Kyle Mills is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-four political thrillers, including nine in Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp series and three for Robert Ludlum. He initially found inspiration from his father, an FBI agent and former Interpol director, and still draws on his contacts in the intelligence community to give his books such realism. Avid outdoor athletes and travelers, he and his wife split their time between Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Granada, Spain.
Q: What sparked the idea for this story?
Kyle: I wanted to write something about the wealthy. Where I live in Jackson Wyoming, has become one of the wealthiest areas. The new ruling classes are all going to be wealthy, brilliant, and good looking. They will control everything in our lives. I thought about Elon Musk and what would happen if he turned off all his satellites; Americans would have a very hard time. Then suddenly, a rich and powerful South African guy would have free reign of the American government. This story explains where things are going with Americans having their power diminished over time. What I want to play with in this book, what is good versus evil?
Q: What is the main theme you’re exploring in this book?
Kyle: How powerful people are becoming more powerful. What are they going to do about it? How are they going to keep democracies and freedom alive and at what cost? How government has be turned into a weapon against people that we do not like.
Q: Did your last Mitch Rapp book, Enemy at the Gates, start heading in this direction?
Kyle: Initially I planned on staying and continuing to write the Mitch Rapp series, going down this path. It would involve a new issue not really related to terrorism. I created a powerful and wealthy character, Nicholas Ward, who was having a relationship with Irene. I wanted to write how she and he, after the politics collapsed, would help to create a stable world. It felt like I was imposing my writing style on Vince’s series, and I decided I did not want to do it. Mitch and Irene were not the correct people to tell this story because they are too much the masters of their own universe.
Q: How did the character of Fayed (Fade) come about?
Kyle: Unlike Mitch and Irene, I wanted somebody who got dragged into it and would be overwhelmed by technology, economics, and politics, versus Irene and Mitch who would be taking over. Fayed is a former SEAL, paralyzed for a while, feels betrayed, isolated, has a sense of humor, fearless, reckless, and has a grudge/attitude against the world. In the beginning he is borderline suicidal. He is a philosophical guy with an interesting point of view. He has a weird moral compass, someone loyal who wants to do the right thing, but is not sure what it is.
Q: How would you describe Jon as a character?
Kyle: He is a billionaire, visionary, manipulative, hires mercenaries, charismatic, and mysterious. He kills, bribes, and blackmails. He is the power behind everything. He sees humanity headed toward a cliff and decides to act in a significant manner. To me, he is a very real character. He will evolve. He is thinking how to change AI, so it is not so powerful. He is afraid of societal collapse and owns an island. I did not make that up; many billionaires have that or bunkers. He wants to take things down a notch and calm things down.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Jon Lowe and Fade?
Kyle: Fayed is not sure if Jon is good or evil and is not afraid of Jon. He will be a straight talker to Jon if he thinks he is screwing up. I wrote this book quote from Jon, “Sometimes the difference between good and evil is nothing more than intent.” It is someone’s perspective. For example, the war in Afghanistan, from our perspective we are the good guys but from the Taliban’s perspective we are the bad guys.
Q: What message did you want to convey about AI in the story?
Kyle: People will know everything about someone including everywhere they go, everything they buy, what they think, who their friends are, and can present everything about you. Will it be used to destroy us all? For example, I am an author. Is it any different from having AI read a book you bought then if I bought a book and used it to help me learn to write? I know I am competing with AI, but it is not something that will define my career. When I started writing AI was not a thing, but now it is on the verge of taking over the world. It is so powerful. Could someone ask AI how to make nerve gas out of products bought at Home Depot and then get a recipe?
Q: What can readers expect next from you?
Kyle: I will explore the existential side of AI. In five years, machines will be better than everything. It will be runaway technology. Humans will be left behind by the machines. I have written the rough draft of the next book. There is only a working title and will probably be out around this time next year.
Fade In by Kyle Mills is the first book in a new series. As the former author of many Mitch Rapp novels, Mills has his new hero combining the desperation Mitch felt when losing his family, the strength of his new hero to overcome physical circumstances a la James Reece, and the Grey Man’s determination to make sure he fights for good and justice while on the run.
Fade In delves into AI, international espionage, power imbalances, and bioterrorism. Salam “Fade” al-Fayed ex-Navy SEAL, ex-CIA, and ex-Homeland Security agent is on the run from authorities because of trumped up charges. He took out an entire Black Ops team sent to kill him but was left with a bullet in his spine. Now paralyzed, he is destined to spend the rest of his life in a prison military bed. That is, until a shadowy ring of power brokers makes him an offer he cannot refuse, to lead a high-stakes military mission. They offer him a new identity and next generation medical care that will allow him to walk again. After a grueling rehabilitation, he’s drafted into an elite paramilitary unit. In charge is Jon Lowe, a billionaire who wants to make the world a better place. Their first mission is to find a Chinese scientist who engineered Covid-19 to target people over 70, because he believes they are useless. He is now creating a bioweapon of mass destruction. Lowe has decided that governments are no longer capable of controlling the chaos around the globe and takes matters into his own hands. Fade must now save humanity before the pathogen kills everybody.
Fade is a complex character with his own demons, talents, and flaws. The plot explores modern day threats in an enjoyable read.
