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Covert-One #8
The Ares Decision
With U.S. intelligence agencies wracked by internal power struggles and paralyzed by bureaucracy, the President was forced to establish his own clandestine group—Covert-One. It is only activated as a last resort, when the threat is on a global scale and time is running out.
In northern Uganda, an American special forces team is decimated by a group of normally peaceful farmers. Video of the attack shows even women and children possessing almost supernatural speed and strength, consumed with a rage that makes them immune to pain, fear, and all but the most devastating injuries.
Covert-One’s top operative, army microbiologist Colonel Jon Smith, is sent to investigate the attack and finds evidence of a parasitic infection that for centuries has been causing violent insanity and then going dormant. This time, though, it’s different. The parasite had been purposely kept alive and crudely transmitted in acts of terrorism. Now the director of Iranian Intelligence is in Uganda trying to obtain this biological weapon to unleash it on the West.
Smith and his team are ambushed and cut off from all outside support just as they begin to suspect that forces much more powerful than the Iranians are in play—forces that can be traced to Washington itself.
404 pages, Hardcover
First published October 4, 2011
296 people are currently reading
2834 people want to read
About the author
Kyle Mills
33 books2,516 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 156 reviews
September 12, 2021
Again, as in the rest of this series I have "listened" to, nothing spectacular but entertaining with enough drama to warrant a 3 star rating.
December 4, 2011
Very Hard to review this book, Kyle Mills is one of my favorite thriller writers- his previous books have all been superb. The Ares Decision is a very well written thriller about terrorists trying to get their hands on a Centuries' old parasite and weaponize it. The MAJOR PROBLEM is that this is the 8th book featuring main character Jon Smith, and Kyle Mills is the 5th writer to work on this series- How can a writer fully realize a book, when he/she is forced to use a character that has been written about in 7 previous books by 4 other writers? There is an curious disconnect when it comes to the main character- something that never occurred in previous Kyle Mills books where he had full control. Robert Ludlum will always be one of the great writers ever- yet no favor is done to his memory using his name to sell books. As Ludlum passed away a decade ago, reading a book published in 2011, and seeing Robert Ludlum's name listed on every other page as the co-author serves as a constant reminder to the reader that this is a franchise book- not an original novel. It is not by chance that only the villians, who are new and created by Mills, are the characters that stand out. One can only hope that Kyle Mills returns to writing his own books-WITH HIS OWN CHARACTERS.
RIP ROBERT LUDLUM
Rick Friedman
Founder
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
RIP ROBERT LUDLUM
Rick Friedman
Founder
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
November 26, 2011
I remember stumbling on this series when all but the last two books were written. I read them like mad (listened to them actually) and then THE ARCTIC EVENT came out, so I added that one to the list. Then, it seemed like years and some book titled THE INFINITY AFFAIR appeared on fanatasticfiction.co.uk as though it were set to come out. Nothing anywhere here in North America... and then up pops Mills's THE ARES DECISION. Was James Cobb bumped off the project and Mills saved the day? No idea.
Good book and I remember the racing around from previous books, though it has been years. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about all the nuances of microbiology and disease and how something so small can terrorise the body so much. Mills picks up where others have left off and I could not really tell that it was not Ludlum writing. That said, I have no prior Kyle Mills experience, so it is hard to judge.
There were parts that dragged and I drifted from time to time, but it was a good effort.
Hoping the next installment is not as far off.
Kudos Mr. Mills!
Good book and I remember the racing around from previous books, though it has been years. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about all the nuances of microbiology and disease and how something so small can terrorise the body so much. Mills picks up where others have left off and I could not really tell that it was not Ludlum writing. That said, I have no prior Kyle Mills experience, so it is hard to judge.
There were parts that dragged and I drifted from time to time, but it was a good effort.
Hoping the next installment is not as far off.
Kudos Mr. Mills!
January 27, 2015
I haven’t read any Ludlum in a long time, but I was moved to pick up this one and really enjoyed it. A high octane story, with a possible reality base (bacterial warfare), The characters are great; the story is riveting and the tempo quick…Skip over the graphic violence if you are squeamish, but carry on, because the story is good one…Enjoy!
December 11, 2011
Wow!
This was a novel won in a Goodreads Giveaway and after just finishing it I realize that I would gladly have paid the full price.
This is the latest Covert One novel. Covert One is a secret security organization set up by the President of the United States that is known to only a handful of people. An army doctor is the hero of the series. He is also a trained operative in addition to being a doctor.
In this story an African madman has found a parasite that turns infected people into beserkers who become stronger, faster, and deadlier than a normal person. Anyone they infect becomes a carrier for the parasite and is highly contagious. After a special ops team is destroyed by the infected, Covert One becomes involved and the chase is on.
The action is almost nonstop and the plot moves along at a fast pace. The charecters are interesting. The storyline is plausable as new viruses are and lifeforms are being discovered as more remote places on this planet are being travelled.
Kyle Mills has done a very good job continuing this series. The last couple of novels were much slower and much more predictable. I hope Mills signs on for a few more rides because they will be worth it as long as they continue to follow The Ares Decision.
This was a novel won in a Goodreads Giveaway and after just finishing it I realize that I would gladly have paid the full price.
This is the latest Covert One novel. Covert One is a secret security organization set up by the President of the United States that is known to only a handful of people. An army doctor is the hero of the series. He is also a trained operative in addition to being a doctor.
In this story an African madman has found a parasite that turns infected people into beserkers who become stronger, faster, and deadlier than a normal person. Anyone they infect becomes a carrier for the parasite and is highly contagious. After a special ops team is destroyed by the infected, Covert One becomes involved and the chase is on.
The action is almost nonstop and the plot moves along at a fast pace. The charecters are interesting. The storyline is plausable as new viruses are and lifeforms are being discovered as more remote places on this planet are being travelled.
Kyle Mills has done a very good job continuing this series. The last couple of novels were much slower and much more predictable. I hope Mills signs on for a few more rides because they will be worth it as long as they continue to follow The Ares Decision.
February 17, 2021
I found The Ares Decision somewhat confusing for , perhaps, the first 1/3rd of the novel. Many characters from the CIA, the Executive Branch, Covert Ops, African nations, and Iran were brought into play. As a result, I found myself looking through earlier pages to rediscover who a character was. (Now my sentences are confusing)! I would prefer having a list of characters and their roles at the beginning of the novel.
Regardless, The Ares Decision was one exciting read, once I got the various characters straight. This thriller involves Covert Ops folks ( Army microbiologist Col. Jon Smith, his British colleague and pal Howell, and Sarie, a female scientist) sent to Africa to discover and learn about the use of deadly parasites being developed as a way to wipe out enemy forces. Who was developing these parasites? How? Was Iran involved?
At the same time the CIA becomes aware of Covert Ops folks, and not realizing they were working for the President, decided to eliminate them.
The Ares Decision is actually the continuation of a series started by Robert Ludlum and picked up by Kyle Mills following Ludlum's death. Mills does a super job of spinning a yarn of espionage, with many interesting characters, and loads of exciting, even terrifying, situations.
Regardless, The Ares Decision was one exciting read, once I got the various characters straight. This thriller involves Covert Ops folks ( Army microbiologist Col. Jon Smith, his British colleague and pal Howell, and Sarie, a female scientist) sent to Africa to discover and learn about the use of deadly parasites being developed as a way to wipe out enemy forces. Who was developing these parasites? How? Was Iran involved?
At the same time the CIA becomes aware of Covert Ops folks, and not realizing they were working for the President, decided to eliminate them.
The Ares Decision is actually the continuation of a series started by Robert Ludlum and picked up by Kyle Mills following Ludlum's death. Mills does a super job of spinning a yarn of espionage, with many interesting characters, and loads of exciting, even terrifying, situations.
November 19, 2012
By Kyle Mills. Covert-One #8. Grade: B+
Before I begin with the dissection of Robert Ludlum’s The Ares Decision written by Kyle Mills, newbies may need some introduction. Jon Smith, our protagonist, was initially Robert Ludlum’s creation. But alas, the brilliant author passed away about a decade back, and since then, many other talented thriller writers have immortalized this character. Kyle Mills is the fifth writer to try his hand with the eighth book of this series, which has led to highly inconsistent and varying reaction from readers – as well as characters.
The Ares Decision reeks of terrorism, biological weapons and a marathon of panic soaked in blood. In this Covert-One Series, Kyle Mills pierces his readers with bullets and barks at with a parasite. A weapon that may cause more damage and hysteria than the ones that plagued Hiroshima and Nagasaki for almost half a century.
With U.S. intelligence agencies wracked by internal power struggles and paralyzed by bureaucracy, the President is forced to establish his own clandestine group – Covert-One – selected from the very best operators America has to offer. It is only activated as a last resort, when the threat is on a global scale and time is running out.
In Uganda an American Special Forces team is wiped out by a group of normally peaceful farmers. Video of the attack shows even women and children possessing almost supernatural speed and strength, consumed with a rage that makes them immune to pain, fear, and all but the most devastating injuries.
The Ares Decision by Kyle Mills
Covert-One’s Colonel Jon Smith, is sent to investigate the attack and finds evidence of a parasitic infection that for centuries has been causing violent insanity and then going dormant. This time, though, it’s different. The infection is purposely being kept alive. And as Smith and his team are cut off from all outside support, they begin to suspect that forces much more powerful than the Iranians are in play…
Covert-One’s army microbiologist Colonel Jon Smith is sent on a mission to look into the matter related to a parasite that may swallow the U.S. There are people who are working on the parasite to exploit the bio weapon and it is left to Smith and his team to put an end to it. Sarie van Keuren, a South African biologist and Peter Howell, former Special Air Services member join Smith in untangling the mystery behind the parasite.A video of villagers pouncing on an American Special forces team in Northern Uganda triggers Smith’s men to delve into the possibility of a bio weapon.
Robert Ludlum’s The Ares Decision is a wild sheep chase with an army of characters killing and getting killed. It is this pace that sets the texture of the novel. By borrowing Robert Ludlum’s mind for TAD, Kyle Mills rolls his thriller with little scope for anything else. He writes with an intention of being read in a tensed mood.
The book talks about countries and cultures and how a person becomes a traitor and what he does to become a patriot. There’s a mole in every country and a hole to accompany it. People working for the government work against it too, and you need a hero to save the nation. Friends help each other in times of crisis and otherwise. You never know when a bottle of mineral water crawls to you in the middle of the desert. Randi Rusell, a friend of Jon’s, and a former colleague, pulls him out of the soup just in time. He is that bottle of mineral water here; very much handy and helpful in lending her hand to her friends and to the nation. Hasty decisions result in sinking into murky seas. And slow thinking will work only in the Arctic region. Kyle Mills stays away from slowing and slurring his narration.
Kyle Mills’ first attempt at Covert One has turned out be a gripping plot with not many split ends, but plenty of slippery slopes.
Too much blood and cuts and bruises make this novel little violent for people aged below fifteen, but for those devouring guns and bombs, this is perfect.
P.S.: If only Robert Ludlum could read this, it would have been a surprise to find out what he would have done (to the characters and to Kyle Mills).
Originally reviewed at: http://vaultofbooks.com/
Before I begin with the dissection of Robert Ludlum’s The Ares Decision written by Kyle Mills, newbies may need some introduction. Jon Smith, our protagonist, was initially Robert Ludlum’s creation. But alas, the brilliant author passed away about a decade back, and since then, many other talented thriller writers have immortalized this character. Kyle Mills is the fifth writer to try his hand with the eighth book of this series, which has led to highly inconsistent and varying reaction from readers – as well as characters.
The Ares Decision reeks of terrorism, biological weapons and a marathon of panic soaked in blood. In this Covert-One Series, Kyle Mills pierces his readers with bullets and barks at with a parasite. A weapon that may cause more damage and hysteria than the ones that plagued Hiroshima and Nagasaki for almost half a century.
With U.S. intelligence agencies wracked by internal power struggles and paralyzed by bureaucracy, the President is forced to establish his own clandestine group – Covert-One – selected from the very best operators America has to offer. It is only activated as a last resort, when the threat is on a global scale and time is running out.
In Uganda an American Special Forces team is wiped out by a group of normally peaceful farmers. Video of the attack shows even women and children possessing almost supernatural speed and strength, consumed with a rage that makes them immune to pain, fear, and all but the most devastating injuries.
The Ares Decision by Kyle Mills
Covert-One’s Colonel Jon Smith, is sent to investigate the attack and finds evidence of a parasitic infection that for centuries has been causing violent insanity and then going dormant. This time, though, it’s different. The infection is purposely being kept alive. And as Smith and his team are cut off from all outside support, they begin to suspect that forces much more powerful than the Iranians are in play…
Covert-One’s army microbiologist Colonel Jon Smith is sent on a mission to look into the matter related to a parasite that may swallow the U.S. There are people who are working on the parasite to exploit the bio weapon and it is left to Smith and his team to put an end to it. Sarie van Keuren, a South African biologist and Peter Howell, former Special Air Services member join Smith in untangling the mystery behind the parasite.A video of villagers pouncing on an American Special forces team in Northern Uganda triggers Smith’s men to delve into the possibility of a bio weapon.
Robert Ludlum’s The Ares Decision is a wild sheep chase with an army of characters killing and getting killed. It is this pace that sets the texture of the novel. By borrowing Robert Ludlum’s mind for TAD, Kyle Mills rolls his thriller with little scope for anything else. He writes with an intention of being read in a tensed mood.
The book talks about countries and cultures and how a person becomes a traitor and what he does to become a patriot. There’s a mole in every country and a hole to accompany it. People working for the government work against it too, and you need a hero to save the nation. Friends help each other in times of crisis and otherwise. You never know when a bottle of mineral water crawls to you in the middle of the desert. Randi Rusell, a friend of Jon’s, and a former colleague, pulls him out of the soup just in time. He is that bottle of mineral water here; very much handy and helpful in lending her hand to her friends and to the nation. Hasty decisions result in sinking into murky seas. And slow thinking will work only in the Arctic region. Kyle Mills stays away from slowing and slurring his narration.
Kyle Mills’ first attempt at Covert One has turned out be a gripping plot with not many split ends, but plenty of slippery slopes.
Too much blood and cuts and bruises make this novel little violent for people aged below fifteen, but for those devouring guns and bombs, this is perfect.
P.S.: If only Robert Ludlum could read this, it would have been a surprise to find out what he would have done (to the characters and to Kyle Mills).
Originally reviewed at: http://vaultofbooks.com/
August 8, 2013
Saw this on the shelf of the small local branch of the library and I figured that I would give it a read based on enjoying the first few books in the Bourne series. The book is not bad, and so I give it three stars as a solid page turner. I should also mention that I haven't read the earlier books in this series, and there were obvious references to earlier adventures that were pretty clearly highlighted. That said, I did not have the impression that the earlier books would have added much to this one.
As is typical of a Ludlum series, this is a geopolitical action thriller with action taking place on the ground, in the air, and spanning the globe.
In terms of strengths, the story was well constructed and, generally speaking, the pacing was consistent and well done. As is typical of this genre, the end of every chapter was written to keep you from being able to close the book and turn out the reading light. The story lines were also fairly well constructed. The book followed more than five story arcs that eventually were woven together reasonably well at the end.
However, this book didn't leave me with an enjoyable "page-turner" experience--and I understand that this is a very personal point and difficult to quantify. In my opinion, this is because some, if not all, of the characters lacked depth necessary to make them interesting to the reader. This is obviously the challenge in writing this kind of book and with so many different story arcs. It's my opinion that with these kinds of books, at the end of the day the reader should be able to thoroughly enjoy the journey. And I'm afraid that I didn't necessary enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would. I think that the characters were just too one dimensional and cliché, and the story's "surprises" far too few and far too predictable. Also, I felt like the ending was a little unsatisfying.
**Slight spoilers below (I am not going to give away any surprises, but will introduce the different story arcs, and so those who don't even want to know that may want to skip to the end)**
The story begins with an elite American combat unit being sent in to central Africa to eliminate a Ugandan war lord. The reader is told that an African Union force was annihilated by this war lord's primitive forces, which are considered to be "devils" by Ugandans. However, when the American unit is similarly destroyed and video of unarmed Africans with superhuman powers swallowing up the American team sent back to the U.S., several story arcs are launched.
First, the American President who had authorized the American combat unit's deployment refuses to accept his CIA operative's explanation and calls up his Covert One unit to be safe. We quickly learn that the CIA operative has his own plans and is intentionally feeding the President false/misleading information.
Meanwhile, we learn that the Ugandan President who had turned to the U.S. for help in getting rid of his war lord problem is going to now turn to Iran. We learn that Iran is aware of the Ugandan war lord's superhuman warriors and desires to somehow make use of them, because they are facing internal problems of their own.
Dr. Jon Smith, a Covert One operative is called up and sent to Africa to investigate while bringing along his former SAS ally, Peter Howell. Smith is the hero of the series and so his story arc is the most developed. That being said, I still had difficulty in feeling a connection or affinity for the character.
At the same time, a South African parasite researcher is brought into the story when the Ugandan war lord attempts to kidnap her. And of course, she's apparently smoking hot.
**End of Spoiler Alert**
The book brings all of these different elements (and a handful more) together to tell a story that takes place on several continents. It is a fairly well executed, if not stiff and mechanical, foray into the geopolitical/thriller genre. I recommend this to fans of Robert Ludlum, and in particular to fans of the Covert One series. Fans of geopolitical thrillers would probably also enjoy it. Despite its length, it is a fairly quick read as it is broken down into lots of small chapters.
As is typical of a Ludlum series, this is a geopolitical action thriller with action taking place on the ground, in the air, and spanning the globe.
In terms of strengths, the story was well constructed and, generally speaking, the pacing was consistent and well done. As is typical of this genre, the end of every chapter was written to keep you from being able to close the book and turn out the reading light. The story lines were also fairly well constructed. The book followed more than five story arcs that eventually were woven together reasonably well at the end.
However, this book didn't leave me with an enjoyable "page-turner" experience--and I understand that this is a very personal point and difficult to quantify. In my opinion, this is because some, if not all, of the characters lacked depth necessary to make them interesting to the reader. This is obviously the challenge in writing this kind of book and with so many different story arcs. It's my opinion that with these kinds of books, at the end of the day the reader should be able to thoroughly enjoy the journey. And I'm afraid that I didn't necessary enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would. I think that the characters were just too one dimensional and cliché, and the story's "surprises" far too few and far too predictable. Also, I felt like the ending was a little unsatisfying.
**Slight spoilers below (I am not going to give away any surprises, but will introduce the different story arcs, and so those who don't even want to know that may want to skip to the end)**
The story begins with an elite American combat unit being sent in to central Africa to eliminate a Ugandan war lord. The reader is told that an African Union force was annihilated by this war lord's primitive forces, which are considered to be "devils" by Ugandans. However, when the American unit is similarly destroyed and video of unarmed Africans with superhuman powers swallowing up the American team sent back to the U.S., several story arcs are launched.
First, the American President who had authorized the American combat unit's deployment refuses to accept his CIA operative's explanation and calls up his Covert One unit to be safe. We quickly learn that the CIA operative has his own plans and is intentionally feeding the President false/misleading information.
Meanwhile, we learn that the Ugandan President who had turned to the U.S. for help in getting rid of his war lord problem is going to now turn to Iran. We learn that Iran is aware of the Ugandan war lord's superhuman warriors and desires to somehow make use of them, because they are facing internal problems of their own.
Dr. Jon Smith, a Covert One operative is called up and sent to Africa to investigate while bringing along his former SAS ally, Peter Howell. Smith is the hero of the series and so his story arc is the most developed. That being said, I still had difficulty in feeling a connection or affinity for the character.
At the same time, a South African parasite researcher is brought into the story when the Ugandan war lord attempts to kidnap her. And of course, she's apparently smoking hot.
**End of Spoiler Alert**
The book brings all of these different elements (and a handful more) together to tell a story that takes place on several continents. It is a fairly well executed, if not stiff and mechanical, foray into the geopolitical/thriller genre. I recommend this to fans of Robert Ludlum, and in particular to fans of the Covert One series. Fans of geopolitical thrillers would probably also enjoy it. Despite its length, it is a fairly quick read as it is broken down into lots of small chapters.
September 2, 2014
Riveting. Extremely intense. It is not for the faint of heart. It is gruesome, descriptive and having worked in two Hospital Emergency Rooms as a triage facilitator, I was not as grossed out as some may be with this wicked parasite and the damage to the mind and body, and the parasite, once at its full lethal potential in the system of its victims, reeks havoc and leaves nothing to the imagination. Add to this those who seek to obtain the parasite to bring down America and cause millions of deaths. There is always a twist that at least I was not expecting. To say that if this were really happening, Uganda is not the place of choice to be! Combined with the crazy 'self appointment God' Caleb Bahame, the foreign diplomats who want the parasite, and now our three heroes, this is a never ending story that had me spellbound. Bahame was determined, feeling he was all powerful, or at least making his followers who were mostly young children, believing he had 'magical powers' would prove to be his undoing. But keep in mind he is determined to bring any and all down who challenged his "Godliness". Combine two men and a brilliant woman who are not going to sit and wait for all hell to break loose worse than it already has. They go to hell and back to bring this parasite down as well as the carrier/carriers and the crazy leader of the cult, Bahame, in addition, the men seeking to cause terror in the United States of America. It held me spell bound and I read it very quickly. Kyle Mills has done an amazing job in bringing the late Robert Ludlums name out in a positive light. So glad he, Mills, is targeted to take over the Mitch Rapp series for the late Vince Flynn as from the few books of Mills I have read, I am duly impressed and wanting more and more of his great imagination and might I say accuracy in so many aspects of his writings. I highly recommend this book for those who love high adventure, and a glimpse into the world of science and covert ops. It is a few years out on the book shelves but I am just becoming aware of Kyle Mills and must say to this point, he has not disappointed me in any way.
January 19, 2014
This is a novel with such an absurd premise that almost nothing else about it matters. The writing is certainly competent enough by author Kyle Mills, but there isn’t a shred of believability in any aspect of the novel, starting off with the ridiculous premise. The concept here is that in Uganda, there is a warlord who has harnessed a parasite that gives people who have it maniacal, almost super-powers. At the beginning of the novel, a special force team is decimated by a group of African villagers who have the parasite, even though the special force group is highly trained and armed, while the villagers have nothing except their bare hands. As if that is not enough, the reader is supposed to believe that a fat African woman with the parasite is able to sprint at a pace that would set a world record in a 50 yard dash. There is such a thing as body mechanics and bone structure that would prevent that from happening. As if someone with a parasite would be faster that Ussain Bolt. And it doesn’t get better from there. The novel expands to the Iranians getting this parasite in order to weaponize it. Meanwhile Colonel Jon Smith goes to Uganda and then Iran to stop it. There is the ultra cliché head of security guy who is in an evil conspiracy to allow the Iranians to go through with the parasite so that they can nuke the country. Everything about this novel other than the quality of the writing is awful. I would highly recommend skipping it.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
February 7, 2012
Some people have written in the reviews that this is one hell of a read and you tend to have to agree with Ludlum fans. However, I agree with the few who believe that Jon Smith has become a bit of a franhise-based book and thus lost the Ludlum-vibe/factor to it. For example, I felt nothing when Jon Smith asked Fred Klein to nuke him and his good mate Peter Howell. I was like ... "Sure, nuke him and then maybe some other super-doctor/commando will have to deal with the next new super virus invented by the dis-illusioned former Russian-defecting government scientist who used to be Sam Castilla's room mate at Harvard Law School (or wherever Sam Castilla studied whatever subject)." All in all, a standard read from a Ludlum character. I just fear that there's going to be another author who is going to write for Jon Smith in the next book.
I am however, more intrigued to read Kyle Mills' own books since everyone writing a review has commented on his books being pretty cool. Recommendations anyone?
I am however, more intrigued to read Kyle Mills' own books since everyone writing a review has commented on his books being pretty cool. Recommendations anyone?
November 17, 2016
This book was left at my house and I picked it up thinking - I enjoyed the Bourne series so why not? How wrong I was. This book really does nothing to help dilute the fears that people in the West have of the Middle East and surrounding areas but rather further vilifies people from those regions. It books like this that are feeding the fear machine thats causing so much hate and making terrorist groups succeed.
April 5, 2012
This was sadly my frist read of a Robert Ludlum book, and it is written by Kyle Mills. I have been a huge fan of Kyle Mills and love how he brings the reader into the story quickly. I got started on this book and could not put it down. The good guy characters are just who you would want to be in your corner if something like this were to happen. I reccommend this strongly!
March 23, 2018
wow! this book was intense. It starts in Uganda, goes to South Africa, goes to Washington D.C., and on to Iran and elsewhere. Zoom! Very fast paced and hard to put down.
February 18, 2020
I typically love Kyle Mills - huge fan. But this one was oddly disjointed for me. I drug on and on and left me more and more disinterested.
April 14, 2020
Great book!
February 26, 2021
it was good reading.
March 21, 2014
Probably more like a 3.5, but still a decent read.
June 15, 2024
I am a huge fan of Kyle Mills especially with his work on Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp saga. I was excited to see his take on Robert Ludlum's Covert-One team. However, this story didn't meet the expectations that I was hoping for from Mr. Mills with this covert team and its black ops mission. When he picked up where Vince Flynn left off in the Mitch Rapp saga, he didn't miss a beat in the handling of the character and his writing style was consistent with the intrigue, suspense, action and overall plot.
With the Covert-One saga, I am not sure if the general premise is that it is more story driven with some suspense but little to no action, it wasn't quite what I was looking for in this kind of thriller. At some point, I wanted it to pick up momentum and it didn't quite get there for me as a come to expect from my spy thrillers. Since this was my first book and the eighth installment of the Covert-One saga, maybe I am missing some elements and the backstory of this group that I couldn't get into it. I typically like to start at the beginning with a series, but unfortunately after this book even with Kyle Mills at the helm, it wasn't enough to hold my interest which is too bad. I was really hoping for the best and would begin reading Mr. Ludlum's work in the process. Since Mr. Mills follows the original works of other authors closely, I suppose a more drama and story driven theme is what I should come to expect from the Covert-One saga. It is not enough to keep me engaged in the story as I enjoy from most of my spy thrillers.
I will move on from this series to other books and stories from Kyle Mills and dismiss this one as a "one-off" as it's not easy even for some of the best writers to pick up an established group or character as he did with Mitch Rapp.
With the Covert-One saga, I am not sure if the general premise is that it is more story driven with some suspense but little to no action, it wasn't quite what I was looking for in this kind of thriller. At some point, I wanted it to pick up momentum and it didn't quite get there for me as a come to expect from my spy thrillers. Since this was my first book and the eighth installment of the Covert-One saga, maybe I am missing some elements and the backstory of this group that I couldn't get into it. I typically like to start at the beginning with a series, but unfortunately after this book even with Kyle Mills at the helm, it wasn't enough to hold my interest which is too bad. I was really hoping for the best and would begin reading Mr. Ludlum's work in the process. Since Mr. Mills follows the original works of other authors closely, I suppose a more drama and story driven theme is what I should come to expect from the Covert-One saga. It is not enough to keep me engaged in the story as I enjoy from most of my spy thrillers.
I will move on from this series to other books and stories from Kyle Mills and dismiss this one as a "one-off" as it's not easy even for some of the best writers to pick up an established group or character as he did with Mitch Rapp.
December 16, 2021
I was confused by who was who, and part of that is likely down to "reading" it via audio. I rely on being able to flip back a few pages to remind myself of who characters are when 20 are thrown at me in the opening 15%, but here I couldn't; none of the names stuck with me, so by the middle, I was thinking 'Wait, wasn't this guy dead a minute ago?" Perhaps my aging brain can't cope with audio books any more, or perhaps there's something in the book itself that was the problem. A lot of one-dimensional characters (probably didn't help me differentiate them) resulted in some eye-rolling on my part. And a zombie parasite resulted in more eye-rolling. I guess you aren't supposed to take any of these sorts of books seriously or expect them to be realistic, but I was left unhappy, and when I dozed off for 10 chapters in the middle, I did not feel compelled to back the book up to re-listen. It added to my confusion, but hell, I was confused already.
Kyle Mills wrote a terrific thriller, Fade. His Mark Beamon series was fine. But he can write pretty bad books too.
Kyle Mills wrote a terrific thriller, Fade. His Mark Beamon series was fine. But he can write pretty bad books too.
December 8, 2018
The Ares Decision by Kyle Mills is a captivating read filled with a lot of suspense. Mills presents a story with realistic characters in unexpected scenarios, making the story truly interesting to read. Mills’s effective use of imagery is present nearly everywhere, which allows readers to truly feel as if they are watching the entire story unfold. One example of Mills’s exemplary use of imagery is when he describes how “Paarl, South Africa, and the granite domes that framed it, were just visible in the afternoon light. Grapevines radiated in every direction, the neat rows eventually disappearing into rolling hills” (Mills 35). This clearly sets an image of the scene in a reader’s mind. The language is vivid and detailed, making it easy to visualize the setting. However, Mills’s use of imagery also has its drawbacks. Due to the book having some very gruesome and the author being incredibly descriptive, it can be difficult to read at times. Mills’s narration switches between scenes every chapter, which causes confusion occasionally as well. Personally, I enjoyed the book, but some of the scenes were difficult to follow as the violence was overwhelming and distracting.
August 23, 2020
To be fair, maybe this was not the best book to read in a pandemic, but I have tried to be fair. It is about releasing a biological weapon on the world that cannot be controlled or treated.
This is a very violent and bloody story. Some of the characters are well developed while others just seemed to take up space.
It seemed to jump around too much. I would wonder if I missed something. Some characters were gone for a very long time. Then some characters seemed to move too quickly between locations that did not seem realistic. There seemed to be many questions unanswered. Like many other books, it is very detailed in the scenes it describes all the way through and when you get to the conclusion, they just stop and give an epilogue.
If you like this kind of thing, I guess it is all right but it really did not engage me.
This is a very violent and bloody story. Some of the characters are well developed while others just seemed to take up space.
It seemed to jump around too much. I would wonder if I missed something. Some characters were gone for a very long time. Then some characters seemed to move too quickly between locations that did not seem realistic. There seemed to be many questions unanswered. Like many other books, it is very detailed in the scenes it describes all the way through and when you get to the conclusion, they just stop and give an epilogue.
If you like this kind of thing, I guess it is all right but it really did not engage me.
October 3, 2020
Someone loaned me this book. This is not the type of book I would normally read, so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.
It was well written and very interesting. However, it wasn't really the type of book I would just want to read again and again. It was very sad, but at the same time I didn't feel overly emotional towards any of the characters. I think I would have really liked it if I were a different type of person.
It was well written and very interesting. However, it wasn't really the type of book I would just want to read again and again. It was very sad, but at the same time I didn't feel overly emotional towards any of the characters. I think I would have really liked it if I were a different type of person.
July 29, 2025
Fiction that feels frighteningly real
What I loved most was how grounded everything felt, despite the high-stakes premise. You can tell the author did their homework with the microbiology and military protocols. The scenes in Uganda are haunting and vividly written, I could feel the heat, the fear, the confusion. By the time the Washington angle came in, I was completely invested. It’s not just action, it’s about control, ethics, and the terrifying possibilities of weaponized biology
What I loved most was how grounded everything felt, despite the high-stakes premise. You can tell the author did their homework with the microbiology and military protocols. The scenes in Uganda are haunting and vividly written, I could feel the heat, the fear, the confusion. By the time the Washington angle came in, I was completely invested. It’s not just action, it’s about control, ethics, and the terrifying possibilities of weaponized biology
October 1, 2020
This is a well structured and written book. The story is a slightly heavy read but does not suffer from that. I have always enjoyed Robert's books, and this one is up there with his best. I like the characters, both men and women, who are strong, purposeful and willing to make decisions which most of us would fight shy of.
July 13, 2023
A starting point in Uganda. The evil is setup right at the beginning. This book is a page turner! I find that I cannot wait to find out what happens next. Dr. John Smith is a good worker in this story and the Covert Ops are the good guys and we are loathing the CIA. Action all over this book. Well done.
December 2, 2025
I have always loved Ludlum books. I know technically this was not written by Ludlum. However, the style and pace of this book was identical. I would read 20 or more pages and not even realize. It flows so well. I love the tech parts, the details, the care the characters have for themselves and the populations they are trying to save.
November 11, 2018
Robert Ludlum was the master of his game in his time. I am glad some of his book are still in print, because they were great books and a fascinating read. All of them. I read most of them, and still have a copy of some It's worth the money.
May 18, 2022
Definitely, Kyle Mills at his best in this book which is part of the Covert One series. Most of the books I’ve read by Mills have extensions of Vince Flynn’s work. No Mitch Rapp here, but a great collection of characters in this story.
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