Customer Reviews

Smoke Screen

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

I have been reading Kyle Mills since his first novel, and have really enjoyed both his characters and his ability to ratchet up the tension. But while this book has the requisite suspense, it is not a pure thriller.

Mills has entered Christoper Buckley territory here, and has gone him one better.

Read it once for the pure "what happens next" tension that Mills builds up. Then read it again and appreciate the satire.

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.

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.

CEO Paul Trainer of the tobacco giant Terra Holding Corporation knows his gigantic business is in trouble due to a law suit they will probably lose in Montana. He decides he needs an idiotic spokesperson so he turns to employee Trevor Barnett, whose job comes from an ancestor who was an industry giant and left him a trust fund that requires he work for the firm. Relying on the Peter Principle, Paul promotes Trevor to positions way above his apparent level of competency.

With bankruptcy pending, Paul and his associates establish a diabolical strategy that they insist Trevor must sell to the public. All tobacco-processing plants are closed, workers are placed on furloughs, and there are recalls of products from the stores and vending machines. The plan is that there will be no more cigarettes until the industry is legally exempt from lawsuits and courts sanctions. As the economy tanks, Anne Kimball of Smokeless Youth meets Trevor. She provides him with the backbone he needs to push for a campaign where the people will decide whether smoking is a first amendment right. As the couple falls in love the issue becomes even more explosive.

SMOKE SCREEN is a delightful Mr. Smith takes tobacco (rather than Washington) type of tale that hooks the audience from the moment Paul plots to use Trevor. The Runyonesque story line is fun as the no smoking policy causes havoc for politicians and the economy in such a way that it seems as if everyone inhaled. Fans of a charming amusing David with a female for a spinal column vs. Goliath novel will want to read Kyle Mills whimsical story.

Harriet Klausner

Unbelievably original concept. I really enjoyed this book. I'm not going to go into the plot since so many has already written about it. It's very original and gives both sides of the smoking debate. There are a lot of twists in it that you don't see coming and you fall in and out of love with the lead characters. Mr. Mills leaves you hanging in a lot of instances for chapters while you are trying to figure out what is happening and why. It's extremely well written and I highly recommend it. I will be reading more of Mr. Mills' books.

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

To be upfront, I'm a non-smoker. That said, this book was hilarious. What would happen if cigarettes suddenly disappeared from store shelves? Hmmm.... In real life something of that magnitude could never be coordinated successfully, but this is a book and we can do whatever we want in a book, right? Well, get ready for some fun. Nobody is left unscathed in this scenario. There is no good guy or bad guy. The tobacco companies, politicians and anti-tobacco lobbies all get skewered equally. The tangled web of tobacco politics will make your head spin and evoke more than a few chuckles.

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.

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!