Rating: 
Summary: "Good Story That Poses A Great Moral Dilemma"
Review: One big aspect of this book I liked was all the planning that went into pulling off the operation to poison shipments of cocaine and heroin to the USA. So many details, so much time trying to cover one's tracks. If THE DOGS OF WAR showed us how to put together a mercenary operation, RISING PHOENIX teaches us what it takes to pull off an operation like this. Ex-DEA agent John Hobart is a very formidible foe. He may be a stone cold sociopath, but he has a very low key approach about him. He's also very smart and very meticulous (I hate stupid bad guys in situations like this). FBI Agent Mark Beamon was a pretty decent character. Middle-age, not an impressive physical specimen and someone who bucks the system on a regular basis. I felt the one reviewer made a good observation comparing Beamon to NYPD BLUE's Dennis Franz. However, I thought there was quite a bit of untapped potential in Beamon. Though my biggest complaint is how Mills pretty much glossed over the death of Beamon's nephew from tainted cocaine. It just suddenly appeared in the middle of the book and not much is made after that. Something like this would have really given Beamon a lot more motivation and emotional turmoil. I will say the book offered a great moral dilemma that kept you thinking. While the poisoning sends drug use plummeting in the U.S., the body count rises to staggering levels. The story has you constantly wondering if the ends justify the means.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Plot Kills Cardboard Characters
Review: Despite some, um, clumsy dialogue masquerading as realism, unremarkable writing, and characters on puppet strings, Kyle Mills has produced a completely captivating first novel by virtue of an original, gripping plot. The plot saves the book, compels the reader to finish quickly, but without it the whole thing would fall flat. The story had me cheering for bad guy, John Hobart, in his efforts to poison the nation's drug supply. Yeah, I know, drug addicts are almost people too and don't really deserve to die horrible deaths by the thousands, but this is fiction, so it's all right to hope the bad guy wins and eliminates the druggies. (The detailed explanation on how cocaine is made should reinforce The novel's lackluster hero, Mark Beamon, performs his duties as a plot tool adequately, but gets manifestly overshadowed by the wholly amoral Hobart who steals the show. Mills deftly maneuvers about the moral crevasse surrounding the issue of drug poisoning, revealing both! its allure and its evil. Some arch-conservative readers may think Mills panders to the left with a right wing conspiracy theory and some arch-liberals may fear he wants to show the nation the way to end the drug problem, but either view would be a tad paranoid, it's just a novel with some political and moral dilemmas and a lot action. If you disregard the flaws and go with the flow, RISING PHOENIX is excellent an thriller. Really. I'm surprised that Mills has Mark Beamon returning in the his second novel STORMING HEAVEN since the character isn't good enough for series material. I'll probably read it someday anyway, but my best guess is that Mills will be a one hit wonder with RISING PHOENIX.
Rating: 
Summary: too much wish fulfillment, not enough hard reality
Review: Rising Pheonix is an ambitious novel; unfortunately, it just doesn't have the ring of authenticity of, say, someone like Frederick Forsyth or Richard Herman, Jr. I believe the problem is that the author is still too young and experienced to tackle the characters and subject matter and make the story real. The characters aren't mature or complex enough, the locations don't come alive like they should, many of the descriptions are off-kilter, and events seem shoehorned into the story to make the plot work (Hobart's escapades in Colombia, especially, are hard to swallow). Another major flaw is the fact that we get very little in the way of technical details, the nuts-and-bolts operations of the various organizations that come into play here. When I read a political thriller, I want insight that encompasses the big picture, not endless details into the pointless quirks and habits of the characters. But I think the main problem is that the basic premise is flawed. To poison a large shipment of drugs would not solve the drug problem in this country-- too many addicts would keep using or switch to other drugs, and such a ploy would not bring the multi-billion dollar drug industry to its knees. Not only that, we really don't get a sense of the huge tragedy that tens of thousands of drug deaths across the country would be (Noone who is rich and famous becomes a victim? Hmmm.), not to mention the myriad social ramifications such an event would cause. And finally, no FBI agent-- no matter how good he is-- would accept a gift from a drug-dealing Mafioso, or he wouldn't last long with the Bureau. Pet Peeve Dept: "Ahold" is not a word.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book but I found myself routing for the bad guy
Review: Rising Phoenix was the first Kyle Mills book I read and I have subsequently read the rest. I feel that for me it was by far the best. I was intrigued by the plot and found myself extolling it to friends as a workable, if somewhat extreme, solution tho the drug problem in this country. Mark Beamon is a likeable enough character but the antagonist John Hobart was much more interesting to me. He had a more extensive back story than Beamon and was easily just as smart as the FBI agent which I found refreshing. If you enjoyed this book like I did may I suggest authors such as Vince Flynn and Nelson Demille. In closing one of my favorites and pick it up if you are from eather end of the political spectrum for an informitive and chilling read.
Rating:
Summary: Great debut for Mills
Review: Like a lot of people, I read this novel based almost entirely upon the glowing review of Tom Clancy...and I have to say I wasn't disappointed at all. What a premise! Poisoning the drug supply coming into America, and the most interesting part is that despite the frightening number of deaths as a result, many Americans actually APPROVE! I found myself on more than one occasion thinking long and hard at how I might react if such a story became a reality, and as much as it bothered me, I felt myself thinking that the drug users were getting what they deserved...after seriously thinking about this course of action, I had to mentally challenge myself to NOT think positive about people who were dying in huge numbers, even IF they were abusing drugs. A novel that made me become emotionally involved, now THAT is great storytelling. If Kyle Mills first novel is any indication, we have a LOT to look forward to in the future of action/adventure/cime novels. Treat yourself to a rollercoaster ride of intrigue and one of the truly original stories to come out in print in a very long time. I can only hope that Mr. Mills next outing is as captivating as this one. Pick it up and clear away some time, you'll need it.
Rating:
Summary: A phenomenal first effort
Review: The plot is first-rate, the writing is well above average and the ending is too. Unfortunately, Mr. Mills' next three books are nowhere near as good as this. The second one is pretty good, the third one is wretched. I'm still trudging through the fourth. Nevertheless, outside of Tom Clancy's "Hunt for Red October" and Vince Flynn's "Term Limits," this is as good of a first effort as I've seen from an author. When an author can have you liking the hero and rooting for the bad guys at the same time, he's doing something right. Give this novel a shot - it's great.
Rating:
Summary: Really good yarn
Review: One of the better novels I have read lately. Mills keeps his plot pretty well tied together and is believable. Worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Good premise, only ok story
Review: I thought the premise of this book was very interesting and that is why I decided to read this. However, the story that was delivered around that premise is only just ok. Beamon is a little tough to believe as a hero or mastermind. He really doesn't do any of the work himself anyway, he just takes the credit. This book is ok, mostly based on the premise and the moral implicatons of it. If you don't analyze it too much, it's not bad.
Rating:
Summary: Eye Opener
Review: This book is scary in a lot of ways. I saw the cdfs as heroes and murderers at the same time. I like the way this book displayed the pros and cons to poisoning the drug supply. The usage went down, but the death toll went up. On one had you can see that the poisoning had a positive affect on the war on drugs. However, it would open a pandoras box. For example, if they got tired of overweight people and started tainting junk foods. I know that sounds outrageous, but it is just a hypethetical example. I look forward to reading Storming Heaven. This one of the best books I have read yet.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a Rising Star in My Book
Review: I picked up the book and noted the glowing review by Clancy. Based on his high praise I hoped I would enjoy this book. I was soon to discover that it was not to be the case. I couldn't make it past the opening. I tried. I failed. Mills' writing was laborous. His characters were ill-painted caricatures. I found myself dreading picking up the book. Eventually I stopped picking it up entirely.
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