Fayed (Fade) Book 1
Authors Equity Pub
July 29th, 2025
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.
“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.”
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.
“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.”
“Jon 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.”
Fade is a complex character with his own demons, talents, and flaws. The plot explores modern day threats in an enjoyable read.
