Inside Dumont: A Novel in Stories

by Michael Craft

While dressing for dinner on New Year’s Eve, the last thing Marson Miles expects is to fall in love that night—with his wife’s nephew. But when Brody Norris arrives from California to join his uncle’s architectural firm, Marson finds his life turned upside down. And the quirky little town of Dumont, Wisconsin, will never be quite the same. "Inside Dumont" is a reflective exploration of Marson’s later-life journey, set against a loving portrait of the place he and Brody will call home. This impressionistic chronicle of their growing relationship—and the orbit of events leading up to it—is told from a variety of viewpoints within a fluid timeline. The novel’s dozen episodic narratives range from tender to suspenseful, from romantic to mysterious, all of them brightened with a good measure of humor.

Genres: Fiction

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 10, 2016

About the author

Michael Craft is the author of 20 published novels, four of which have been honored as finalists for Lambda Literary Awards. The first installment of his Dante & Jazz series, "Desert Getaway," was a 2023 MWA Edgars nominee for the Lilian Jackson Braun Award. The second installment, "Desert Deadline," was a Gold Winner of the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award, as was his 2019 mystery, "ChoirMaster." In addition, his prize-winning short fiction has appeared in British as well as American literary journals. Craft grew up in Illinois and spent his middle years in Wisconsin, which inspired the fictitious small-town setting of Dumont, used in many of his earlier books. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University, Los Angeles, and now lives in Rancho Mirage, California, near Palm Springs, the setting of his current Dante & Jazz mystery series. In 2017, Michael Craft's professional archives were acquired by the Special Collections Department of the Rivera Library at the University of California, Riverside. Visit the author's website at www.michaelcraft.com.

Reviews

[Alannah Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these characters


Inside Dumont was written before FlabberGassed, but I'm glad I read FlabberGassed first. FlabberGassed and the irresistible (and very mysterious) Abyssinian cat Mr. Puss drew me completely into the world of Dumont, Wisconsin. It left nothing lacking when it came to the characters, but reading Inside Dumont added an extra layer of comfort with these folks. It was like visiting with old friends and having them tell me secrets. A very enjoyable read.

[PaperMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the entire Mark Manning series (in hardback) several years ago - I was thrilled the author has resumed a new series set in the very same Wisconsin township of Dumont as the aforementioned earlier series. This series of 'vignettes' provide much needed back stories to the characters introduced in the first book of this new series FlabberGassed which reintroduces a couple of crossover characters from the Manning era. Well worth investing the reading time as it gives further depth to Brody (and Marson) in the upcoming instalments.

[Kevin L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Michael Craft continues to be my favourite author. Every book I have read from Mr Craft, always brings back memories of going to university in Wisconsin. The characters Marson, Brody( who gives a kid such a name) and Glee are the best. Also, the use of German words (erstwhile) , struck me as very interesting.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was too easy a read. The format of “overlapping stories” just led to repetition, and the characters and plot were simplistic. Glad it wasn’t longer, as I was ready for it to end.

[Le Tart · Rating 5 out of 5]

At Long Last

As a long time fan of the Manning series, I am delighted to find another example of Craft's superb work.

[Aussie54 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite liked this book, although it was hard to follow at times. Each chapter is a short story, featuring situations and characters living in Dumont, where Michael Craft's Mark Manning Mystery series is set. However, the mystery series is completely separate, and it's not necessary to have read those books before reading "Inside Dumont".

Each chapter has different narrators, telling their own stories, but the book chiefly centres around Marson Miles and his relationship with his wife's nephew, Brody Norris. The chapters aren't presented in a linear fashion and seem somewhat random, which made it hard for me to work out the characters' circumstances at times. The story telling is good, though, and I was interested enough to keep reading to see the outcome of Marson's and Brody's relationship.

I may've given this an extra star, but my Kindle edition has quite a few typographical errors, especially when italics are used. I was thrown out of the story each time, trying to work out what the incorrect word was supposed to be.

ETA: Conversion errors corrected, rating adjusted. 3.5 stars.