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The Last Family
Martin Fletcher wants revenge...and knows how to take it. Once an elite, drug strike force agent, Fletcher was framed by colleagues who knew he was feeding information to the drug cartels--framed and sent to prison. Vowing revenge, he escaped and began to kill, one by one, the families of those he blamed. And the man he blames most is Paul Masterson.
Once Paul Masterson was the best at what he did. Then two young agents were killed saving his life in a drug raid that left Paul maimed and half-blinded. Shattered by guilt, he left his job and family for the mountains of Montana, where he has lived in his own prison of silence.
Now the family Paul has not seen in six years is Martin Fletcher's final target--the last family. And Paul Masterson, who for six years has lacked the courage to see the people he loves most in the world, must face them again. He must create a foolproof safety net around their New Orleans home--all the while using his wife and children to lure an inhuman predator. And to prevail he must rediscover the fierce instinct to survive that once made him Martin Fletcher's match.
Once Paul Masterson was the best at what he did. Then two young agents were killed saving his life in a drug raid that left Paul maimed and half-blinded. Shattered by guilt, he left his job and family for the mountains of Montana, where he has lived in his own prison of silence.
Now the family Paul has not seen in six years is Martin Fletcher's final target--the last family. And Paul Masterson, who for six years has lacked the courage to see the people he loves most in the world, must face them again. He must create a foolproof safety net around their New Orleans home--all the while using his wife and children to lure an inhuman predator. And to prevail he must rediscover the fierce instinct to survive that once made him Martin Fletcher's match.
383 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1996
15 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 12, 2018
I’ve finally found it!!!! Years ago a man I didn’t know. It was like a friend to my friends boyfriend. They aren’t together anymore. Lived in the middle of no where pretty much. First time I saw a handheld gun. Freaked me out. I was surprised by its weight. Off topic here. Lol Anyway I was on edge being there. He handed me this book and told me to read it. I think I borrowed it but that all ended shortly after so I dunno. But! I will never forget this book. Maybe it was the creepiness leading up to reading the book. I don’t know. It starts off horrifying. I was in utter shock. 😱😱😱 I was like what the f just happened!!! This was way out of my genres but it wasn’t bad. It has a Stephen King feel to me. Boundary pushing. I remember enough of it but I don’t want to spoil anything. Decent thriller. Could be a good movie if done right. So happy I found it. I looked and looked for YEARS!!! Oh technology. I love you. Actually I almost missed it. I thought wow this book sounds so similar but I don’t think it’s it. Then I read descriptions more in depth and it was a-HA! 👆🏻 I got it!!!! Yay!!! My life is now complete. Lol
December 19, 2024
This genuinely felt like I was reading an episode of criminal minds I was so stressed out but also couldn’t put it down. Also it got me the surprise character wasn’t who I thought it was so slay
December 22, 2009
Some real nice twist & turns, in this story of revenge.
June 12, 2020
Usually I find these types of books hard to follow and there are so many characters it could get confusing. Yes, there were a lot of characters in this book but for the most part I was able to follow this intense and jam packed thriller.
Paul Masterson, who worked for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), has been hiding out for six years in a cabin in Montana. He was badly scarred and wounded from a shoot out where others were killed but a Martin Fletcher is still alive, an escapee from prison, and out to kill families of the DEA agents. I’m still not quite 100% sure why Fletcher wanted to kill everyone’s family (even though it was explained several times throughout) but it made sense when I read it and we all got the gist that this guy is bad. After killing DEA Rainey Lee’s two children and wife, there is one last family left alive, that of Paul Masterson. Joe McLean and Thorne Greer from the Justice Department visit Paul in Montana because they need Paul’s help to get Fletcher. Paul agrees.
From this point on, task forces are set up to watch Martin’s mother, Eve, in North Carolina and Paul’s family in New Orleans. The task force following Eve’s every move for quite some time makes it to when she goes on a plane to visit Martin in Miami. But she gets off before the plane takes off, goes back inside the airport, and unbeknownst to her through her son’s planning, is exploded when she opens a locker with a key gotten out of a phone receiver. The task force taking care of Paul’s family isn’t perfect either, since the kids figure out they’re being followed and Erin the teenage daughter sneaks away thinking she’ll meet up with a boy. But when Paul visits to see how things are going, they agree it would be safer to be on Laura’s (Paul’s ex-wife) boyfriend’s boat. Reid Dietrich is actually someone else, another part of the story I didn’t fully understand. He’s been hired by the DEA acting director to kill Martin? But that never happens since he’s actually killed by Martin when he and his partner, Kurt Steiner, get on the boat.
Once Martin and Kurt are on the boat a lot of killing happens, Erin actually is able to escape, and then Martin drives the boat away after bombing everything in the harbor. Paul catches up to the boat with his cronies, gets shot, but manages to shoot Martin with his “007” cane. Of course that didn’t kill him, and Paul ends up in the water. Rainey Lee in the meantime, just wants revenge for Martin killing his family. He’s in a cigar speed boat and rams into the boat with Martin on it. That’s the end of that. I guess it’s a good thing this wasn’t the ocean because Paul is spotted by his son floating in the water and is saved. All in all, an exciting book I would recommend for those who like this kind of book. Even though it was published in 1996 it didn’t seem dated or “old.”
Paul Masterson, who worked for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), has been hiding out for six years in a cabin in Montana. He was badly scarred and wounded from a shoot out where others were killed but a Martin Fletcher is still alive, an escapee from prison, and out to kill families of the DEA agents. I’m still not quite 100% sure why Fletcher wanted to kill everyone’s family (even though it was explained several times throughout) but it made sense when I read it and we all got the gist that this guy is bad. After killing DEA Rainey Lee’s two children and wife, there is one last family left alive, that of Paul Masterson. Joe McLean and Thorne Greer from the Justice Department visit Paul in Montana because they need Paul’s help to get Fletcher. Paul agrees.
From this point on, task forces are set up to watch Martin’s mother, Eve, in North Carolina and Paul’s family in New Orleans. The task force following Eve’s every move for quite some time makes it to when she goes on a plane to visit Martin in Miami. But she gets off before the plane takes off, goes back inside the airport, and unbeknownst to her through her son’s planning, is exploded when she opens a locker with a key gotten out of a phone receiver. The task force taking care of Paul’s family isn’t perfect either, since the kids figure out they’re being followed and Erin the teenage daughter sneaks away thinking she’ll meet up with a boy. But when Paul visits to see how things are going, they agree it would be safer to be on Laura’s (Paul’s ex-wife) boyfriend’s boat. Reid Dietrich is actually someone else, another part of the story I didn’t fully understand. He’s been hired by the DEA acting director to kill Martin? But that never happens since he’s actually killed by Martin when he and his partner, Kurt Steiner, get on the boat.
Once Martin and Kurt are on the boat a lot of killing happens, Erin actually is able to escape, and then Martin drives the boat away after bombing everything in the harbor. Paul catches up to the boat with his cronies, gets shot, but manages to shoot Martin with his “007” cane. Of course that didn’t kill him, and Paul ends up in the water. Rainey Lee in the meantime, just wants revenge for Martin killing his family. He’s in a cigar speed boat and rams into the boat with Martin on it. That’s the end of that. I guess it’s a good thing this wasn’t the ocean because Paul is spotted by his son floating in the water and is saved. All in all, an exciting book I would recommend for those who like this kind of book. Even though it was published in 1996 it didn’t seem dated or “old.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2025
From the very first page, The Last Family propels you into a dark and gripping world of vengeance, guilt, and one final reckoning. Martin Fletcher was once an elite drug-strike agent; betrayed and imprisoned, he escapes and begins a cold and methodical campaign of retribution against the families of those who wronged him. Meanwhile, Paul Masterson — severely wounded, scarred, estranged — has been hiding from both his past and the evil that knows exactly where to find him.
What unfolds is a relentless, high-stakes game of cat and mouse in which Miller delivers the kind of tension that kept me up late, unwilling to put the book down. The premise, though familiar in its hero-vs-villain framework, takes a satisfying twist by turning the hunted into the protector — the “last family” becomes the trap.
Why it earned five stars for me:
Uncompromising suspense. The scenes are vivid, brutal, and emotionally charged; Miller doesn’t shy away from the consequences of violence and betrayal, which gives the story a raw authenticity.
Compelling characters. Paul’s fall from strength and his internal battle to protect the ones he loves make him deeply sympathetic. Fletcher, monstrous though he is, is horrifyingly credible. Together they elevate what could have been a routine thriller into a story of survival, redemption, and moral reckoning.
No filler — page after page of momentum. From hidden cabin retreats in the mountains to the chaos of protecting a family under siege, the pacing is taut, and the stakes feel real. The “final showdown” doesn’t just happen; it builds relentlessly.
Heart beneath the carnage. Beyond the kill-count and the cat-and-mouse thrills lies the pain of broken families, of guilt, and the lengths one will go to save or avenge loved ones. Paul’s journey in particular gives the story depth and emotional weight.
If I have one caveat, it’s that at times the supporting cast becomes a little sprawling, and the sheer number of moving parts could challenge readers who prefer leaner plots. But for anyone who loves a full-tilt thriller with strong emotional undercurrents, The Last Family hits the mark and then some.
Bottom line: A masterful thriller that delivers adrenaline, pathos, and a sense of real danger. Highly recommended for fans of gritty vengeance stories, and for anyone who wants to be both terrified and emotionally invested. A solid five stars.
What unfolds is a relentless, high-stakes game of cat and mouse in which Miller delivers the kind of tension that kept me up late, unwilling to put the book down. The premise, though familiar in its hero-vs-villain framework, takes a satisfying twist by turning the hunted into the protector — the “last family” becomes the trap.
Why it earned five stars for me:
Uncompromising suspense. The scenes are vivid, brutal, and emotionally charged; Miller doesn’t shy away from the consequences of violence and betrayal, which gives the story a raw authenticity.
Compelling characters. Paul’s fall from strength and his internal battle to protect the ones he loves make him deeply sympathetic. Fletcher, monstrous though he is, is horrifyingly credible. Together they elevate what could have been a routine thriller into a story of survival, redemption, and moral reckoning.
No filler — page after page of momentum. From hidden cabin retreats in the mountains to the chaos of protecting a family under siege, the pacing is taut, and the stakes feel real. The “final showdown” doesn’t just happen; it builds relentlessly.
Heart beneath the carnage. Beyond the kill-count and the cat-and-mouse thrills lies the pain of broken families, of guilt, and the lengths one will go to save or avenge loved ones. Paul’s journey in particular gives the story depth and emotional weight.
If I have one caveat, it’s that at times the supporting cast becomes a little sprawling, and the sheer number of moving parts could challenge readers who prefer leaner plots. But for anyone who loves a full-tilt thriller with strong emotional undercurrents, The Last Family hits the mark and then some.
Bottom line: A masterful thriller that delivers adrenaline, pathos, and a sense of real danger. Highly recommended for fans of gritty vengeance stories, and for anyone who wants to be both terrified and emotionally invested. A solid five stars.
November 7, 2019
I went into this book totally blind, having never heard of it or the author - wow, it doesn't hang around at all. Within the first few pages a young lad is kidnapped and thrown off a cliff and his mother is murdered in her bed. And then the action just ramps up and up.
Yes, there are some plot holes and yes, the flashbacks are a bit annoying (but do act as pauses in the action), but like a James Bond movie - who cares? The bad guy is 100% bad and has no redeeming features, as well as being nuts, ramped up on drugs and very good at what he does! Our hero is physically and mentally a wreck, but had to join the good guys once more for the sake of his family. There are some characters who are not what they seem to be, and plenty of red herrings so the reader is kind of left guessing too.
The last chapters HAVE to be read in one sitting - totally addictive.
Glad I picked it up to read and look forward to reading anything else this author has written.
Yes, there are some plot holes and yes, the flashbacks are a bit annoying (but do act as pauses in the action), but like a James Bond movie - who cares? The bad guy is 100% bad and has no redeeming features, as well as being nuts, ramped up on drugs and very good at what he does! Our hero is physically and mentally a wreck, but had to join the good guys once more for the sake of his family. There are some characters who are not what they seem to be, and plenty of red herrings so the reader is kind of left guessing too.
The last chapters HAVE to be read in one sitting - totally addictive.
Glad I picked it up to read and look forward to reading anything else this author has written.
September 9, 2017
I read this a long time ago, and don't remember details now. But I do recall that I liked it a lot. The author used to be active on the old AOL message boards, and there were some great discussions back in those days.
December 3, 2020
Good story but not as great as the review of Michael Palmer describes the villain is definitely someone you wouldn't want to meet but not as bad as Hannibal Lector. The characters are a bit unbelievable especially the son and daughter. Blood maybe thicker than water but not that thick.
February 17, 2025
Really enjoyed reading it throughout, although it was slightly over descriptive. Quite a few holes in the ending that I wasn’t overly happy with & the wording at the end was so overly complicated, it made it harder to understand than necessary. Good concept though.
December 24, 2017
A good story but there were some significant implausibilities and the characters weren't as well developed and complex as I like. I'm not sure if I'd read any more from this author.
March 11, 2024
A fantastic thriller of a book. I was hooked right from the start. Very well written. This would make a great film.
Read
November 23, 2024good mystery...a page turner for me,
April 16, 2025
Ok thriller. Two stars because the story was overlong, wordy and added too many characters that were not important to the story.
April 9, 2024
This had me feeling like I was watching a movie version of criminal minds absolutely loved it
October 14, 2014
Has nothing really new to offer to the thriller genre: the standard guilt-ridden hero, the vile psychopath out for revenge, and an explosive finale. Having said that, it is a book which would keep you engaged at the airport. Could have been better, had the author not tried too hard for the dramatic touch with extended descriptions of his characters' feelings over and over again. Also, flashbacks interjected at the wrong moments sometimes take away from the momentum of the story. A couple of promising characters ended up doing nothing. A tighter editing should have kept the book at least a hundred pages shorter and would have made it a more taut thriller. This would make a good movie, though.
October 19, 2011
ex DEA head badly wounded in a failed drug bust is called back from years of living tucked away by himself in the mountains. estranged from his wife and chidren and his face badly disfigured, he had no desire to get back into society. Only when he learns that the mastermind of the filed bust and a renegade ex agent has been systematically killing the families of the agents who were involved in that failed bust and his family is the only one left. What follows is a war of nerves and plot, counter plot as the two side circle in for the final confrontation. Action and suspense keep the reader glued to the pages to discover how it all turns out.
March 31, 2011
An interesting page turner. An extremely violent tale of a psychotic former secret service operative and his vendetta against the families of those former colleagues who framed him. Some interesting plot twists and a good read if one can get beyond the sometimes excessive level of violence.
June 19, 2007
Not an exceptional book, but a fun crime read. Written by a guy from Greenville, MS.
September 8, 2009
Outstanding; Retired Drug Enforcement agent comes back to try to capture former colleague who is eliminating each of the families of DEA members.
June 4, 2011
Enjoyed the book once I found some time to read!!
July 9, 2011
I found it ok, interesting at times,the plot line good and was caught off guard when they finally figured out how the bad guy managed to get out and about without being noticed.
February 22, 2012
Book #39 read in 2005
This was an okay read. It took a little while to get into it, but it was worth finishing.
Gave to a friend
This was an okay read. It took a little while to get into it, but it was worth finishing.
Gave to a friend
January 19, 2018
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10383539
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10383539
March 6, 2015
well, its good.
June 4, 2015
I started reading this and remembered I read it already.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2016
A DEA agent goes on a rampage feeling he has been wronged by other agents and begins attacking their families.
October 24, 2016
Easily one of the most sinister, ruthless villains I've encountered in a book. He'll stop at nothing to get revenge.
October 13, 2008
Pretty quick read. It's one that's hard to put down.
May 25, 2016
suspenseful, intriguing
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews