Fade

Starred review from May 2, 2005
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.