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Mark Beamon #4
Sphere Of Influence
“Mills is fast becoming the new master of gripping and intelligent page-turners.”—Tom Clancy The videotapes arrive at television stations across the nation. Their chilling Al Qaeda has secured a rocket launcher on American soil. Their potential U.S. civilians. Their ultimate they will attack. Anytime. Anywhere. Amid national chaos, the FBI calls upon one of its best agents for a final desperate mission. But no one—on either side—realizes how deep or how far the sphere of influence has spread. “An interesting and enjoyable piece of work...the kind of dark romp that Lawrence Sanders or Ross Thomas might have produced in their heyday.”—The Washington Post Book World “Great fun.”—The Houston Chronicle “Engrossing.”—Publishers Weekly
460 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2002
365 people are currently reading
642 people want to read
About the author
Kyle Mills
32 books2,509 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 99 reviews
July 31, 2023
There's a terror scare as terrorists claim to have a rocket launcher. The FBI gets on the case. An agent about to be put out to pasture is sent with another agent to see a mobster about the rocket launcher. There's a leak, and the other agent is killed. Pasture boy is on the run.
It just seems like there could be more action.
It just seems like there could be more action.
February 17, 2019
I think what was most interesting about this one was Mark working undercover. Things started out with a definite line of right and wrong, but as the job went on things grew blurry. Mark did things that he never expected, saw things he wished he could take back and started to work with the guy he originally was after. To say that things got sticky would be an understatement, however by this time I found myself agreeing with the choice that Mark made. In the bigger picture it needed to be done. I did find myself laughing at the last bit. Part of me thinks Mark might be getting a bit too big for his britches, but another part of me things he has earned the right to figuratively give the finger to those higher on the food chain than him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2017
This is the second Mark Beamon story I've read. Enjoyed it.
August 29, 2019
good book
November 4, 2023
4++! Kyle Mills, joins Gregg Hurwitz as my two favorite authors for this genre. Hard to put down, anything written by either one of them.
July 26, 2018
I couldn't get into it right away but eventually I did. It's funny to think how it started with Mark worrying about his evaluation, and he never did finish it. Christian isn't really a bad guy, which I was a bit surprised about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2024
Book Review – Sphere of Influence – Kyle Mills
“Sphere of Influence” by author Kyle Mills is a catching tale about a chain-smoking, out-of-shape FBI agent but a brilliant Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix FBI office, named Mark Beamon. While readers may be familiar with Mills’ work with the Vince Flynn Mitch Rapp series, his clever plotting and intelligent storyline are also prevalent and strong in this action-packed political thriller. The realistic descriptions of people, their interactions, and events add to an already exciting and believable story. Mills combines convoluted plotting, conspiracy paranoia and briskness of action with the political intrigue found only in a Tom Clancy-like novel. When Afghan terrorists slip inside the US with plans to attack a major city with a rocket launcher and Beamon’s friend and fellow FBI agent working an undercover heroin distribution operation is murdered, Beamon eventually develops a speculative theory of a possible connection between the two cases. He goes undercover himself to try to stop the terrorists from firing the missile while simultaneously disrupting their source of income from supplying the Mob with the drugs. Complex, Adventurous, and Brazen, Sphere of Influence is a political firestorm thriller with gripping and pulsating storytelling – especially Mills’ view of the intra-agency differences between the FBI and CIA in this tale. A surprisingly good read and well worth the time.
“Sphere of Influence” by author Kyle Mills is a catching tale about a chain-smoking, out-of-shape FBI agent but a brilliant Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix FBI office, named Mark Beamon. While readers may be familiar with Mills’ work with the Vince Flynn Mitch Rapp series, his clever plotting and intelligent storyline are also prevalent and strong in this action-packed political thriller. The realistic descriptions of people, their interactions, and events add to an already exciting and believable story. Mills combines convoluted plotting, conspiracy paranoia and briskness of action with the political intrigue found only in a Tom Clancy-like novel. When Afghan terrorists slip inside the US with plans to attack a major city with a rocket launcher and Beamon’s friend and fellow FBI agent working an undercover heroin distribution operation is murdered, Beamon eventually develops a speculative theory of a possible connection between the two cases. He goes undercover himself to try to stop the terrorists from firing the missile while simultaneously disrupting their source of income from supplying the Mob with the drugs. Complex, Adventurous, and Brazen, Sphere of Influence is a political firestorm thriller with gripping and pulsating storytelling – especially Mills’ view of the intra-agency differences between the FBI and CIA in this tale. A surprisingly good read and well worth the time.
July 26, 2018
Als Amerika wordt geconfronteerd met videobeelden van een raket die dreigend op burgerdoelen is gericht, is het land in paniek en durft de bevolking hun huis niet meer te verlaten. Deze beelden, die afkomstig zijn van een cel van Al Qaeda, zijn er de aanleiding van dat de FBI zich met deze zaak gaat bezighouden.
Laura Vilechi leidt het onderzoek en omdat ze wel wat hulp kan gebruiken schakelt ze Mark Beamon in. Aanvankelijk weigert hij, maar uiteindelijk gaat hij overstag en help Laura bij het onderzoek. Mark gaat daarbij zijn eigen gang en daar is de FBI niet zo gelukkig mee. Toch maakt hij vorderingen. Mede omdat hij zich in een wereld begeeft waar hij altijd tegen gestreden heeft.
Vuurproef is een boek dat erg langzaam op gang komt. De eerste hoofdstukken zijn ook nogal verwarrend. Want werkt Beamon nu wel of niet bij de FBI? En wat is de precieze rol van een aantal andere personages? Naarmate het verhaal vordert komt er gelukkig meer structuur en snelheid in. Dan wordt het lezen van het boek ook een stuk aangenamer.
Hoewel het verhaal ook doorspekt is met een redelijk groot aantal onwaarschijnlijkheden is het niet vervelend om te lezen. Want, als die eerste hoofdstukken achter de rug zijn, leest het boek aardig vlot weg. Vuurproef is zeker niet de briljante thriller waar op de achterkaft van wordt gesproken. Maar dramatisch slecht is het boek nu ook weer niet.
Laura Vilechi leidt het onderzoek en omdat ze wel wat hulp kan gebruiken schakelt ze Mark Beamon in. Aanvankelijk weigert hij, maar uiteindelijk gaat hij overstag en help Laura bij het onderzoek. Mark gaat daarbij zijn eigen gang en daar is de FBI niet zo gelukkig mee. Toch maakt hij vorderingen. Mede omdat hij zich in een wereld begeeft waar hij altijd tegen gestreden heeft.
Vuurproef is een boek dat erg langzaam op gang komt. De eerste hoofdstukken zijn ook nogal verwarrend. Want werkt Beamon nu wel of niet bij de FBI? En wat is de precieze rol van een aantal andere personages? Naarmate het verhaal vordert komt er gelukkig meer structuur en snelheid in. Dan wordt het lezen van het boek ook een stuk aangenamer.
Hoewel het verhaal ook doorspekt is met een redelijk groot aantal onwaarschijnlijkheden is het niet vervelend om te lezen. Want, als die eerste hoofdstukken achter de rug zijn, leest het boek aardig vlot weg. Vuurproef is zeker niet de briljante thriller waar op de achterkaft van wordt gesproken. Maar dramatisch slecht is het boek nu ook weer niet.
October 11, 2021
Mark Beamon has been put out to pasture, having been assigned to the FBI's Phoenix office. That doesn't stop him from getting involved in a complicated situation involving drug-running, foreign missiles launchers hidden in the US, al-Qaeda, and a charming Mafia-type chieftan, and corrupt CIA agents. All these make up an exciting plot in which Beamon defies his FBI bosses and involves himself in trying to save the US from missile destruction. Much of the story involves Beamon's relationship with Christian Volkov, a criminal involved in drug trade, and how the two of them work together in a most unusual partnership that creates a lot of tension and exciting moments.
Personally, I wish Kyle Mills had kept writing his stories of under-cover operations and conspiracies, instead of taking over the Mitch Rapp novels after the death of Vince Flynn. His original novels seem to me to be well-written, while his Mitch Rapp novels have become 'comic book' reads, totally unbelievable and almost childish.. I guess one goes where the money is, however!
Personally, I wish Kyle Mills had kept writing his stories of under-cover operations and conspiracies, instead of taking over the Mitch Rapp novels after the death of Vince Flynn. His original novels seem to me to be well-written, while his Mitch Rapp novels have become 'comic book' reads, totally unbelievable and almost childish.. I guess one goes where the money is, however!
August 25, 2022
Mark Beamon has a challenge in this book. He has presumably been demoted to desk job as SAC Phoenix after his last book which I have not read. Free Fall (I think). His friend Laura Vilachi , FBI, draws him into trying to find a loose rocket and launcher on US soil the Afghani's are threatening the US with. Turns out complicated connections between FBI, CIA, organized crime, drug cartels, Mexican government, and a super rich behind-the-scenes mercenary make finding the rocket challenging and complicated...like I said. I like the way Mills summaries the status several times throughout the book through various characters. It makes a potentially confusing situation, easy to follow. Other than a couple of Vince Flynn/Mitch Rapp books Mills wrote, I can't believe this is the first book by MIlls I have read. I am in the process of correcting that!
May 19, 2023
Kyle Mills loves torturing Mark Beamon in this ever changing plot that places Beamon in the middle of an ever changing good guy bad guys situation. By the time it’s over I’m not sure which side of the line he has fallen on. We might need another chapter added to Marks life so we can see how this all flushes out. Until then we have nuclear rockets, a missing launcher, the Asians and the Middle East all vying for Mexico’s Cartel to run drugs into the US. Add a mystery millionaire and a washed up Phoenix FBI agent and hang on for the ride of your life. Mark is still battling demons of his own, fighting to do the minimum effort and still keep his job, but keeps helping out friends from his past that put him square in the middle of a worldwide smuggling campaign and millions of dollars and lives are on the line.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2018
I'm glad I read this. I read another Mark Beamon book and didn't like it as well. This one lets Mark be his odd, brilliant, self-destructive self and it gets him involved with an entire world of interesting characters. This was more of a character driven thriller; not edge of your seat, can't put it down.
I loved the author's sense of humor.
The plot is complicated enough to be worth rereading to pick up all of the details missed the first time through.
It was written just after 9/11 and made some assumptions that didn't happen. They aren't critical to the plot so I was able to get past them.
I loved the author's sense of humor.
The plot is complicated enough to be worth rereading to pick up all of the details missed the first time through.
It was written just after 9/11 and made some assumptions that didn't happen. They aren't critical to the plot so I was able to get past them.
June 5, 2024
I will be the first to admit like other Mills books the pace of this one was kind of slow but I am glad that I stuck it out for this book in particular. For this 4th book in Mark Beaman’s story, he continues his antics for toeing the blurred line between good and evil/ legal and illegal. Somehow he usually comes out on the “safe” side but there are always consequences. This time though, he may have gotten in too deep. This story was a thrilling, slow ascending rollercoaster that made me question my own judgment of right and wrong along the way! Entertaining for certain and you continue to love these characters more and more as the story progresses.
June 7, 2019
The plot is intriguing and well planned. I struggled through about a third of this book before deciding that it was more trouble than it was worth. I have read some of the author's more current works and found them a good read. The trouble I had with this one was continuity of the names of the characters. The author would switch from using the surname in one area - and then the christian name in the next chapter. I lost track of plot, trying to tie the names together. I did a rare thing - closed the book and moved on.
April 4, 2024
The best Mark Beamon story yet.
The Beamon character plows through incompetent bosses, corrupt politicians, international travel, and moral dilemmas with his his trademark single mindedness. All the while deciphering events, facts, and all the details that when combined with human nature allow him to be a step ahead. Always.
This was a fun read that only didn't get five stars because the plot gets a bit too convoluted to be a seamless page-turner. It takes some effort to keep up, but this one is the best of the series. I wonder where the franchise will go next.
The Beamon character plows through incompetent bosses, corrupt politicians, international travel, and moral dilemmas with his his trademark single mindedness. All the while deciphering events, facts, and all the details that when combined with human nature allow him to be a step ahead. Always.
This was a fun read that only didn't get five stars because the plot gets a bit too convoluted to be a seamless page-turner. It takes some effort to keep up, but this one is the best of the series. I wonder where the franchise will go next.
September 7, 2019
Kept me riveted
Honestly I've re-read this book several times..Mr. Mills is one of my favorite authors. Most books totally bore me with their descriptive prose. In his books he totally holds me captive to the point I feel as though I am there. I truly love his main characters personality and quite droll sense of humor. Try it...I don't think you'll regret it and like myself, because of its ingenuity, will re-read it again.
Honestly I've re-read this book several times..Mr. Mills is one of my favorite authors. Most books totally bore me with their descriptive prose. In his books he totally holds me captive to the point I feel as though I am there. I truly love his main characters personality and quite droll sense of humor. Try it...I don't think you'll regret it and like myself, because of its ingenuity, will re-read it again.
June 4, 2023
Sphere of Influence is a case of good cop vs. bad cop. The good cop is the FBI and its disgraced Special Agent in Charge Mark Beamon. As it is with many novels of this genre, the bad cop is the CIA which sows discord, wars and all sorts of evil around the world for its own nefarious purposes. This was a good, but not great thriller. The motivation by the CIA in facilitating the drug trade and arming terrorists seems beyond credulity.
May 27, 2025
This is a meaty, fast-paced adventure with high stakes and believable characters and details. The author's background as an "FBI brat" ads credibility to the tale, and I liked the nuance among various pretty but not all bad guys and kind-of good but not great guys in the story. It kept me engaged until the end, which didn't disappoint. I'm definitely going to check out the previous three installments in the series.
January 25, 2021
I thought this was a bit slow to start but enjoyed the read as it continued. Mark Beamon is an unconventional FBI agent who helps to solve murder, take down terrorists, and take down dirty CIA people. With the help of Laura, another FBI agent, and Christian Volkov, an international drug dealer, Mark saves America. Good read and good characters.
April 27, 2025
Mills has hit his stride in Sphere of Influence. There were spots when I chuckled out loud at some of the thoughts going through Mark’s mind, even in some very precarious situations.
In this installment Mark once again is at odds with the powers that be in the FBI, but he also had friends in high places and it is interesting to see how Mark lands on his feet this time.
In this installment Mark once again is at odds with the powers that be in the FBI, but he also had friends in high places and it is interesting to see how Mark lands on his feet this time.
February 1, 2019
A hard book to put down. Follow an FBI agent go back to his roots and then some. Every bad spot he gets into seems impossible to get out of. And each one seems worse. Makes you wonder in the end if the government really works like this or if this is all fiction. I hope it's the latter.
January 23, 2020
Beamon on Fire!
Kyle Mills absolutely puts Beamon through the ringer in this series! He just can’t seem to catch a break. This book was so intricately written, and the plot was so intriguing. I’m absolutely loving Beamon and his possible new career...
Kyle Mills absolutely puts Beamon through the ringer in this series! He just can’t seem to catch a break. This book was so intricately written, and the plot was so intriguing. I’m absolutely loving Beamon and his possible new career...
June 28, 2020
Crazy convoluted drug smuggling conspiracy story that is super well told. How does the author dream this stuff up?! I have no idea but I loved the non-stop action, the fact that he always stayed just this side of plausible, and the intermittent laugh out loud humor. Great book!
September 1, 2022
First book that I’ve read featuring the character of Mark Beamon. Great FBI thriller dealing with the world wide drug trade and trafficking. Very entertaining book that will keep you riveted throughout. Read this out of sequence, but it didn’t seem to matter.
October 13, 2022
absolutely riveting
This was one of the most enjoyable, incredibly realistic and fast paced novel that I have read in a couple of years. Kyle Mills has made me a believer that he is one of the best writers of this century.
This was one of the most enjoyable, incredibly realistic and fast paced novel that I have read in a couple of years. Kyle Mills has made me a believer that he is one of the best writers of this century.
January 14, 2023
Perfect novel just about everything but the kitchen sink
It's truly amazing how Kyle mills can Mark And so many different scenarios and by the end of the book tie them all together can't wait for the next book
It's truly amazing how Kyle mills can Mark And so many different scenarios and by the end of the book tie them all together can't wait for the next book
March 16, 2024
I love love love this character of Mark. This story was so intriguing. I have to say it rang way to close to true about our government today especially that it was written years ago. If you enjoy FBI, CIA or any government intrigue I recommend this series.
November 4, 2025
Sphere of Influence - Mills
A little slow on character development but good political thriller. There seem to be so many ways to weekend Americas world influence. The book is a suspenseful read.
A little slow on character development but good political thriller. There seem to be so many ways to weekend Americas world influence. The book is a suspenseful read.
November 6, 2017
Best in the series, so far. Onto the next Beamon. Thanks KM.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews