Rating: 
Summary: A delightful read
Review: I will read anything this guy writes. His characters and characterizations are excellent--you really like and relate to his protagonists and you can visualize them. The plot was fascinating and the political insights provided were really smart--delightfully so. I enjoyed this book very much and have just ordered everything else he wrote (from amazon, of course). What a nice discovery....I am a diehard mystery fan and keep thinking I have devoured everything ever written by the good authors. So, Mills was a happy surprise. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: A radical departure in style
Review: Kyle Mills' work to date has read much like early Tom Clancy, with tight story lines and a technical bent. "Smoke Screen" is more reminiscent of Mike Lupica's Jammer Molloy books, written in first person with a protagonist who's just kind of going along for the ride but has to finally get serious about his life and situation.Mills still addresses a serious contemporary issue in "Smoke Screen," but he does so with a lighter touch. The body count is down considerably from the author's previous stories, and as a result this book is much more fun to read. If you buy this book expecting another Mills techno-thriller you may be disappointed. Then again, you may be pleasantly surprised. If you're ready for a book where the the bad guys (for the most part) aren't Evil Incarnate and the good guys (for the most part) don't take themselves quite so seriously, you'll enjoy "Smoke Screen."
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: See book summary above. I like Kyle Mill's thrillers. To see him come out with something different took me a little by surprise. I'm not disappointed, though. Smoke Screen is a tale of big business and the tobacco industry. There are arguments for both the anti-tobacco lobby and the Tobacco companys. The solution seems to me to be ideal, but not likely to come to fruition. So whether you're a smoker or not, you'll get plenty of ammo from this novel.
The protagonist, Trevor Barnett, did not strike me as a very likeable character. He seemed naive and wishy washy (not knowing which way to go on an issue).
This novel will have some naysayers, only because their used to the typical Mill's thrillers, but I enjoyed this foray into a different genre (probably because I used to smoke) and will continue looking for Kyle Mills on the book shelf. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Do You Smoke?
Review: SMOKE SCREEN by Kyle Mills The hero of this story,Trevor Barnett is reluctant to make a decision. He seems like a young man who has it made and hates to stir the water. He does develop quite a bit of trouble when he steps out of the role, which was setup for him as a part of his trust. The trust pays him a few of the comany stocks in funds and he lives on the stock dividends and a small salay the rest of the time. Trevor had a `show-up and be one of the guys' type of position with Terra Tobacco. The company also paid him the trust funds per his Grandfather's will and gave him a small salary. The other employees treated him like a spy or just an unwanted person. He was supposed to stay out of sight and keep his mouth shut. Trevor hated the tobacco company and what it was doing to the people. His position it was slowly making him into a smoking alcoholic. He believed all of the things bad said about tobacco and was getting tired of the lawyers making a fortune suing, taxes being raised and the people still smoking. The Chief Executive Officer of Terra was a very smart old cutthroat named Trainer. He was the man who everyone was responsible. Trainer frightened Trevor who tried to keep his head down when Trainer was around. The problem was that Trevor had to attend the company meetings. One day Trevor started saying what he was thinking being sure that the CEO Trainer would get rid of him. But what a surprise, Trainer keeps him and gave him a raise. He became the point man who was supposed to get the arrows in his back. Trevor and Trainer ended up in a showdown in the USA President's office.Read how it ends; it may make you sympathetic to the tobacco company, and stop you smoking if you haven't all ready.
Rating:
Summary: Do You Smoke?
Review: SMOKE SCREEN by Kyle Mills The hero of this story,Trevor Barnett is reluctant to make a decision. He seems like a young man who has it made and hates to stir the water. He does develop quite a bit of trouble when he steps out of the role, which was setup for him as a part of his trust. The trust pays him a few of the comany stocks in funds and he lives on the stock dividends and a small salay the rest of the time. Trevor had a 'show-up and be one of the guys' type of position with Terra Tobacco. The company also paid him the trust funds per his Grandfather's will and gave him a small salary. The other employees treated him like a spy or just an unwanted person. He was supposed to stay out of sight and keep his mouth shut. Trevor hated the tobacco company and what it was doing to the people. His position it was slowly making him into a smoking alcoholic. He believed all of the things bad said about tobacco and was getting tired of the lawyers making a fortune suing, taxes being raised and the people still smoking. The Chief Executive Officer of Terra was a very smart old cutthroat named Trainer. He was the man who everyone was responsible. Trainer frightened Trevor who tried to keep his head down when Trainer was around. The problem was that Trevor had to attend the company meetings. One day Trevor started saying what he was thinking being sure that the CEO Trainer would get rid of him. But what a surprise, Trainer keeps him and gave him a raise. He became the point man who was supposed to get the arrows in his back. Trevor and Trainer ended up in a showdown in the USA President's office.Read how it ends; it may make you sympathetic to the tobacco company, and stop you smoking if you haven't all ready.
Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Take on Big Tobacco
Review: The plot to Smoke Screen is ingenious-- Terra, a large tobacco company, facing a crippling lawsuit, pulls out all the stops to save itself by turning public opinion in its favor. The characters are so well-developed that you can see them as you read. From the smart but cautious protagonist Trevor Barnett, to his attractive yet initially distant love interest Anne Kimball, to Paul Trainer, the amoral Terra CEO. Smoke Screen takes the reader throught the seamy side of corporate America, where moral choices are presented at every turn.
The plot moves at a fast pace and always kept my interest. This is my first book by Kyle Mills and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The cover of the book advertised a money-back guarantee if I didn't like the book. It was money well spent.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous premise
Review: This book has such an interesting premise, it can't be missed.
That premise is wondering what would happen if the owners and
operators of "Big Tobacco" agreed with the anti-smoking zealots
and government regulators that smoking was bad for us, and they
suddenly, and simply, announced they were stopping all production
and distribution of tobacco products. Wow. Think what would happen. This author does a very nice
job of describing all the ramifications, from the loss of millions of dollars in tax money to the states and federal govmt, the lack of funding for future anti-smoking campaigns,
the jobs lost in the industry, at both the factory and the
farm ends of that business, as well as the anger of the legions
of smokers suddenly deprived of their addiction. Also raised
is the question of the right of Americans to make their own
informed choices and their right to privacy. Such ramifications are more complex and far-reaching than
most of us ever thought of, and it will do us good to consider
all of them. Only after studying such possible ramifications
can we begin to fathom the depth of the politics behind Big
Tobacco. Then we can begin to understand the wavering of the
big politicians at all levels on these questions; we get an idea
of the tax dollars the governments now count on, especially
since most states have tobacco-suit settlement money being
grabbed by legislators for favorite projects, and the looting
of the original anti-tobacco purposes by those state legislatures. It is some very fascinating facts, which the author nicely
combines with some interesting speculations, and the story
is a very worthwhile one. The only flaw is that toward the end, the author uses the device
of the main characters suddenly, and rather mysteriously,
coming into possession of "secret" facts that allow the story
to go forward to its conclusion. That fiction device is rather noticeable here, but the book
in any case presents some needed facts and speculations about
Big Tobacco and its history and possible future.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous premise
Review: This book has such an interesting premise, it can't be missed.
That premise is wondering what would happen if the owners and
operators of "Big Tobacco" agreed with the anti-smoking zealots
and government regulators that smoking was bad for us, and they
suddenly, and simply, announced they were stopping all production
and distribution of tobacco products. Wow. Think what would happen. This author does a very nice
job of describing all the ramifications, from the loss of millions of dollars in tax money to the states and federal govmt, the lack of funding for future anti-smoking campaigns,
the jobs lost in the industry, at both the factory and the
farm ends of that business, as well as the anger of the legions
of smokers suddenly deprived of their addiction. Also raised
is the question of the right of Americans to make their own
informed choices and their right to privacy. Such ramifications are more complex and far-reaching than
most of us ever thought of, and it will do us good to consider
all of them. Only after studying such possible ramifications
can we begin to fathom the depth of the politics behind Big
Tobacco. Then we can begin to understand the wavering of the
big politicians at all levels on these questions; we get an idea
of the tax dollars the governments now count on, especially
since most states have tobacco-suit settlement money being
grabbed by legislators for favorite projects, and the looting
of the original anti-tobacco purposes by those state legislatures. It is some very fascinating facts, which the author nicely
combines with some interesting speculations, and the story
is a very worthwhile one. The only flaw is that toward the end, the author uses the device
of the main characters suddenly, and rather mysteriously,
coming into possession of "secret" facts that allow the story
to go forward to its conclusion. That fiction device is rather noticeable here, but the book
in any case presents some needed facts and speculations about
Big Tobacco and its history and possible future.
Rating:
Summary: Smokin'!
Review: This book is a radical departure for Mills, and though I approached it tentatively my fears proved unfounded, as the book quickly grabbed my attention, and the narrative sped along. This book is reminiscent of Christopher Lehman Haupt's book, Thank You for Smoking, but is told at a much more breakneck pace. It has the intelligence of some of Donald Westlake's more scathing books, and a healthy dose of humor and irony help propel it along. I do admit that the characterizations are weak, but the characters are here as a deus ex machina, and aren't the important part of the story. The important part of the story is the examination of the conflict in our government between the desire to get tax-money from tobacco firms, and the government's desire to protect people from the dangers of smoking. Mills clearly thinks that anyone still smoking has brought upon their addiction to themselves, especially younger smokers who've been brought up in an enviroment where they're taught about the hazards of lighting up as soon as they enter school. I recommend this book without hesitation, but only if you want to be entertained whlie being educated. If you want a 'critic'-acclaimed level book, this one does miss the mark.
Rating: 
Summary: The tobacco industry is under fire.
Review: Trevor Barnett is the protagonist of "Smoke Screen," a new novel by Kyle Mills. Barnett is a young man whose family has made a living by selling tobacco products for generations. While he waits for his trust fund to kick in, Trevor has very little to do. He whiles away his days sitting behind a desk doing nothing for a company called Terra, and he spends his nights smoking cigarettes and playing with his dog, Nicotine. Terra and other companies that sell tobacco are being plagued by lawsuits brought by sick and dying smokers and their families. Will the lawsuits drive the tobacco companies into bankruptcy? Trevor's life changes dramatically when the CEO of Terra, Paul Trainer, suddenly takes Trevor under his wing. Before he knows it, Trevor becomes a key player in the battle between the tobacco companies, their unionized employees, and the antismoking lobby. Trevor also loses his heart to the brainy Anne Kimball, a lawyer who is a rabid antismoking crusader. Trevor faces a series of ethical dilemmas that force him to take a stand. Will Trevor help his company survive? Is there any way to reconcile the tobacco interests and their opponents? The problem with "Smoke Screen" is that it has the elements of a thriller, a morality tale, and a satire, and these three elements do not mix very well. In addition, the story is told through Trevor's eyes, and he is a colorless and irritating character. Mills is strongest in his satirical portrayal of greedy and manipulative CEO's, conniving lawyers, ambitious politicians, and voracious reporters. However, his attempt to mix romance, adventure, and controversy is too heavy-handed and it ultimately falls flat.
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