Rising Phoenix [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Kyle Mills (Author), Campbell Scott (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 1997

When a zealous TV evangelist and his security aide, a former drug enforcement agent, conspire to poison the nation's illegal drug supply out of moral fervor, two very different FBI agents attempt to head off an epidemic of death. A first novel. Simultaneous."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Rising Phoenix is] chillingly effective and suspenseful." -- Kirkus Reviews --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Kyle Mills lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. When he's not writing, he is skiing and rockclimbing. Rising Phoenix is his first novel.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: HarperAudio (August 5, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0694518905
• ISBN-13: 978-0694518906
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,287,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kyle Mills is the New York Times bestselling author of twelve books, including the latest in Robert Ludlum's Covert-One series, The Ares Decision.

Growing up in Oregon, Washington, DC, and London as a the son of an FBI agent, Kyle absorbed an enormous amount about the Bureau, giving his novels their unique authenticity. He and his wife live in Wyoming where they spend their off hours rock climbing and backcountry skiing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different sort of thriller...., July 27, 2000

By 

PeacefulNan "PeacefulNan" (East Central GA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rising Phoenix (Mass Market Paperback)

I read LOTS of thrillers and, after a while, they get to be pretty much predictable. Not so with Rising Phoenix. Every time I thought I knew what was coming next, everything changed. Mills does a great job with an exciting plot, interesting characters, and a roller coaster of a story line.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN IMPRESSIVE DEBUT, October 2, 2000

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rising Phoenix (Mass Market Paperback)

No less than the thriller genre's top gun, Tom Clancy, has placed his imprimatur on first novelist Kyle Mills. After identifying the author in a eulogistic book jacket blurb as the son of "an old friend and former FBI agent," Clancy dubbed the young writer "a new genius for taut, compulsive adventure writing." That's surely a help, but also part hype for Mr. Mills hasn't reached the genius level yet. Nonetheless, Rising Phoenix is a wingdinger of a rim shot.

A gripping tale that comes too close to the possible for comfort, this recent addition to the pantheon of psycho/thrillers is complexly plotted with hair-trigger action and characters that ring true. It's an adventure punctuated with swift jabs of dialogue and enlivened by knowing description. When a trek into the Columbian jungle's darkly humid interior begins, readers feel the heat. Morally corrupt figures alternately fascinate and repulse. That is the case with one of the story's protagonists, John Hobart, a diabolically clever sociopath. This villain's skewed philosophy was formed early on with the unexplained death of his abusive father. Here's the gospel according to Hobart: "Most of humanity's problems were rooted in centuries of misguided and often contradictory moral teachings. For a man with the intelligence and resolve to rise above this tangle of right and wrong, there was no problem that couldn't be solved simply, quickly, and finally." He puts his thesis to an acid test.

A dismissed DEA agent and former security chief for an egotistical tele-evangelist, Hobart contrives a way to combat America's escalating drug problem - poison the cocaine and heroin supply. Not with just any poison but with a time-released attacker of vital organs, Orellanin, the lethal extract of a mushroom found in Poland. As legions of people across the country become ill and die, discovering the person behind this venous plot becomes the FBI's number one priority. Chosen to head the investigative team is Mark Beamon, an agent who has been put down for his unorthodoxy yet recognized as one of the Bureau's best. He was Hobart's partner during their days with the DEA.

Columbia's drug cartel, headed by Luis Colombar, also has an interest in discovering who poisoned the drugs. Death isn't good for business. The President of the United States, with an "administration perceived as being soft on crime" wants the killing stopped, and an Eastern mafia chief needs to protect his turf.

Fear of an excruciating demise does cause drug use in America to decline, but then there's a chilling shift: public favor begins to swing toward the murderous poisoners. After all, they've done something about the drug problem when government and law enforcement officials could not.

A riveting cross continent pursuit ends with Hobart and Beamon face to face, each knows his adversary well. Reaching this climatic scene was a bit like attempting a 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Some of the pieces in Rising Phoenix did not seem to fit, but that's a minor shortcoming in what is otherwise an impressive first novel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining read..., January 28, 2001

By 

LadyT - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rising Phoenix Low Price Cassette (Audio Cassette)

A pretty entertaining read. While this book isn't spectacular, it still is a good read. The author takes a different spin on fighting the drug war that adds interest to this book. Unfortunately, the characters were average and didn't stand out for any reason in particular. While this doesn't diminish the enjoyment of the book, it would have been nice if stronger characters that more aptly fit the plot had been included. But you'll still find the book enjoyable, because the story moves along at a nice pace, and it is interesting to see the response to this fight against drugs.