- Mass Market Paperback: 456 pages
- Publisher: Jove Books; Original edition (29 Sep 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 051514701X
- ISBN-13: 978-0515147018
- Product Dimensions: 18.9 x 11 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 220,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
About the Author
Mark Greaney has travelled widely overseas and studied firearms, close quarters battle and battlefield medicine in research for the Court Gentry series. He has also obtained his Open Water SCUBA certification. Mark lives in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A thriller with heavy emphasis on action as a contract killer makes his way over Europe via violent engagements with elite hit squads that are hunting him down.
That may sound like a typical pulp action thriller but it is well written and an absolute page turner and this does elevate it above the norm.
It's not subtle, it's not deep. it's just a lot of escapist fun. Perfect for fans of action.
That may sound like a typical pulp action thriller but it is well written and an absolute page turner and this does elevate it above the norm.
It's not subtle, it's not deep. it's just a lot of escapist fun. Perfect for fans of action.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really wanted to like 'The Gray Man', Mark Greaney's debut thriller. I'm a sucker for a 'lone assassin on the run' story and all the positive reviews seemed to suggest that this was a corker. It was therefore rather disappointing to discover that, whilst it started pretty well as a whole it was only a so, so effort.
After a superb first third that successfully introduces Court Gently, the titular 'Gray Man', and includes some great action sequences including a stand-out one on-board a plummeting aircraft, it all started to get a bit shaky. I found it hard to go along with the idea that a private company could simply whistle up multiple international hit teams in the space of a few hours and get them all on the ground in Europe without any problems within a day. I was also amazed about how naive the Gray Man appeared to be; allowing himself to be captured or intercepted on several occasions with apparent ease. This after we're repeatedly told how good he is at what he does.
Worse was to come in the final quarter of the book however, when a random character was introduced who for no obvious reason and against all possible logic agreed to not only help a deadly assassin in hour of need but to accompany him on his mission. This person then managed to conduct a blood transfusion and complete sutures in a moving car on the person who was driving. At that point I pretty much gave up on the whole affair so when the entire story was wrapped up using some useful coincidences and a bit of deus ex machina plotting rather than the Gray Man having to genuinely rely on his own wits, which would have been far more satisfying, I found I really didn't care.
I will grant that the plot unfolds at such a quick pace that its possible to ignore some of the cliches, implausibilities and illogicality. Greaney's prose and dialogue is also pretty sound. Its just a shame that the story is so weak and inconsistent. At times it felt like Greaney had painted himself into a corner plot-wise and was having to make it up as he went along to get himself and the Gray Man out; hence the appearance out of nowhere of strangely helpful strangers and remarkably useful former CIA handlers.
So not a terrible thriller but disappointing when I had expected something so much better.
After a superb first third that successfully introduces Court Gently, the titular 'Gray Man', and includes some great action sequences including a stand-out one on-board a plummeting aircraft, it all started to get a bit shaky. I found it hard to go along with the idea that a private company could simply whistle up multiple international hit teams in the space of a few hours and get them all on the ground in Europe without any problems within a day. I was also amazed about how naive the Gray Man appeared to be; allowing himself to be captured or intercepted on several occasions with apparent ease. This after we're repeatedly told how good he is at what he does.
Worse was to come in the final quarter of the book however, when a random character was introduced who for no obvious reason and against all possible logic agreed to not only help a deadly assassin in hour of need but to accompany him on his mission. This person then managed to conduct a blood transfusion and complete sutures in a moving car on the person who was driving. At that point I pretty much gave up on the whole affair so when the entire story was wrapped up using some useful coincidences and a bit of deus ex machina plotting rather than the Gray Man having to genuinely rely on his own wits, which would have been far more satisfying, I found I really didn't care.
I will grant that the plot unfolds at such a quick pace that its possible to ignore some of the cliches, implausibilities and illogicality. Greaney's prose and dialogue is also pretty sound. Its just a shame that the story is so weak and inconsistent. At times it felt like Greaney had painted himself into a corner plot-wise and was having to make it up as he went along to get himself and the Gray Man out; hence the appearance out of nowhere of strangely helpful strangers and remarkably useful former CIA handlers.
So not a terrible thriller but disappointing when I had expected something so much better.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
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 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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Gray Man
Seeing the overwhelming positive reviews and praise for this debut novel from a new author and an interesting plot synopsis, I was excited to read The Gray Man and wondering why it... Read more
Published 10 months ago by rsasdr
Full on action thriller
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... Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2009 by N. Brett
Fast paced, very readable and better than most of the current crop of...
This is a real page turner that will satisfy action junkies. For more critical readers, the absence of credibility gets hard to stomach. Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2009 by Julia Flyte
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