Sphere of Influence [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Kyle Mills (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2003

A New York Times Bestseller

Years of putting truth ahead of protocol have left Mark Beamon in a dead-end job with the FBI, until threatened attacks on civilian targets pull him back to the front lines. Suspecting a connection between the threats and the Mob, Beamon spirals into a world of drug trafficking, corruption, murder and betrayal.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

New York Times bestseller Mills (Burn Factor) returns with his fifth novel, featuring brilliant FBI tough guy Mark Beamon, who is investigating a terrorist threat linked to a global conspiracy. Killing time on a dead-end assignment while the Bureau plans his downfall, Beamon is thrown together with his former colleague Laura Vilechi when a videotape is delivered to the American media, indicating that Al Qaeda has smuggled a rocket launcher into the U.S. Their threat to use it against civilian targets has thrown the country into a panic, with people afraid to leave their homes. Meanwhile, Chet Michaels, one of Beamon's former trainees, now deep undercover in pursuit of a psychotic Mafioso, is nervously watching drug deals being made with shadowy Afghans. Looming behind all of this is a CIA deal with the devil (in the form of Christian Volkov, an international criminal mastermind), in which the U.S. government attempts to use organized crime figures as a proxy underworld army in the so-called war on terror. This thriller features real people and groups drawn from daily news headlines, playing on the anxieties of the American public-from the heroin trade to terrorism (and the connections between the two). But Mills avoids cynical exploitation, offering up human characters and a story that, despite some implausible subplots and heavy-handed editorializing, remains engrossing and affecting.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Reeled in from a dead-end job, outspoken FBI agent Mark Beamon is sent undercover to investigate a terrorist cell with access to modern missile technologyand promptly sees a fellow agent get murdered. From the author of The Burn Factor.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 599 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (March 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786250909
• ISBN-13: 978-0786250905
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,151,820 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is Entertainment !, May 20, 2006

By 

James P. Lea "James P. Lea 'bookaholic" (Vancouver, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sphere of Influence (Paperback)

Although as stated in previous reviews, the plausability of this book does tend to be streched quite a bit, that does not subtract from the entertainment value of this book. Like his previous four novels, this book moves at a very quick pace, has engaging characters, and a plot line that will have you examining your morals and values. I wish Hollywood had the guts to adapt this novel to film as this would make a highly entertaining movie and would be very original as well. With the moral ambiguity of this book however I know that will never happen. Once again Kyle Mills has written a very clever and unique thriller. If you are looking for a very solid and entertaining thriller that will make you look at the world a litte differently- then you should enjoy this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story but pushed limits of beleivability, November 28, 2002

By 

Joe G. Steinbrunner "joegstein" (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sphere of Influence (Hardcover)

This was a great story, even better than a Clancy book - more action and less verbage. The main character is again Mark Beamon, an older and slightly used up FBI agent put out to pasture as Special Agent in Charge at the Phoenix office. He gets pulled into a complicated case by his former partner Laura Vilechi who has been placed in charge of finding a missing rocket launcher held by Yasin, a powerful Afghan terrorist. The case gets much more complicated involving Volkov, a powerful drug lord and other drug dealers, the mafia, CIA bosses, and his own FBI boss. I would love to see another Beamon story but I do not know where Mr. Mills could possibly take him further.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Is More Deadly - Criminals, Terrorists or the CIA ?, October 16, 2002

By 

Tucker Andersen (Wall Street) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sphere of Influence (Hardcover)

In his latest thriller, Kyle Mills combines the convoluted plotting, conspiracy paranoia and rapidity of action in the best Ludlum books with the international political intrigue with government agents operating around the edges of legality found in the best of Clancy. FBI agent Mark Beamon returns as the central character of this present day adventure involving a confluence of individually believable events that have been woven into a fascinating and extremely fast moving if somewhat implausible scenario.

As readers of Mills' previous novels know, for political reasons Mark Beamon has become persona non grata at FBI headquarters and thus has been "promoted" to Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Phoenix office, a job which suits neither his temperament or skills. As he is trying to decide whether to move on with his life, a terrorist cell inside the US sends videotapes to media outlets which indicate that they possess a rocket launcher and plan to attack a major city. This causes a political firestorm, so Mark's friend and previous FBI associate secretly enlists Mark to help locate the terrorists before they can carry out their threat. Meanwhile when Mark is unable to prevent the murder of a fellow undercover FBI agent who has infiltrated the mob in an attempt to get information regarding their heroin distribution operations, he goes on a personal crusade to avenge the death which he could not prevent. Mark eventually develops a speculative theory regarding a possible connection between the two cases, and goes deep undercover himself. Mark manages to affiliate himself with an international crime organization run by Romanian expatriate Christian Volkov, and is pursued around the world by both the FBI and the CIA (in order to keep their own role hidden). While trying to stay alive and keep Volkov from guessing his identity he has to stop Al Queda from firing the rocket while simultaneously disrupting their source of income from supplying the Mob with drugs. And he is still motivated primarily by the need to find out who ordered the hit onhis friend killed and exact revenge. So, as I hope is clear, if you like political intrigue combined with non-stop action, you should enjoy this book, especially if you are a cynic regarding the motives of politicians and government agents.

Additionally, Mills cleverly integrates some infrequent philosophical asides as Mark has to face such issues as the counterproductive nature of the war on drugs and prosecution of victimless crimes and whether the government uses its power more ruthlessly and often causes more harm than the the criminals who it prosecutes. That this is a subtly political novel added to my enjoyment, since I agree with the apparent philosophical inclinations of the author.

I only have two minor cautions, the first few chapters move slowly but they are essential for providing background on Mark's character for first time readers of Kyle Mills and also provide elements which figure heavily in Mark's motivations as the story proceeds. Second, there are a few minor editing and proofreading errors. These were offset by my relief that the graphic violence in this story is kept to an essential minimum, as opposed to BURN FACTOR, which featured almost non-stop incredibly gruesome scenes of torture and death.