wrong Town is the debut book of the Mark Landry Series. The second and third books, Family Matters & Turning Point, are also available for Kindle! Randall H. Miller is the author of seven books, including the Amazon Top 10 Best Selling Mark Landry series. He has a M.A. in Diplomacy (focused on International Terrorism) and a B.A. in Criminal Justice, both from Norwich University, the nation’s oldest private military college. A former soldier in the 82nd Airborne and 2nd Infantry Divisions, he researches and trains regularly in weapons and close-quarter-battle tactics alongside law enforcement and military operators. He lives in North Andover, Massachusetts.
616 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 25, 2015
234 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Randall H. Miller
13 books21 followersAuthor/Speaker/Dad
Graduate of Norwich University, the nation’s oldest private military college (B.A. in Criminal Justice; M.A. in Diplomacy with a concentration in international terrorism). U.S. Army Officer in a prior life (2nd Infantry Division, S. Korea; 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg). Stints in pharmaceuticals and high tech. Currently live in Massachusetts where I teach college, write, and worry about what the future has in store for my three-year-old son.
Graduate of Norwich University, the nation’s oldest private military college (B.A. in Criminal Justice; M.A. in Diplomacy with a concentration in international terrorism). U.S. Army Officer in a prior life (2nd Infantry Division, S. Korea; 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg). Stints in pharmaceuticals and high tech. Currently live in Massachusetts where I teach college, write, and worry about what the future has in store for my three-year-old son.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
May 11, 2016
I give Miller a lot of credit. This is a workman-like attempt at a modern suspense novel, rooted in the modern world, and it touches on a lot of current issues and topics. The problem is in the execution. At the end of the day, what this book needed more than anything else was a good editor. I don't mean to say that the book was full of grammar and spelling errors like many indie authors' works, it wasn't. But a professional editor will do more than fix spelling and grammar, and it's that next-level work that would have taken this from "meh" to excellent. Here are the problems I found with the book:
1) WAY too many POV characters. This thing had so many points of view, George RR Martin was like "dang man, that's a lot of POV characters!" About half of these people could have been relegated to the background without negatively impacting the story. The Latin King banger, the high school student, one of the neighbors--two of these could have been cut completely and one of them could have had their story easily accounted for in the POV of one of the main characters. These superfluous characters (and their chapters) added length to the book without adding value.
2) Too much of the key action happened off screen. There were at least two critical moments in the book that were merely described after they occurred. In the context of having too many POV characters, this choice made no sense. If you're going to have that many POVs, then those key moments could actually take place in the POV of the character the incident "belongs to", rather than simply being described after the action happens. Bad choice here. Both incidents I'm thinking of (no spoilers) would have been action-packed and/or interesting, and helped drive the plot, and made the POV itself more valuable. Instead, both incidents are given short shrift, a matter of a couple paragraphs related by either the POV or a secondary character, completely deflating the potential action or interest.
2A) In this vein, the book in general continually violated the author's rule of "show, don't tell". Lots of unnecessary flashbacks, lots of people telling other people what had happened, instead of just telling the reader. If you're going to write a book with 20 point of view characters, there's really no need to have so much telling and so little showing.
3) Far too many of the characters were cardboard cutouts. Landry approaches reality, and has some real depth. Luci, a little as well. Basically everyone else, from the "big bad" to the supporting cast, felt like stand-ins from a Penny Marshall rom-com.
4) For a book touted as an action or suspense novel, there was remarkably little action. This again speaks to the show vs tell principle. There's one relatively action-focused set piece in the middle of the book, and a few interrogations that lend a little verve to the narrative, but everything else kind of just plods along (sometimes in service to the plot, sometimes following a worthless POV character down a rabbit hole) until the book ends.
5) Some of the decisions made by the main character and primary supporting characters make absolutely zero sense. To avoid spoilers, I'll use an analogy: there's a primary supporting POV character who is essentially standing in the middle of a burning house, pouring gasoline all around himself and stuffing his pockets with kindling. The main character kind of just shrugs and watches him burn, without even trying to help. And the main character and the human candle are on the same side, working toward the same goal. The main character's response to the supporting character's situation make no flipping sense.
6) Several main characters are given incredibly short shrift at the end of the book. It's almost like the author just got tired and said "ok, time to wrap things up", and threw some crap against the wall. This is a direct result of some of the action happening off-page (as noted above), and also ties to number 5. There was an opportunity to do one or two really interesting things, or potentially add another action scene, that were completely ignored, much to the detriment of the book.
The result of the above is a book that was too long by at least 25%, and too boring by half. Miller has some talent as a writer, but much more polish is needed before the final result is something worth spending $10 on for an e-book (which is a ridiculously high price for a self-published indie e-book, but I guess you have to pay for all those facebook ads somehow).
1) WAY too many POV characters. This thing had so many points of view, George RR Martin was like "dang man, that's a lot of POV characters!" About half of these people could have been relegated to the background without negatively impacting the story. The Latin King banger, the high school student, one of the neighbors--two of these could have been cut completely and one of them could have had their story easily accounted for in the POV of one of the main characters. These superfluous characters (and their chapters) added length to the book without adding value.
2) Too much of the key action happened off screen. There were at least two critical moments in the book that were merely described after they occurred. In the context of having too many POV characters, this choice made no sense. If you're going to have that many POVs, then those key moments could actually take place in the POV of the character the incident "belongs to", rather than simply being described after the action happens. Bad choice here. Both incidents I'm thinking of (no spoilers) would have been action-packed and/or interesting, and helped drive the plot, and made the POV itself more valuable. Instead, both incidents are given short shrift, a matter of a couple paragraphs related by either the POV or a secondary character, completely deflating the potential action or interest.
2A) In this vein, the book in general continually violated the author's rule of "show, don't tell". Lots of unnecessary flashbacks, lots of people telling other people what had happened, instead of just telling the reader. If you're going to write a book with 20 point of view characters, there's really no need to have so much telling and so little showing.
3) Far too many of the characters were cardboard cutouts. Landry approaches reality, and has some real depth. Luci, a little as well. Basically everyone else, from the "big bad" to the supporting cast, felt like stand-ins from a Penny Marshall rom-com.
4) For a book touted as an action or suspense novel, there was remarkably little action. This again speaks to the show vs tell principle. There's one relatively action-focused set piece in the middle of the book, and a few interrogations that lend a little verve to the narrative, but everything else kind of just plods along (sometimes in service to the plot, sometimes following a worthless POV character down a rabbit hole) until the book ends.
5) Some of the decisions made by the main character and primary supporting characters make absolutely zero sense. To avoid spoilers, I'll use an analogy: there's a primary supporting POV character who is essentially standing in the middle of a burning house, pouring gasoline all around himself and stuffing his pockets with kindling. The main character kind of just shrugs and watches him burn, without even trying to help. And the main character and the human candle are on the same side, working toward the same goal. The main character's response to the supporting character's situation make no flipping sense.
6) Several main characters are given incredibly short shrift at the end of the book. It's almost like the author just got tired and said "ok, time to wrap things up", and threw some crap against the wall. This is a direct result of some of the action happening off-page (as noted above), and also ties to number 5. There was an opportunity to do one or two really interesting things, or potentially add another action scene, that were completely ignored, much to the detriment of the book.
The result of the above is a book that was too long by at least 25%, and too boring by half. Miller has some talent as a writer, but much more polish is needed before the final result is something worth spending $10 on for an e-book (which is a ridiculously high price for a self-published indie e-book, but I guess you have to pay for all those facebook ads somehow).
September 17, 2017
Superficial, but engaging. Perfect airplane fare.
March 4, 2017
I'm not one to write reviews, but happy to put in a word for an aspiring writer. I'm a big fan of Jason Bourne, Will Robbie and Jack Reacher characters. The author mixes several of these characters into Mark Landry. Wrong Town mixes many different twists while still keeping the reader engaged and brings them all together in a typical hero ending. I look forward to many more in this series. Keep them coming Randal H. Miller!
February 9, 2016
Good read
I am picky about what I read and I gave this 5 stars because it deserves it. The familiar story of the dedicated, sacrificial, special ops agent was told in an interesting way. Plot twists and turns with a great lead into the next book in the series. Good job!
I am picky about what I read and I gave this 5 stars because it deserves it. The familiar story of the dedicated, sacrificial, special ops agent was told in an interesting way. Plot twists and turns with a great lead into the next book in the series. Good job!
Want to read
June 22, 2016According to amazon June 2016 it's the best thriller series in years.
July 11, 2019
Wow! This is a really good FIRST novel. And I picked it up after reading the Mark Landry sequel after a Facebook recommendation by another author I really like. (Mark Greany). As a young author, Miller has done a wonderful job telling a main story, with multiple story lines weaving in and out. And of course always great with Special Operations veterans are thrown into clash with evil, in this case terrorists. The characters are very interesting. A great balance between the needs of security running into individual freedoms - the clash made very complicated by cyber hackers and political correctness. The story moves along very fast.l The book is very hard to put down - so don't start if you have a hard work week ahead. This author will be appreciated by readers who like my favorite action-thriller authors like Jason Kasper, Tim Tigner, Brad Thor, Mark Greany, and Vince Flynn.
November 13, 2017
Part of how I judge a book is how easy it is to put down while I'm in the middle of reading it. I found myself quite able to put this one down several times before finishing. It's ok, but I've read much better. I was almost halfway through when I had the thought that nothing had really happened in it yet, whereas Jack Reacher would already have kicked some major ass. It got better after the halfway point, but suffered from sloppy writing and plotting. I won't feel the need to continue in this series.
May 10, 2019
Very good
I really enjoyed the story but it took too long to get into story. On the other had once you are in it was hard to put down. Also the closeness to times today was frightening but an eye opener. Finally the ending came from nowhere. I actually went back twice to be sure I didn’t miss a chapter. Still good and yes I will read his new one. God Bless
I really enjoyed the story but it took too long to get into story. On the other had once you are in it was hard to put down. Also the closeness to times today was frightening but an eye opener. Finally the ending came from nowhere. I actually went back twice to be sure I didn’t miss a chapter. Still good and yes I will read his new one. God Bless
September 16, 2017
Loved the book, but the devil's in the details
Let me start by saying I greatly enjoyed the book and plan on reading the next installment. That being said, some items made me want to shake my head.
Let me start by saying I greatly enjoyed the book and plan on reading the next installment. That being said, some items made me want to shake my head.
January 14, 2018
Slow start, finishes strong.
The book started tool slow for the debut of a new series in their genre. I had to work to get through it. It is well written with good editing, and finishes with good enough action to prompt me to buy the next one.
The book started tool slow for the debut of a new series in their genre. I had to work to get through it. It is well written with good editing, and finishes with good enough action to prompt me to buy the next one.
August 4, 2018
Best read in a long time.
This new guy is very good at writing. Great character development, believable action, and a little of the unexpected. Mark Landry books are now a must read for me.
This new guy is very good at writing. Great character development, believable action, and a little of the unexpected. Mark Landry books are now a must read for me.
January 16, 2019
Very good
This is the first time that I've read any of his books.This book definitely fits in with the times we live in. It was fast paced and kept me wanting to keep reading.Would definitely recommend.
This is the first time that I've read any of his books.This book definitely fits in with the times we live in. It was fast paced and kept me wanting to keep reading.Would definitely recommend.
April 21, 2019
Very impressed with Randall H. Miller. Next book is on the way. Credible plot with characters you can relate to. Will follow this series without a doubt. Anxious to see how Mark Landry’s character develops.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2017
Landry saves the day
Mark Landry.saves the day again. Nicely crafted, quick, precise action. Credible tech tho not so much as to stop the action. Well done work.
Mark Landry.saves the day again. Nicely crafted, quick, precise action. Credible tech tho not so much as to stop the action. Well done work.
August 29, 2017
On the edge of your seat exciting. Great characters, perfect tempo and enough twists and turns to satisfy any thrill seeker!
February 27, 2019
Not a bad opening to a series... unexpected twists and turns... surprising ending... looking forward to the next book...
April 6, 2019
An excellent read!
Well written. Fast paced and cerebral enough to keep you guessing. I am a fan and look forward to more.
Well written. Fast paced and cerebral enough to keep you guessing. I am a fan and look forward to more.
April 30, 2019
Fair read
Only a fair book. Could have been much better. Seemed to be an introduction to further books but pretty weak as a stand alone work.
Only a fair book. Could have been much better. Seemed to be an introduction to further books but pretty weak as a stand alone work.
May 13, 2019
exceptionally well writtten
June 23, 2019
Fantastic book
Characters and the plot are great. So reminiscent of the times we are going thru now and kinda scary... cause it is prett realistic.
Characters and the plot are great. So reminiscent of the times we are going thru now and kinda scary... cause it is prett realistic.
September 12, 2020
OMG, AWESOME!!!
December 23, 2016
Good thriller...
This book is a modern thriller,using terrorism that we could see in our headlines today in a plot that keeps you turning pages. It took me awhile to get into the story,but once I did I really enjoyed the writing. The main character,Mark Landry,is a Black Ops specialist who is ready to retire,but things keep happening that he can't turn away from. His girlfriend Lucia is a police officer in the town he was brought up. This makes the story a real combination of romance,suspense,special ops and law enforcement. I look forward to reading the next by this author.
This book is a modern thriller,using terrorism that we could see in our headlines today in a plot that keeps you turning pages. It took me awhile to get into the story,but once I did I really enjoyed the writing. The main character,Mark Landry,is a Black Ops specialist who is ready to retire,but things keep happening that he can't turn away from. His girlfriend Lucia is a police officer in the town he was brought up. This makes the story a real combination of romance,suspense,special ops and law enforcement. I look forward to reading the next by this author.
November 10, 2016
I immensely enjoyed reading this 1st Mark Landry novel, a novel that involves many sub-plots. The ending (last few chapters), however, is confusing and leaves a number of issues (sub-plots) not solved, dropped completely, or ended with out explanation.
Wrong Town deals with the life of Mark Landry. The sub-plots involve chapters dealing with his adopted Mother and early life; his quandry about retiring from his 'black-ops career and returning to his boyhood home in Massachusetts; finding the truth about his real parents; his falling in love with a minority policewoman; his dealings with 2 neighbors: one an alcoholic and the other a strange computer hacker; minority gang members living in his town; and a terrorist incident and threat in his town; and his dealings with the local police and a possibly corrupt cop.
It is fascinating reading. I was left, however, wondering a number of things at the end that played major parts of the story, but were never satisfactorily dealt with in the end.
I believe this was Randall Miller's first novel and that he was his own publisher. If he were able to hook up with a major publisher, this type of problem would probably not occur.
Of course, it is possible that some of these issues may be further explored in his 2nd Mark Landry novel.
Wrong Town deals with the life of Mark Landry. The sub-plots involve chapters dealing with his adopted Mother and early life; his quandry about retiring from his 'black-ops career and returning to his boyhood home in Massachusetts; finding the truth about his real parents; his falling in love with a minority policewoman; his dealings with 2 neighbors: one an alcoholic and the other a strange computer hacker; minority gang members living in his town; and a terrorist incident and threat in his town; and his dealings with the local police and a possibly corrupt cop.
It is fascinating reading. I was left, however, wondering a number of things at the end that played major parts of the story, but were never satisfactorily dealt with in the end.
I believe this was Randall Miller's first novel and that he was his own publisher. If he were able to hook up with a major publisher, this type of problem would probably not occur.
Of course, it is possible that some of these issues may be further explored in his 2nd Mark Landry novel.
February 8, 2017
Wrong town
Very good read, this is first book my Mr Miller I have read. Plot taken from today's headlines. Mark is a very believable character as well as Luci. Shows the closeness of a small town . sorry I have not read the other books. But am looking forward to Family Business coming in March.
Very good read, this is first book my Mr Miller I have read. Plot taken from today's headlines. Mark is a very believable character as well as Luci. Shows the closeness of a small town . sorry I have not read the other books. But am looking forward to Family Business coming in March.
April 2, 2016
Danger in a Small Town
Mark Landry returns to his hometown, where he was adopted and raised by Agnes Landry and mentored by Father Peck. After his last mission, he has to decide if he'll return working as a covert operator or is it time to retire. Although he does not know what he'll do for work, he does have a love interest in Luci, the girl from his childhood. Then, terrorists set off a bomb on Founders Field in this small town and Mark has to take action. A reasonably good story! A little complicated with lots going on!
Mark Landry returns to his hometown, where he was adopted and raised by Agnes Landry and mentored by Father Peck. After his last mission, he has to decide if he'll return working as a covert operator or is it time to retire. Although he does not know what he'll do for work, he does have a love interest in Luci, the girl from his childhood. Then, terrorists set off a bomb on Founders Field in this small town and Mark has to take action. A reasonably good story! A little complicated with lots going on!
August 25, 2017
I listened to the audible version of this book. First purchased because it kept appearing as something "I might like" and then because it was set in a town north of Boston that I recognized and grew up not far from. I loved it. Well written. Dynamite characters I could really care about - not just the main character, but the guy with the ailing dad and the close to retirement cop with the alcohol problem and the girl. Kept me sitting in the seat of the car even after I'd arrived because I just HAD to know what was coming next. I can't wait for another by this author.
February 19, 2016
The Right Place for the Wrong Town
Randall H. Miller is a gifted story teller. Wrong Town kept my interest peaked from the first page to the last. Mark Landry is an interesting hero, a shadow warrior in the battle against evil, often working outside the lines.
Do yourself a favor and take time to read this book. It's taken from today's headlines and is a tale of events that could happen in any of our towns.
I enjoyed reading Wrong Town and I'm sure you will too.
Randall H. Miller is a gifted story teller. Wrong Town kept my interest peaked from the first page to the last. Mark Landry is an interesting hero, a shadow warrior in the battle against evil, often working outside the lines.
Do yourself a favor and take time to read this book. It's taken from today's headlines and is a tale of events that could happen in any of our towns.
I enjoyed reading Wrong Town and I'm sure you will too.
March 28, 2016
ExcellentI loved every minute of it. Great characters with character and a theme needed today. Some folks don't understand they are really out to kill us. Maybe this story Weill cause them to think and maybe even believe. Fear is not enough. We have to be ready. That only comes from making a decision. Thanks for the read. Looking forward to your next one. And, if interested, maybe you could read my books on kindle and paperback. I think you'd enjoy them. (Mike Patterson)
March 28, 2016
Fast paced thriller..
At first the number of very diverse characters was confusing me, but Miller bullied all the strings together and tied them up nicely. I enjoyed the plot, but the potential for reality is scary.
I am looking forward to reading more Mark Landry novels. I want to see if he can stay out if trouble or if he will need a signed letter from God to get out of the next scrape.
At first the number of very diverse characters was confusing me, but Miller bullied all the strings together and tied them up nicely. I enjoyed the plot, but the potential for reality is scary.
I am looking forward to reading more Mark Landry novels. I want to see if he can stay out if trouble or if he will need a signed letter from God to get out of the next scrape.
May 29, 2016
Great read. Great characters and plot. Flowed well and kept my interest. I'm a tough sell on books of this nature. I'm very critical and prefer authenticity in law enforcement / military / intelligence subject matter. I have a lot of books that I've only made it through 1/3 before I toss. This book kept me glued, interested and anticipating the next chapter. I really enjoyed this. I would highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews