I’ve had this book for a number of years, and being in the mood for a thriller, I finally got around to reading it. It’s the first book in a very successful series that also led to Mark Greaney writing several books in the Tom Clancy franchise.
The title character is Courtland Gentry, who was a CIA agent until the Agency turned on him and forced him into a life as a professional assassin. With the CIA after him as well as the enemies he’s made along the way, it’s a very dangerous profession, but he’s the best at it. He also has a strict code of honor and won’t take on any jobs that conflict with it. As far as he’s concerned, he’s eliminating the bad guys, one by one.
All this is already established when the book begins. In a quest for revenge, the brother of one of Gentry’s targets leverages a giant international corporation into using all its assets to go after him. Billions of dollars are at stake. Hundreds of professional killers want to take him out as he makes his way across Europe, but he has to survive in order to reach the Normandy region of France and rescue some kidnapped innocents. Much action ensues.
That’s the plot of THE GRAY MAN. It’s not complicated at all, basically just one long chase/shootout in various locations against various enemies. To make that work, you have to be a pretty darned good writer, and thankfully, Mark Greaney is. The pace is relentless, the action scenes are top-notch, Court Gentry is a great protagonist, and Greaney gives the supporting cast enough personality that we care about them. Yes, the action is over the top, and suspending disbelief when it comes to Gentry still being able to function despite all the punishment he takes is a bit of a stretch. But as I always say, squint your eyes and hold your mouth just right, and it works. I raced through this book and had a good time reading it.
That said, at a little more than 400 pages, I thought it was maybe a hundred pages too long. Greaney himself seems to think it might be a little padded, because late in the book he has Gentry musing about how so much of what he’s done on his trek didn’t accomplish anything. Also, in the spirit of fairness, I think I might be letting my age and my reading history influence me here. Greaney writes so well I think this would have been a fantastic 160 page paperback . . . but that’s not what the publisher paid him to write, is it?
So I’m glad I finally got around to reading THE GRAY MAN. There are 15 more books in the series, but they all appear to be 500-600 pages long. If I thought this one was too long at 400 and change, I’m not sure when or if I’ll be ready to tackle the next one. But if you enjoy longer books, and I know some of you do, and you’re a fan of modern thrillers but haven’t checked out the Gray Man series, I highly recommend that you do so. It’s available in e-book and paperback editions from Amazon.
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