Fade

Embittered by a wound that could one day immobilize him, Fade isn't exactly cooperative when Homeland Security insists on putting him back on the payroll. But they're not taking "no" for an answer--and what is meant to be a foolproof deception turns into an explosive bloodbath.

It falls to an estranged friend of Fade's named Matt Egan to clean up the mess made by his superiors. But it isn't going to be easy--because Fade is gunning for the men who set him up. And Matt is at the top of the list...

FIRST THEY ABANDONED HIM.A former Navy SEAL who speaks perfect Arabic, Salam al-Fayed (a.k.a. "Fade") had been one of the deadliest weapons in America's arsenal—until a mission gone wrong put a bullet in his back, requiring risky surgery the government refused to pay for.

THEN THEY TRAPPED HIM.Embittered by a wound that could one day immobilize him, Fade isn't exactly cooperative when Homeland Security insists on putting him back on the payroll. But they're not taking "no" for an answer—and what is meant to be a foolproof deception turns into an explosive bloodbath.

NOW THEY'RE RUNNING FROM HIM.It falls to an estranged friend of Fade's named Matt Egan to clean up the mess made by his superiors. But it isn't going to be easy—because Fade is gunning for the men who set him up. And Matt is at the top of the list...

"Will keep you reading well into the night."

—Vince Flynn, author of Memorial Day

"The perfect thriller…a delicious summer treat."

—Denver Post

Publishers Weekly

Since 9/11, even the best thriller writers have been constricted by stock heroes (mostly ex-military white Americans) and villains (mostly Arab terrorists) who make it hard to tell one book from another. Leave it to Mills (Smoke Screen) to solve that problem in an exciting, original way. His Salam al Fayed (aka Fade), an American agent of Arab ancestry and a former navy SEAL, is as tough and loyal as they come. But when his latest mission ends in failure and his government employers treat him badly, Fade becomes increasingly bitter. So when his former friend and colleague, Matt Egan, is ordered by the head of a secret agency of the Department of Homeland Security to persuade Fade to put aside his anger and join an undercover team in the Middle East, Fade has a one-word answer-in English as well as Arabic. Egan, who's almost as interesting a character as Fade, is full of guilt for what happened to his old friend, but he also knows that his boss is right: Fade is perfect for the new assignment. In fact, all the government people are fully credible within the boundaries of their responsibilities. Mills's prose is crisp and his action skills are top-notch. In Fade, he has created a true thriller hero for the present and the immediate future. Agent, Simon Lipskar at Writers House. Author tour. (June 7) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

KYLE MILLS grew up in Oregon but, as the son of an FBI agent, he has lived all over the country and overseas. He is the author of six novels: Rising Phoenix, Storming Heaven, Free Fall, Burn Factor, Sphere of Influence, and Smoke Screen. An avid rock climber, he and his wife now live in Wyoming. Visit him on-line at www.kylemills.com.