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Mark Beamon #1
Rising Phoenix
Special Agent Mark Beamon is a maverick. His open disdain for the FBI's rules - and Directors - has exiled him to a no-profile post in the boondocks. But when a shadowy right-wing group starts flooding America's emergency rooms with dead and dying, Beamon is summoned back to Washington. Teamed with an icily efficient female field agent, he is given the thankless task of stopping the slaughter-even though millions of Americans secretly approve of it. As the body count rises, Beamon realizes there is something eerily familiar about his adversary, reminding him of the coldest killer he ever encountered - not a criminal but a law enforcement colleague. And for the first time, he wonders why he was chosen for this assignment. Was it his expertise - or his expendability?
384 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1997
1064 people are currently reading
1821 people want to read
About the author
Kyle Mills
33 books2,536 followersI grew up in Oregon but have lived all over—D.C., Virginia, Maryland, London,
Wyoming. My father was an FBI agent and I was a bureau kid, which is similar to being an army brat. You tend to spend your time with other bureau kids and get transferred around a lot, though, I fared better on that front than many others.
One positive aspect of this lifestyle is that you can’t help but absorb an enormous amount about the FBI, CIA, Special Forces, etc. Like most young boys, I was endlessly fascinated with talk of chasing criminals and, of course, pictured it in the most romantic terms possible. Who would have thought that all this esoteric knowledge would end up being so useful?
I came into writing from kind of a strange angle. When I graduated from college in the late eighties, I had the same dream as everyone else at the time—a corporate job, a nice car, and a house with lots of square footage.
It turns out that none of that really suited me. While I did go for the corporate job, I
drove a beat-up Jeep and lived in a tiny house in a so-so Baltimore neighborhood. Most of the money I made just kind of accumulated in my checking account and I found myself increasingly drawn to the unconventional, artistic people who lived around me. I was completely enamored with anyone who could create something from nothing because I felt like it was beyond me.
Enter rock climbing. I’d read an article on climbing when I was in college and thought it looked like an incredible thing to do. Someday, I told myself, I would give it a try. So one weekend in the early ’90s, I packed up my car, drove to West Virginia, and spent a
weekend taking lessons. Unknown to me at the time, this would be the start of an
obsession that still hangs with me today. I began dating a girl who liked to climb and we decided we wanted to live somewhere with taller rocks and more open space.
Moving to Wyoming was the best decision we ever made. The place is full of the most amazing people. You might meet someone on a bike ride and find out they were in the Olympics, or climbed Everest, or just got back from two months trekking in Nepal. In a roundabout way, it was these people who made it possible for me to write a novel. They seemed to have no limitations. Everything was possible for them and I wanted to be that type of person, too.
I was working for a little bank in Jackson Hole, spending my days making business loans and my afternoons and weekends climbing. For some reason, it finally occurred to me that I’d never actually tried to be creative. Maybe I could make something from nothing. Why not give it a shot?
My first bright idea was to learn to build furniture. That plan had some drawbacks, the most obvious of which being that I’m not very handy. It was my wife who suggested I write a novel. It seemed like a dumb idea, though, since I majored in finance and had spent my entire college career avoiding English courses like the plague. Having said that, I couldn’t completely shake the idea. Eventually, it nagged at me long enough that I felt compelled to put pen to paper. Eight months later, I finished Rising Phoenix and about a year after that I managed to get it published.
The success of Rising Phoenix and my subsequent books has allowed me to make my living as a writer, which isn’t bad work if you can get it. Other than that, my life hasn’t changed all that much. Aging elbows have forced me to replace climbing with backcountry skiing and mountain bike racing. I got the not-so-smart idea of restoring an old pickup to replace the dying Jeep. And, I still live in Wyoming...
Wyoming. My father was an FBI agent and I was a bureau kid, which is similar to being an army brat. You tend to spend your time with other bureau kids and get transferred around a lot, though, I fared better on that front than many others.
One positive aspect of this lifestyle is that you can’t help but absorb an enormous amount about the FBI, CIA, Special Forces, etc. Like most young boys, I was endlessly fascinated with talk of chasing criminals and, of course, pictured it in the most romantic terms possible. Who would have thought that all this esoteric knowledge would end up being so useful?
I came into writing from kind of a strange angle. When I graduated from college in the late eighties, I had the same dream as everyone else at the time—a corporate job, a nice car, and a house with lots of square footage.
It turns out that none of that really suited me. While I did go for the corporate job, I
drove a beat-up Jeep and lived in a tiny house in a so-so Baltimore neighborhood. Most of the money I made just kind of accumulated in my checking account and I found myself increasingly drawn to the unconventional, artistic people who lived around me. I was completely enamored with anyone who could create something from nothing because I felt like it was beyond me.
Enter rock climbing. I’d read an article on climbing when I was in college and thought it looked like an incredible thing to do. Someday, I told myself, I would give it a try. So one weekend in the early ’90s, I packed up my car, drove to West Virginia, and spent a
weekend taking lessons. Unknown to me at the time, this would be the start of an
obsession that still hangs with me today. I began dating a girl who liked to climb and we decided we wanted to live somewhere with taller rocks and more open space.
Moving to Wyoming was the best decision we ever made. The place is full of the most amazing people. You might meet someone on a bike ride and find out they were in the Olympics, or climbed Everest, or just got back from two months trekking in Nepal. In a roundabout way, it was these people who made it possible for me to write a novel. They seemed to have no limitations. Everything was possible for them and I wanted to be that type of person, too.
I was working for a little bank in Jackson Hole, spending my days making business loans and my afternoons and weekends climbing. For some reason, it finally occurred to me that I’d never actually tried to be creative. Maybe I could make something from nothing. Why not give it a shot?
My first bright idea was to learn to build furniture. That plan had some drawbacks, the most obvious of which being that I’m not very handy. It was my wife who suggested I write a novel. It seemed like a dumb idea, though, since I majored in finance and had spent my entire college career avoiding English courses like the plague. Having said that, I couldn’t completely shake the idea. Eventually, it nagged at me long enough that I felt compelled to put pen to paper. Eight months later, I finished Rising Phoenix and about a year after that I managed to get it published.
The success of Rising Phoenix and my subsequent books has allowed me to make my living as a writer, which isn’t bad work if you can get it. Other than that, my life hasn’t changed all that much. Aging elbows have forced me to replace climbing with backcountry skiing and mountain bike racing. I got the not-so-smart idea of restoring an old pickup to replace the dying Jeep. And, I still live in Wyoming...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
July 24, 2017
21/7 - This was crap!! Will write more later...
24/7 - The plot - a rebel FBI agent is hunting a mass murderer who has poisoned America's illegal drug supply and guess what, the perpetrator is the agent's old partner who got kicked out of the bureau for beating up a suspect. Sounds exciting, right? No way to mess that up, right? Well, Mills managed to find a way.
By focussing on the bad guy, John Hobart (not a spoiler as he is introduced to the reader as the poisoner from the beginning), for the first 100+ pages I felt absolutely no connection to the man who's supposed to be the main character and who we're supposed to be hoping will triumph. By the time we finally met Beamon I couldn't have cared less about him, I actually wanted Hobart to succeed in his war on drugs and to see him get away so that there would always be the niggling doubt of what you were putting in your mouth/veins. I have personal experience with drug addiction and while I don't believe the possibility of poison in your drugs would have been enough to stop the addict once they were hooked, it definitely might have made them think twice before taking the drug the first time.
The summary on the back of the book tells us
"As he investigates he recognises the hand of the coldest killer he ever encountered. Not a criminal but a former law enforcement colleague. And Mark Beamon wonders why he was chosen for this assignment.
WAS IT HIS EXPERTISE? OR HIS EXPENDABILITY?"
but it's lying! That sentence implies that Beamon recognises the work of his ex-partner and knows that he's the killer from at least the halfway mark of the investigation. That's not what happened at all! First of all, Beamon doesn't work out that it's Hobart until page 407 of this 451 page book and even then it's not because he 'recognises the hand of the coldest killer he ever encountered' (mostly because as far as Mark knew Hobart had never killed anyone, he just tortured a suspect a bit), it's because they pull the drivers' licences of everyone who owns a specific car that was seen in the area at the time of the crime and Beamon just happens to look at the right license (one out of 7000 - a real 'lucky break') and recognise his old partner. Second, there is nothing investigatively brilliant about Beamon, he doesn't 'figure' anything out, the chief's just given him the case because he's known as a loose cannon and will be an easy scapegoat when they don't catch the guy (something which Beamon doesn't catch on to till even further on in the book - some investigator he is!).
I think this might be the most disappointing 'thriller' I've ever read and it's definitely going to the charity shop - there are some 3+ star reviews for this so hopefully someone else will get some enjoyment out of it.
24/7 - The plot - a rebel FBI agent is hunting a mass murderer who has poisoned America's illegal drug supply and guess what, the perpetrator is the agent's old partner who got kicked out of the bureau for beating up a suspect. Sounds exciting, right? No way to mess that up, right? Well, Mills managed to find a way.
By focussing on the bad guy, John Hobart (not a spoiler as he is introduced to the reader as the poisoner from the beginning), for the first 100+ pages I felt absolutely no connection to the man who's supposed to be the main character and who we're supposed to be hoping will triumph. By the time we finally met Beamon I couldn't have cared less about him, I actually wanted Hobart to succeed in his war on drugs and to see him get away so that there would always be the niggling doubt of what you were putting in your mouth/veins. I have personal experience with drug addiction and while I don't believe the possibility of poison in your drugs would have been enough to stop the addict once they were hooked, it definitely might have made them think twice before taking the drug the first time.
The summary on the back of the book tells us
"As he investigates he recognises the hand of the coldest killer he ever encountered. Not a criminal but a former law enforcement colleague. And Mark Beamon wonders why he was chosen for this assignment.
WAS IT HIS EXPERTISE? OR HIS EXPENDABILITY?"
but it's lying! That sentence implies that Beamon recognises the work of his ex-partner and knows that he's the killer from at least the halfway mark of the investigation. That's not what happened at all! First of all, Beamon doesn't work out that it's Hobart until page 407 of this 451 page book and even then it's not because he 'recognises the hand of the coldest killer he ever encountered' (mostly because as far as Mark knew Hobart had never killed anyone, he just tortured a suspect a bit), it's because they pull the drivers' licences of everyone who owns a specific car that was seen in the area at the time of the crime and Beamon just happens to look at the right license (one out of 7000 - a real 'lucky break') and recognise his old partner. Second, there is nothing investigatively brilliant about Beamon, he doesn't 'figure' anything out, the chief's just given him the case because he's known as a loose cannon and will be an easy scapegoat when they don't catch the guy (something which Beamon doesn't catch on to till even further on in the book - some investigator he is!).
I think this might be the most disappointing 'thriller' I've ever read and it's definitely going to the charity shop - there are some 3+ star reviews for this so hopefully someone else will get some enjoyment out of it.
April 27, 2022
Interesting idea, poorly executed. Rising Phoenix is the first book of five in the Mark Beamon series about a maverick FBI agent. I only know this author from the more recent Mitch Rapp books, so was happy to give it a go when it appeared at Book Club, but it is 25 years old, and shows his inexperience as a writer - it looks like this was his first novel.
A fundamentalist Christian preacher is looking for ways to support America’s failing war on drugs. When his security chief, John Hobart, a former DEA agent gone rogue, suggests a radical idea - poisoning the supply at source to deter users, he’s happy to fund it, but rapidly goes off the idea as the death toll rises rapidly. Meanwhile politicians are panicking, so appoint out of favour FBI Special Agent Mark Beamon to the task force - but how can he catch a man on a mission when half the country think that Hobart is doing the right thing?
This was a strange book as it was really unclear who the reader was supposed to sympathise with. Hobart is a nasty man with no conscience, but it becomes clear that his tactics are producing results that will save lives - at a terrible price. We spend a lot of time following his POV and apart from the callous way he kills off anyone standing in his way, I found myself appreciating his ingenuity. The supposed hero, Beamon, on the other hand, is deeply unpleasant - he comes across as a gone to seed John McLane who drinks and smokes too much doesn’t care who he offends - or gets killed. He’s not as smart as everyone seems to think he is, or as funny as he thinks he is, and relies mainly on luck to solve the case and survive the inevitable showdown. There are a large number of minor characters, including some very stereotypical villains, and some blatant racism that wouldn’t get published now. It was sometimes hard to keep track of who was important, or who was on what side. I don’t understand the significance of the title, and won’t be continuing this series, but will happily read Mill’s later books.
A fundamentalist Christian preacher is looking for ways to support America’s failing war on drugs. When his security chief, John Hobart, a former DEA agent gone rogue, suggests a radical idea - poisoning the supply at source to deter users, he’s happy to fund it, but rapidly goes off the idea as the death toll rises rapidly. Meanwhile politicians are panicking, so appoint out of favour FBI Special Agent Mark Beamon to the task force - but how can he catch a man on a mission when half the country think that Hobart is doing the right thing?
This was a strange book as it was really unclear who the reader was supposed to sympathise with. Hobart is a nasty man with no conscience, but it becomes clear that his tactics are producing results that will save lives - at a terrible price. We spend a lot of time following his POV and apart from the callous way he kills off anyone standing in his way, I found myself appreciating his ingenuity. The supposed hero, Beamon, on the other hand, is deeply unpleasant - he comes across as a gone to seed John McLane who drinks and smokes too much doesn’t care who he offends - or gets killed. He’s not as smart as everyone seems to think he is, or as funny as he thinks he is, and relies mainly on luck to solve the case and survive the inevitable showdown. There are a large number of minor characters, including some very stereotypical villains, and some blatant racism that wouldn’t get published now. It was sometimes hard to keep track of who was important, or who was on what side. I don’t understand the significance of the title, and won’t be continuing this series, but will happily read Mill’s later books.
March 31, 2025
3.5 stars I liked it a lot better when I read it as MMP as I guess plot didn’t totally stand test of time. Also there was less Beamon (the main appeal to me as a character) than I remembered but overall pretty good “airport book”
July 12, 2018
HEAVY HANDED AND DULL
Take a maverick FBI agent mired in the bureaucracy of law enforcement, (with the predictable pinhead director), a self-righteous preacher, strangely competent bad guys and a pseudo-moralistic plot, and one might be forgiven in thinking that, "I've read all this before.". Well, you have ... in better books.
One doesn't feel led through this story as much as shoved from behind with the author's hand on your collar with no subtlety or tension. After being sledge-hammered with character development, (all that is missing are white and black hats), the plot takes much too long to develop.
Testimonials on the cover aside, (from Clancy, Griffin and Forsyth no less), this one didn't work for me.
Take a maverick FBI agent mired in the bureaucracy of law enforcement, (with the predictable pinhead director), a self-righteous preacher, strangely competent bad guys and a pseudo-moralistic plot, and one might be forgiven in thinking that, "I've read all this before.". Well, you have ... in better books.
One doesn't feel led through this story as much as shoved from behind with the author's hand on your collar with no subtlety or tension. After being sledge-hammered with character development, (all that is missing are white and black hats), the plot takes much too long to develop.
Testimonials on the cover aside, (from Clancy, Griffin and Forsyth no less), this one didn't work for me.
March 4, 2011
Synopsis: Special Agent Mark Beamon is a maverick. His open disdain for the FBI's rules - and Directors - has exiled him to a no-profile post in the boondocks. But when a shadowy right-wing group starts flooding America's emergency rooms with dead and dying, Beamon is summoned back to Washington. Teamed with an icily efficient female field agent, he is given the thankless task of stopping the slaughter-even though millions of Americans secretly approve of it. As the body count rises, Beamon realizes there is something eerily familiar about his adversary, reminding him of the coldest killer he ever encountered - not a criminal but a law enforcement colleague. And for the first time, he wonders why he was chosen for this assignment. Was it his expertise - or his expendability?
**Review** A group of former law enforcement and military guys, along with a firebrand preacher, Celebrated TV evangelist Reverand Simon Blake, decide a to put a dent in America's drug problem by poisoning the source in central America. Mark Beamon, is an admirable anti-establishment FBI agent banished to a second string position away from the action in Texas.
Laura Vilechi, head of the FBI narcotics division, joins Beamon in attempting to stop the killers from continuing their mission even when the citizens the US openly cheer for those responsible. A vertual damned it you do, and damned in you don't moment for Beamon and Vilechi. The villians are diabolical in their means with John Hobart, a dismissed DEA Agent, at the forefront of the operation. Add to the story that Columbia's drug cartel, headed by Luis Colombar, also has an interest in discovering who poisoned the drugs and wants their immediate deaths.
**Review** A group of former law enforcement and military guys, along with a firebrand preacher, Celebrated TV evangelist Reverand Simon Blake, decide a to put a dent in America's drug problem by poisoning the source in central America. Mark Beamon, is an admirable anti-establishment FBI agent banished to a second string position away from the action in Texas.
Laura Vilechi, head of the FBI narcotics division, joins Beamon in attempting to stop the killers from continuing their mission even when the citizens the US openly cheer for those responsible. A vertual damned it you do, and damned in you don't moment for Beamon and Vilechi. The villians are diabolical in their means with John Hobart, a dismissed DEA Agent, at the forefront of the operation. Add to the story that Columbia's drug cartel, headed by Luis Colombar, also has an interest in discovering who poisoned the drugs and wants their immediate deaths.
December 6, 2012
2.5 stars.
What a great concept this book has... And that's all it has going for it. Character development... Terrible... We are still meeting characters as the book is winding down, not a way to make the reader care what happens to said character. The chapters... So disjointed... Some start in one city from the pov of one character and stay that way. Some just from city to city or even to different countries, while also jumping character povs. Didn't make much sense. Plot timeline... Horrendous... Pages and pages were wasted on insignificant details while large plot points felt like they were thrown in after the fact.
The more I think about it, this book didn't have to many redeeming qualities. Beamon was an ok character, who was supposed to be, according to the back cover, a maverick. If mouthing off to your boss once makes you a maverick I'd love to see what the author would call some of the people I work with. And going back to my original point about character development, I wanted to like Beamon more, but he wasn't developed properly and I never really connected... He's no John Corey, haha.
Anyway, the only thing that saved this book was the original concept of the story and how it played out... That is all.
Edit: after writing my review I dropped this book back to two stars.
August 12, 2014
Where Do I start? I must say that the book started out well. And it continued to do well until Mark Beamon came into the picture. This is the first time I read a book where I found the hero to be the most boring character ever. Before I bought the book I read the summary on the book. That summary promised me a bad ass cop teaming up with a bad ass lady cop (yes, this was emphasized for some reason) to stop a ruthless, cunning criminal who used to be DEA from slaughtering the junkies in America. Sounds awesome, no? Yes it is. The villain of the story is fleshed out. We get to know him and we understand the motives behind his crusade. And interestingly enough the book starts out in his point of view, leaving little room for the heroes to become as developed of a character as he is. I was promised two bad ass cops hunting down a cunning killer. There were no bad ass cops. Mark Beamon is boring. His partner, Laura Vilechi is equally boring. Only the villain, John Hobart is interesting. I found myself rooting for the bad guy. Haha, wow. The ending was unsatisfactory. Too many loose ends, unresolved issues with the characters and at parts gets boring. Every clue in the investigation was coincidence and pure dumb luck. Had the villain not been been ex-DEA he would have never been caught.
The book was not bad. It promised a lot and delivered very little.
The book was not bad. It promised a lot and delivered very little.
February 26, 2016
The author recently took over the Mitch Rapp series, and I really enjoyed his writing in that one so I decided to check out his earlier novels starting with the first one.
This was about an FBI agent, who is always bucking the system, who has been put in charge of an investigation to get to the bottom of a poisoned illegal narcotic supply. The premise was interesting and involved not just the FBI, but also a Colombian drug cartel, the mafia and a televangelist. Fast paced and easy to read, the only reason I did not go for four stars is that I feel that the characters could have been developed a little better and some of the behaviors were unrealistic. I will definitely read the second novel in the Mark Beamon series however.
This was about an FBI agent, who is always bucking the system, who has been put in charge of an investigation to get to the bottom of a poisoned illegal narcotic supply. The premise was interesting and involved not just the FBI, but also a Colombian drug cartel, the mafia and a televangelist. Fast paced and easy to read, the only reason I did not go for four stars is that I feel that the characters could have been developed a little better and some of the behaviors were unrealistic. I will definitely read the second novel in the Mark Beamon series however.
January 20, 2019
This was an interesting one to read. I liked Mark, hated how he was treated. As for the crime part of me was horrified, part of me thought, well they did it to themselves. As the FBI guys were talking, how much money has been spent battling drugs, when something like this did more to stop things, it really makes a person wonder. I also loved how one of the by products were the drug producers themselves going crazy because they were loosing money left and right.
I plan to keep reading this series, I want to see what happens to Mark next.
I plan to keep reading this series, I want to see what happens to Mark next.
October 19, 2018
Bravo! A good fast read! now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
January 25, 2018
Silly, boring and amateurish. Save your time.
January 6, 2018
Het concept van dit boek is goed. Een televisie-dominee is het beu dat drugs zoveel slachtoffers eisen, en als hij dan ontdekt dat zijn zoontje cannabis gebruikt heeft, is voor hem de maat vol. Hij geeft John Hobart de opdracht om drugs te vergiftigen, en deze vindt een middel dat eerst twee weken na gebruik zijn dodelijk effect toont. De bedoeling is om de mensen bang te maken om nog drugs te gebruiken, maar het loopt uit de hand. Er vallen duizenden slachtoffers.
Een moeilijke klus voor de FBI, want aan de ene kant is het volk doodsbang voor dit vergif, en wil dat de dader(s) opgepakt worden, de andere partij steunt deze actie juist, omdat Amerika op deze manier van vele junks verlost raakt, die de maatschappij veel geld kosten en misdaad in de hand werken.
Mark Baumon wordt ingeschakeld om deze zaak op te lossen.
Een moeilijke klus voor de FBI, want aan de ene kant is het volk doodsbang voor dit vergif, en wil dat de dader(s) opgepakt worden, de andere partij steunt deze actie juist, omdat Amerika op deze manier van vele junks verlost raakt, die de maatschappij veel geld kosten en misdaad in de hand werken.
Mark Baumon wordt ingeschakeld om deze zaak op te lossen.
April 13, 2021
I picked this up awhile back since Kyle Mills was selected to take over the Mitch Rapp series. Finally got around to reading, and am surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
I found myself rooting on John Hobart who was former DEA. He came up with a plan to end the War on Drugs by poisoning the Narcotics at the supply chain.
Mark Beamon, maverick FBI investigator recently demoted, was tasked with capturing Hobart.
Quick read with a great plot. Can't wait to read more Beamon novels.
I found myself rooting on John Hobart who was former DEA. He came up with a plan to end the War on Drugs by poisoning the Narcotics at the supply chain.
Mark Beamon, maverick FBI investigator recently demoted, was tasked with capturing Hobart.
Quick read with a great plot. Can't wait to read more Beamon novels.
July 15, 2025
This is the first Mark Beamon book in the series, and it's also my first. He is an interesting character. Usually, FBI agents are portrayed as fit, serious, and clad in a dark suit. Mark is overweight, unpredictable, and a bit disheveled. However, he is the best agent they have and seems to always get his man. It is an exciting story and a fun read.
June 1, 2017
`A fun beach read thriller with an ambiguous morality from the late 1990's. . A right wing group's solution to the drug problem is to poison the illicit drug supply and cause thousands of deaths. This c FBI's Mark Beamon is hot on their trail. Is it moral to kill thousands of drug addicts and is it worth it to discourage illicit drug use? Or is it morally indefensible? These are the moral questions this story asks. The reader can find he or she is both sides of the answer to the questions at the same time. That is what makes this thriller more interesting and thought provoking than your average one. The author does not leave the reader hanging, however and does bring the novel to a satisfying conclusion.
February 21, 2017
I think this is the first book I've ever read where I was rooting for the antagonist to triumph over the protagonist. Mark Beamon is a flat, one-dimensional, boring main character that seems to stumble into his successes more than anything else, while John Hobart has some depth...albeit not too much more than Beamon. It is a stereotypical good-guy versus villain novel, and I've read better. I'll probably still read more in this series though.
January 28, 2012
Another 3.5 book for me.
I picked this book up at our library book sale. The premise was, indeed, unique. In order to halt the high rate of drup usage in the US, a scheme was begun, poisoning the drugs at their source. The ensuing results were the meat of the book. Although never compelling, the book was a good read.
I picked this book up at our library book sale. The premise was, indeed, unique. In order to halt the high rate of drup usage in the US, a scheme was begun, poisoning the drugs at their source. The ensuing results were the meat of the book. Although never compelling, the book was a good read.
January 4, 2010
I started this in preparation for a plane trip -- and tossed it. It all seemed too heavy handed and predictable. Have read other Mills books, and stopped. Somehow I have Mills and Flynn in the same tough guy rogue agent paranoid thriller category.
April 25, 2016
Tough Read
I am very disappointed in this book. I expected a lot more from this author but didn't get what I expected. The Amazon description labeled the book thriller/suspense. It was definitely neither.
I am very disappointed in this book. I expected a lot more from this author but didn't get what I expected. The Amazon description labeled the book thriller/suspense. It was definitely neither.
March 10, 2025
The idea for Kyle Mills' "Phoenix Rising" was intriguing to me. The concept of a do-gooder seeking to bring about an end to the illegal drug epidemic by poisoning the drug supply sounded callous to me, but was interesting enough for me to go for it. The resulting novel, however, suffered from a desire to demonstrate the cleverness of an ultimate bad guy and make the FBI agent in charge of the investigation look like Bozo the Clown. While I hoped that the agent would get smarter and break the puzzle through clever observation and investigation, instead he makes a lucky guess in order to get the bad guy.
I couldn't find common ground with FBI agent Beamon. First, his need to smoke constantly didn't endear him to me. His maverick attitude was one I could live with, though it is a generic stereotype for action heroes. However, when his own nephew, troubled by his own addiction, is poisoned by the "do-gooders" Beamon cannot even summon up sorrow, much less rage over the death of a family member. He is cold and callous towards his sister and her family and though he says something towards the end about vengeance for his dead nephew, the reader never sees that death as a motivating or even frustrating factor.
Instead of a thriller, we get to suffer through the clever machinations of a madman operating under the guise of righteous indignation. The focus of the novel is this madman and his operation to poison drugs at the source and thereby terrify users into quitting cold turkey or going to rehab.
I won't bother to read any more by this author. Just not worth my time, even if I find the book at a Thrift store or library sale.
I couldn't find common ground with FBI agent Beamon. First, his need to smoke constantly didn't endear him to me. His maverick attitude was one I could live with, though it is a generic stereotype for action heroes. However, when his own nephew, troubled by his own addiction, is poisoned by the "do-gooders" Beamon cannot even summon up sorrow, much less rage over the death of a family member. He is cold and callous towards his sister and her family and though he says something towards the end about vengeance for his dead nephew, the reader never sees that death as a motivating or even frustrating factor.
Instead of a thriller, we get to suffer through the clever machinations of a madman operating under the guise of righteous indignation. The focus of the novel is this madman and his operation to poison drugs at the source and thereby terrify users into quitting cold turkey or going to rehab.
I won't bother to read any more by this author. Just not worth my time, even if I find the book at a Thrift store or library sale.
March 26, 2018
Having read Mill's second work first I was slightly disappointed in "Rising Phonenix" but a remarkable first novel with a protagonist that fits well with the wise cracking irreverent sleuths of many a well read series. The book introduces us to FBI agent Mark Beamon, a maverick agent with a penchant for solving unsolvable crimes.
Beamon's backstory is hinted at while he's shuffled off to an ASAC post in his home state of Texas, where he soon involves his boss in a gunfight that once again reinforces his reputation as a maverick.
Meanwhile newspaper ads warn of a radical group intent on solving the nations drug problem by poisoning drugs before reaching both users & addicts. Which results in Beamon being recalled from exile to investigate a increasing number of drug related deaths. Beamon questions his own high opinion of his abilities when confronted with an apparently unsolvable case as the death toll continues to rise.
A well written adventure story involving the drug trade from user, up through the levels to cartel leaders & the conspiracy to end forever America's drug problem by any means necessary, both social commentary & an entertaining story.
Beamon's backstory is hinted at while he's shuffled off to an ASAC post in his home state of Texas, where he soon involves his boss in a gunfight that once again reinforces his reputation as a maverick.
Meanwhile newspaper ads warn of a radical group intent on solving the nations drug problem by poisoning drugs before reaching both users & addicts. Which results in Beamon being recalled from exile to investigate a increasing number of drug related deaths. Beamon questions his own high opinion of his abilities when confronted with an apparently unsolvable case as the death toll continues to rise.
A well written adventure story involving the drug trade from user, up through the levels to cartel leaders & the conspiracy to end forever America's drug problem by any means necessary, both social commentary & an entertaining story.
May 4, 2025
Coming back on Kyle’s earlier works after seeing the amazing job he did on the Mitch Rapp series and there’s a clear evolution in his writing style. It’s clear the talent has always been there, like a fine whiskey, it’s gotten better over the years.
This being his first book, it was interesting how one of the core concepts with poising the drug trade later evolved into an aspect of asymmetrical warfare in a later novel. While the concept of “war on drugs” is still a hot button issue today, as a time piece it’s interesting reading today to see how things were 25-30 years ago vs today with the rise of the internet, social media, technology etc.
The book was entertaining and had the story telling pieces in place that makes for great reads in his addition to the Rapp series. As with any debut from an author who’s had decades of sustained success, you can see how the pieces were there and how they were a little “looser” in the beginning. All elements were there and wove together for a climax, but a much slower burn than some of his others. It has the various subplots and characters that are all woven together for the big climax.
This being his first book, it was interesting how one of the core concepts with poising the drug trade later evolved into an aspect of asymmetrical warfare in a later novel. While the concept of “war on drugs” is still a hot button issue today, as a time piece it’s interesting reading today to see how things were 25-30 years ago vs today with the rise of the internet, social media, technology etc.
The book was entertaining and had the story telling pieces in place that makes for great reads in his addition to the Rapp series. As with any debut from an author who’s had decades of sustained success, you can see how the pieces were there and how they were a little “looser” in the beginning. All elements were there and wove together for a climax, but a much slower burn than some of his others. It has the various subplots and characters that are all woven together for the big climax.
June 14, 2023
finished 14th june 2023 good read three stars i liked it kindle library loaner a televangelist and his security man conspire to stop the drug epidemic. a nice mix of clashing personalities, politics, ambition, so on so forth. have read many of the mill stories where he continues the mitch rapp stories begun by vince flynn...still don't know how that...whatever...collaboration? agreement? came about...and not that it matters much. apparently he has a number of his own stories. this one is a kind of medical thriller that robin cook hasn't written yet...although cook must have some variation on the theme many as he has written.
January 4, 2020
It's unusual to root for the "bad guy" in a story. I think it was due to the elaborate character development that was used during the beginning of the book. I wasn't really rooting for him, per se, but it made me think more deeply about the problems in our society and who is best equipped to deal with those problems.
To be honest, all the high praise from friend-of-the-family Tom Clancy made me wonder if Mills earned this slot. With or without Clancy's assurances, Rising Phoenix was worth the read and I'll definitely read the remaining books in the series.
To be honest, all the high praise from friend-of-the-family Tom Clancy made me wonder if Mills earned this slot. With or without Clancy's assurances, Rising Phoenix was worth the read and I'll definitely read the remaining books in the series.
February 5, 2021
I thought I would read a Kyle Mills book, written well before he took over Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp series. What a wake-up call! Rising Phoenix was written so much better than Mills' Mitch Rapp books, not one of which I have enjoyed, due primarily to the writing.
Rising Phoenix has a totally different writing style. It involves the drug epidemic in the US and around the world. Getting involved, for better or worse, is a television preacher of great wealth, his bodyguard (former US agent), a gung-ho FBI agent who always has gotten the job done (but not to the liking of the higher-ups in the FBI) and a female FBI agent , supposedly in charge.
Well written, Rising Phoenix is an exciting read.
Rising Phoenix has a totally different writing style. It involves the drug epidemic in the US and around the world. Getting involved, for better or worse, is a television preacher of great wealth, his bodyguard (former US agent), a gung-ho FBI agent who always has gotten the job done (but not to the liking of the higher-ups in the FBI) and a female FBI agent , supposedly in charge.
Well written, Rising Phoenix is an exciting read.
February 25, 2022
Nothing turns me off faster than an author who writes about firearms in a novel and doesn't know the difference between a "clip" and a magazine. Go ahead, try to purchase a clip for a 45 auto pistol. It doesn't exist. Most firearms (not including revolvers) use MAGAZINES, not clips. Writing that one of the characters carried more "clips" for his 45 auto just causes readers who know better to think less of the author's work and research for the story. I enjoyed Kyle's Mitch Rapp stories,but this one is not up to the same level. It has an interesting plot, but the characters don't really come alive. I'm hoping that the books that follow are better - I generally read an entire series in order.
July 25, 2020
I was excited to read this book as I love what Kyle Mills has done with Mitch Rapp since Vince Flynn's death. I was underwhelmed with Mark Beamon. The plot was quiet good and interesting. The balance between the greater good through mass murder and death... interesting. The main villain was ruthless and thoughtful as he executed his plan... along with thousands of people... and some of his friends. But the climax was 'ehhh'. I felt like Beamon didn't really do much to solve the case or catch the bad guy. I'll probably read the next Mark Beamon book in hopes that he gets more hero-like... but this Mark Beamon was pretty boring.
June 25, 2025
This, his first novel, is well-paced and the characters are well-drawn. The author shows us a beleavably beaurocratic FBI and poses an interesting moral and philosophical question in his exploration of a radical addressing of the drug addiction issue.
Unfortunately, his stereotypical attitudes toward race and the culture of addiction display either prejudice or naivete, which at times compromised the reading experience for me. The fourth book in this series (I haven't read the second and third) shows I think more maturity and balance in handling societal issues.
Unfortunately, his stereotypical attitudes toward race and the culture of addiction display either prejudice or naivete, which at times compromised the reading experience for me. The fourth book in this series (I haven't read the second and third) shows I think more maturity and balance in handling societal issues.
September 2, 2020
I am not sure if the story was about what would happen if someone poisoned the some of the narcotic supply coming into the US or about Mark Beamon, FBI agent. From the book blurb - it should be all about Beamon - but it isn't. It is mostly about the antagonist and the repercussions of what he has done. The Beamon portion seemed also like a side plot.
This book definitely delivers with the action and the story moves quickly. I did actually enjoy the book.
This book definitely delivers with the action and the story moves quickly. I did actually enjoy the book.
May 22, 2021
pretty good book for a debut fiction. Mark Beamon is a character I would like to read about again. this older, sometimes disgraced FBI guy is called into a national crisis. someone had poisoned the cocaine coming into America. since he has a good reputation of catching the bad guy, he returns to DC to help in the case. the bad guy is put up to his task by a megachurch leader who thinks this is a way to save souls for god. keep cheering for Mark to work his magic again.
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