Customer Reviews

The Gray Man (A Gray Man Novel)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Anyone looking for an action thriller hero need look no further than here, to Court Gentry. After running afoul of his bosses in the CIA and being put on that agency's shoot-on-sight-list, Gentry has been earning his living doing what he has been trained to do, he takes out targets he is paid to terminate. Anyone associated with hired assassins knows about The Gray Man. This man has the uncanny ability to simply fade into the background. His targets never see him coming and the investigations afterward never find any connection to anyone. The reputation of this man grows to legendary proportions because of his complete anonymity, nobody is ever completely sure of who he actually is. There is only one man who positively knows the identity of this operative, his handler Sir Donald Fitzroy of Cheltenham Security Services. At least that's what Sir Donald thought. Someone literally wants The Gray Man's head delivered on a platter and there is no limit to the amount of money they are willing to spend to achieve that goal. What follows is an incredibly exciting journey from Iraq to a chateau in Normandy with danger, destruction, and death all along the route. A bounty has been put on The Gray Man's head and paid assassins have been invited to join in the hunt to see who can deliver him, dead or alive, to the chateau before the time limit runs out.

I had to keep reminding myself that this is a debut novel for author Mark Greaney. The plotting for this book is outstanding. The pace started out with an exciting episode and just never let up. The man behind the legend was very slowly revealed so that he did seem to be a shadowy figure, a ghostly figure, someone who could fade in and out simply because there was no substance to him. Over time this very talented author lets the reader come closer and closer to the main character to glimpse his intelligence, his efficiency in doing his work, and his moral code. It may sound unusual to consider that a person who kills for a living would have a moral compass but Court Gentry does. And it is believable. Characters are well defined and clear, the dialogue is crisp and clean and well suited to each character. This author did a wonderful job of describing both locations and weaponry used in the story and it is very obvious that he is familiar with both subjects. While there are a large number of professional killers involved in tracking Gentry down, I think this was necessary to represent the "contest" nature of the hunt. I really like that Greaney finished off the story by tying up loose ends, nothing was left unresolved. And yet, could it possibly be that The Gray Man isn't finished yet? I certainly hope not.

I do not assign 5 star ratings to books lightly. They have to earn that designation from me. This book would probably get an even higher rating from me if the Amazon system would allow it. I found the book to be well written, well plotted, and very, very exciting.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

A very strong action thriller from a debut author. The emphasis here is very much on the action as hitman Court Gentry takes down a guy with powerful friends, as a result a significant bounty is put on his head as hit teams are drafted in from all over the world.

There are lots of elements in here that I had seen before, the paranoia of Ludlum's thriller, the hit man from Tom Cain's "Accident Man" and the action from Matthew Reilly's "Ice Station". This is not a twisting thoughtful thriller, it is page turning action as our hero fights his was through Europe to a bloody climax in France.

It's a hard genre to come up with anything very new or unique, and to be honest the author doesn't. But what he has come up with is a very entertaining page turner that doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. And what differentiates it from a generic pulp action thriller is that it is well researched and well written. If there are minor flaws it is that our hero is fairly indestructible and slightly light on character, but the book's strength is in the pace and the action.

I read this on the back of two other thrillers and this was a massive improvement and I very much enjoyed it. It's not subtle and it's 'in your face' with pace and violence and it will be interesting to see how the author takes the character forward in what I hope will be many future books.

This debut novel grabs you from the opening chapter. Court Gentry is not your typical sympathetic figure, he kills people for a living after all, but you can't help but feel for the "Gray Man." A non-stop storyline keeps readers turning the page to figure out what tragic event will befall the Gray Man next. A interesting twist at the end of the novel leaves readers wanting for the next installment!

Great for readers of Vince Flynn, Robert Ludlum, Michael Connelly, John Sandford, or James Rollins.

I have been looking for a good action novel for a while, not finding much to stack up to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, until, while waiting for hours in an airport, happenned upon this gem. The first chapter had me hook, line and sinker. Court Gentry is the definitive action hero. The harrowing battles with hitsquads from all over the globe, the betrayals of those he trusted most, and the quick wit and determination of this character will keep you turning the pages. The author's timing is impeccible as he transitions between chapters leaving you both anticipating the next, and amazed by the previous. If this does not one day become a major motion picture, I will be stunned.

Mark Greaney has picked up a fan with this one and I can't wait to read the next one.

I have never written a review but this one deserves the best. Mark Greaney is a new young author that has been able to pace the action and the thrill of the reader so one can't put this book down without remorse. I have read most of Ian Flemming's books as well as Ludlum, Lee Childs, Tom Clancy and others. I like a good international espionage book to escape the realities of our everyday life. This one does it so supremely. I have never committed so much quality time in reading as this book is almost hypnotic with all the action and intrigue of a well thought out plot. I give it a high 5 stars. I give Mark Greaney a high 5.

Action packed, but highly formulaic.

- Good guy (in this case a former government hit man that only kills people who deserve it) fights impossible odds to rescue innocents from evildoers.

- Accumulates injuries with each encounter with bad guys

- Emerges victorious after heroic struggle. Carried off on a stretcher, but lives to fight another day.

It's kind of link watching Bruce Willis in a "Die Hard." You know the good guy will win in the end, but you watch anyway just to see what he has to endure along the way.

The accumulation of injuries that the protagonist endures before the denouement is impressive.

- Shot in the leg
- Feet and knees cut on broken glass
- Broken rib
- Damaged wrist
- Knife wound
- Another bullet wound.

He survives a fall down a mountain, a dip in the Seine, a car crash, etc. Somewhere around the middle of the book, I quit caring about what happened to the characters and just wanted it to get over with.

I must admit, though, that I read it all the way to the end.

Mark Greaney, The Gray Man. Jove. 2009. 456p. (pb)

Greaney's Gray Man is a surprisingly good debut novel. It is packed with action and Court Gentry, aka "The Gray Man", is human enough to be interesting. The plot is a classic one. Court Gentry, a.k.a. "The Gray Man," is ex-CIA. There's a `Kill on Sight" order out for him. He now earns his living as a freelance assassin, but he only kills bad guys. He assassinates the brother of a corrupt African dictator (a fanatic who richly deserves death). The dictator vows revenge. A multinational oil firm is negotiating for sole access to the rich oil deposits in the dictator's land. The dictator pressures them: bring me the head of my brother's assassin or the deal is off. The oil firm pressures the Gray Man's employer in turn: lead us to him or we'll rape and kill your grandchildren. Within a day, the hit squads of a dozen nations, from Albania to Indonesia and South Korea, are hunting for Gentry, as are the agents of a private security firm and the CIA. From that point on, there is no cease. First novelist Greaney has a good way with action scenes and his prose --hurrah! hurrah!-- is suitably lean. There's not a lot of detail to the description of Gentry --he's more or less just a killing machine-- but he is an appealing action hero. I found it hard to put this novel down once I'd started it and I wouldn't mind encountering the Gray Man again.

This was an awesome read, fast and action packed from beginning to end. I hope they make a movie out of it because I was easily able to visualize every scene. For a newly published writer I know we can expect only more of a good things to come from author Mark Greaney. Well done and thank you for the enjoying read!

I won't repeat what others have said here in describing the hero or the story. Let's just say that "The Gray Man" is the best debut thriller that I've had the pleasure to read since Lee Child's "Killing Floor."

It's "The Bourne Identity" . . . without any slow spots! The characterizations are varied and memorable; the special-ops tradecraft and tactics are detailed and credible; the colorful European locales are rendered with vivid, you-are-there authenticity; the pace is driving and relentless. It's a tale that whizzes by like tracer bullets.

But the book's best and most memorable element is the complex character of hero Court Gentry. I say "hero" without reservation, because this career assassin happens to be a knight-errant, in the timeless lone-wolf-vigilante tradition. His near-mythic professional status as a ruthless, indomitable killer is counter-balanced by quiet idealism and poignant loneliness -- a surprising vulnerability that lends this tough-guy character an appealing humanity.

If you decide to hop in here, at the start of Mark Greaney's authorial journey, be sure to buckle your seatbelt: You're in for one hell of a ride.

This is a great read! I received it on a Thursday and finished it on a Monday. I could not put it down. The action is non stop, the scenes are vivid, the details are spot on, and the characters are believable. Mark is a true Word-smith. You can tell Mark knows what he's writing about, since the firearms and medical stuff is spot on.

If you like Bourne, Bond, or Clark from Clancy, this book is for you.

5/5