Mills, Kyle 1966-

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Mills, Kyle 1966-

PERSONAL:

Born 1966; married; wife's name Kim. Education: College graduate. Hobbies and other interests: Outdoor activities: rock climbing, cycling, skiing.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Jackson Hole, WY. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer and novelist. Worked in corporate world and for a bank in Jackson Hole, WY.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Rising Phoenix, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1997.

Storming Heaven, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1998.

Free Fall, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

Burn Factor, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

Sphere of Influence, Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Smoke Screen, Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

Fade, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2005.

The Second Horseman, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kyle Mills, a writer of political and social crime thrillers, found inspiration for his writing from his father, a former FBI agent and director of In- terpol. Since 1997 Mills has been steadily, prolifically, and very quickly building a writing reputation as well as a budding franchise centered on his perpetually down-and-out FBI agent, Mark Beamon.

Mills's debut novel, Rising Phoenix, introduces Beamon and Mills's trademark blend of detective work, grandscale crime plots, and compelling social dilemmas. An ex-DEA agent has decided to take the war against drugs into his own hands by poisoning cocaine shipments to the U.S. The morally gray situation is complicated when the slobbish, hard-drinking Beamon, out of favor with his superiors as usual, finds himself in the middle of an uneasy partnership between drug and Mafia lords and the Bureau. Jerad Beltz, on the Mystery Reader Web site, commented that "Rising Phoenix is a fast-paced, exciting, well-written novel that's difficult to put down." A Kirkus Reviews contributor found "Mills's exceptionally accomplished debut" to be "a chillingly effective and suspenseful tale, complete with the moral ambiguities and guilty pleasures of such vigilante dreams as Death Wish." A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that Rising Phoenix is "a fine thriller with memorable characters and enough twists to keep readers turning pages" and that Mills "knows how to flesh out an original premise with absorbing descriptions of FBI work."

Mills brings Beamon back for his second novel, Storming Heaven, which revolves around the inner workings of a religious group, a kidnapping, and issues of religious freedom. A Kirkus Reviews contributor declared Storming Heaven "several cuts above the average thriller, largely because it keeps to a human level," and praised Mills's "spirited storytelling."

In Free Fall, Beamon, on the outs with the FBI, is forced to take on a paying job: finding a missing rock climber who may or may not have murdered her boyfriend. Of course, the situation is complicated by the fact that the boyfriend had been in possession of a government file that could affect the presidential election. Writing for the Los Angeles Times Book Review, Eugen Weber noticed that "Mills's men are mostly loons or brutes; his women are sensible, or at least less demented than the men folk." Wes Lukowsky of Booklist appreciated the book as a thriller, but worried that "some readers may be put off by a cynical undercurrent that paints all politicians as self-serving, egomaniacal killers and the American electorate as profoundly stupid and easily manipulated." Jane Jorgenson of the Library Journal was impressed that Mills put plot first, instead of "falling into the trap of writing a story that is only suited for a movie screen."

Mills's next work, Burn Factor, gives Beamon a rest. This time it is young FBI computer programmer Quinn Barry who stumbles onto the military cover-up of a serial killer case. Booklist reviewer Wes Lukowsky appreciated that Mills "absolutely knows how to move a plot to warp speed" and create "almost unbearable" tension, and Jane Jorgenson, writing in Library Journal, considered Burn Factor to be Mills's "strongest effort to date."

Following the events of September 11, 2001, Mills gave his next thriller, Sphere of Influence, a relevant tilt: Beamon is back again and chasing down an Al Qaeda plot to smuggle rocket launchers into the U.S. The effort to stop the terrorists is complicated by governmental in-fighting between security departments, and so Beamon ends up forging an unlikely partnership with a Russian drug lord. Booklist reviewer Wes Lukowsky declared that "Mills does the large-scale thriller better than anyone else working in the genre today," and a Publishers Weekly contributor appreciated that "Mills avoids cynical exploitation, offering up human characters and a story that, despite some implausible subplots and heavy-handed editorializing, remains engrossing and affecting."

In 2003 Mills set aside both Beamon and his usual large-scale crime plots. Instead, Smoke Screen focuses on a Big-Tobacco heir, Trevor Barnett, whose effort to get out of the family business puts him in the crosshairs of both the tobacco industry and the anti-smoking crusaders. Though centered on complex social issues even more than usual, Smoke Screen still features Mills's blend of complex storytelling and, as a Publishers Weekly contributor described: "corporate and political intrigue, treachery, [and] betrayal." The reviewer went on to note: "With a refreshing lack of sanctimony, Mills turns the tobacco wars into grist for an absorbing business thriller." Jane Jorgenson of Library Journal saw Mills as "a lower-key Carl Hiaasen," and Wes Lukowsky of Booklist wrote that Mills "does an exemplary job of presenting both sides of the issue … [and] a Swiftian solution."

In Fade, Mills tells the story of Slam al Fayed, known as "Fade." A loyal American agent of Arab descent and a former navy SEAL, Fade has been mistreated and initially resists joining an undercover team in the Middle East. When he does agree to join, he finds himself in the middle of a double cross with another agent who is an old friend and possibly out to kill him. "Mills's prose is crisp and his action skills are top-notch," wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor. A Kirkus Reviews contributor wrote that Mills "sets in motion a three-way pursuit, building a fair amount of suspense as he leads to the final confrontation and having some fun along the way."

The Second Horseman revolves around twelve nuclear bombs for sale by the Ukranian Mob. A rogue FBI agent takes matters into his own hands when he recruits the renowned thief Brandon Vale, releasing him from prison to steal the bombs and save the world. A Publishers Weekly contributor referred to The Second Horseman as a "strong thriller." Writing in Booklist, Wes Lukowsky noted the author's ability to keep "readers awake at night contemplating the terrifying vagaries of an increasingly dangerous world." A Kirkus Reviews contributor wrote: "Vale's mordant wit is refreshing."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 1998, David Pitt, review of Storming Heaven, p. 1734; March 1, 2000, Wes Lukowsky, review of Free Fall, p. 1148; December 1, 2000, Nancy Spillman, review of Free Fall, p. 743; March 1, 2001, Wes Lukowsky, review of Burn Factor, p. 1227; August, 2002, Wes Lukowsky, review of Sphere of Influence, p. 1886; August, 2003, Wes Lukowsky, review of Smoke Screen, pp. 1926-1927; June 1, 2006, Wes Lukowsky, review of The Second Horseman, p. 44.

Kirkus Reviews, June 5, 1997, review of Rising Phoenix, p. 902; July 1, 1998; review of Storming Heaven, p. 920; August 1, 2002, review of Sphere of Influence, p. 1067; April 1, 2005, review of Fade, p. 378; June 1, 2006, review of The Second Horseman, p. 540.

Kliatt Young Adult Paperback Book Guide, March, 1998, review of Rising Phoenix, p. 51.

Library Journal, April 1, 2000, Jane Jorgenson, review of Free Fall, p. 130; March 15, 2001, Jane Jorgenson, review of Burn Factor, p. 106; August, 2003, Jane Jorgenson, review of Smoke Screen, p. 133; July 1, 2006, Jeff Ayers, review of The Second Horseman, p. 67.

Los Angeles Times Book Review, April 16, 2000, Eugen Weber, "L.A. Confidential," p. 19.

Publishers Weekly, July 7, 1997, review of Rising Phoenix, p. 49; June 29, 1998, review of Storming Heaven, p. 37; March 6, 2000, review of Free Fall, p. 82; May 1, 2000, review of Free Fall, p. 31; September 18, 2000, "Gottlieb Hits Ground Running," p. 18; March 5, 2001, review of Burn Factor, p. 61; September 16, 2002, review of Sphere of Influence, p. 52; August 11, 2003, review of Smoke Screen, p. 256; May 2, 2005, review of Fade, p. 177; June 5, 2006, review of The Second Horseman, p. 32.