Smoke Screen

Rating:
Summary: Change of perspective but truely fun and enjoyable
Review: First of all, the people who have written poor reviews of this book are clearly demanding that authors stay within the cookie cutter format of novel writing. I was surprised and pleased to see that Mr. Mills has expanded his horizons.
The key to a Kyle Mills book is taking a scenario in the real world and focus in on 3-5 main points or hooks and ignore the rest. With a narrow perspective on the world we're able, with only a small stretch of the imagination, to sit back and go on a fun ride. I can see how this is disappointing or frustrating for some because you're screaming at the book, "what about second hand smoke?!?" By focusing on some key points the author expects the reader to suspend disbelief. This isn't for everyone but for those it works for it's an incredibly fun ride.
His characters are wonderful; although the main character's love interest is a little under-developed.
I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: A radical departure in style
Review: Great escapism, and clever writing. Mills shows a great knack for the first person POV.

Rating:
Summary: (4 +) WEIRD & CLEVER - But Still The Essence of Kyle Mills
Review: I bet Kyle Mills really enjoyed writing this book. In some ways SMOKE SCREEN is a major departure from his earlier works (summarized in my review of FREE FALL on 8/17/03); it is a story of corporate and political intrigue told in the first person from the viewpoint Trevor Barnett, a third generation member of one of the founding families of Terra, America's preeminent tobacco company. In order to receive the income from the trust established by his grandfather, Trevor must remain an employee of Terra; his status as a "trustafarian" (read the book for a great definition) has left him bereft of both ambition and any real goals in life. He spends his time writing largely irrelevant reports, hoping for a meaningful relationship with the girl of his dreams (who unfortunately works for an anti-smoking organization), and amusing his aging Great Pyrenees, Nicotine. In a moment of drunken frustration he inadvertently submits a (really clever) summary of the new Surgeon General's report to the company's Board of Directors which he believes will probably get him fired by the CEO, Paul Trainer. Instead, he unexpectedly and inexplicably receives a series of promotions which make him Trainer's key aide and put him in direct conflict with his father, the company's chief counsel.

As a Montana trial proceeds that appears to be likely to force the industry into bankruptcy, Trevor's outspokenness and articulateness lead Trainer to choose him to be Terra's spokesman for their new strategy. In a game of political hardball, the tobacco industry halts the production and sale of all cigarettes until Congress and the President implement legislation which will shield the industry from future product liability by recognizing that smoking is a choice for which individuals have to bear the responsibility for the consequences of their actions. (Previous readers of Mills' earlier works will recognize a reprise of discussions of many of the same philosophical issues that have arisen with regard to the use of illegal drugs.) The political pressures quickly mount on the hypocritical politicians pictured in the story, both because of the panic of smokers cut off from their nicotine but also because of the economic effect caused by the loss of jobs (not just in the tobacco industry itself but also retailers, trucking companies, etc.) and the loss of the huge tax receipts and payments to the federal and state governments under previous legislative compromises. Even the anti-smoking forces have ironically lost their major source of funding.

So, Trevor eventually faces his "fork in the road" moment, when he has to decide which side he is on, what his real beliefs are, and how much risk he is willing to take to achieve his goals if he can finally decide what they are. (And maybe have a chance to win the girl of his dreams at the same time.) There are many great moments of dialog along the way, some deeply philosophical and consonant with the author's libertarian tendencies, many others just fun as Trevor's thoughts and words reflect Mills' cleverness with language. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Paul Trainer "jumped up with the creaking bones and boundless energy of a nursing home escapee on amphetamines", and also one early in the book when we first meet Trevor's boss Chris Carmen, who was "as fine a specimen ...of a Double-Breasted Seether" as Trevor had ever run across.

Since this story is written as a cross between a satire and a serious thriller, I am not sure what the readership appeal will be. However, I really enjoyed it, both because I thought that it was well written and because I believe that if it were possible for our society to adopt this fictional agreement between all the parties involved we would be both better off and truer to the principles on which this country was founded. In fact, I only wish my hope were realistic that tobacco industry managers and politicians could be forced to have their eyes opened by reading this book. My two criticisms and the reason that I did not rate it five stars are that the character development is not as good as in some of Mills other books (perhaps because of the fact this was a first person narration) and that the action on occasion seemed somewhat inconsistent and quite improbable within the storyline constructed by the author.

Tucker Andersen

Rating:
Summary: cool story
Review: I have read all of Kyle Mills' novels, and this was definitely different from the rest, but it was a good story. He already ran this type of story line in slow burning, where a drug was taken from the streets, but it was nice to see him move in a direction different from the FBI stories. It started too slowly, but the last 2/3 flew by in a way similar to his earlier reads. I can't wait for the next book.

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: 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.