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The Gray Man

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The Gray Man

By: Mark Greaney
Narrated by: Jay Snyder
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Now a Netflix film starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas

The first Gray Man novel from number one New York Times best-selling author Mark Greaney.

To those who lurk in the shadows, he’s known as the Gray Man. He is a legend in the covert realm, moving silently from job to job, accomplishing the impossible and then fading away. And he always hits his target. Always.

But there are forces more lethal than Gentry in the world. Forces like money. And power. And there are men who hold these as the only currency worth fighting for. In their eyes, Gentry has just outlived his usefulness.

But Court Gentry is going to prove that, for him, there’s no gray area between killing for a living and killing to stay alive....

Get ready for white-knuckled listening. Greaney's debut novel introduces the enigmatic and elusive Court Gentry, a former CIA operative and a legendary hired gun. With a terrifying ability to vaporize targets and a strict moral code, he stalks the gray margins of the world, moving silently from job to job, accomplishing the impossible, then fading away. When his government and former employers turn on him, there is no safehouse to run to, no way to lie low. In a constant state of escape and pursuit, Gentry tears through the Middle East and Europe in a riveting life-or-death race against time.

©2009 Mark Greaney (P)2010 Audible, Inc. Action & Adventure Espionage Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Political Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Exciting Superhero Fiction Suspense
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Critic Reviews

"Through the carnage, Gentry remains an intriguing protagonist with his own moral code. Comparisons will be made to Jason Bourne, but the Gray Man is his own character. The ending screams for a sequel, but it will be difficult to maintain the intensity level of this impressive debut." (Booklist)
"Hard, fast, and unflinching – exactly what a thriller should be." (Lee Child)
"Bourne for the new millennium." (James Rollins)
All stars
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Any additional comments?

I scored it a 4 and will buy another one in the series but need to make it clear that the book is not going to be for everyone.

It's fast paced and action packed in a similar vein to Tom Wood's "Victor" series. However, you will need to the ability to accept the fanciful and push reality aside to enjoy the entertainment.

Without giving away any spoilers you will need to be able to believe that the best assassin in the world has a moral compass and his body is able to withstand amazing injury and still out-fight dozens of able bodied military trained professionals.

Jay Snyder did a pretty good job. Some of the accents were a little suspect and some of the cuts from different recorded takes were evident but the latter is really a production issue rather than the narrator's to be fair.

Not for everyone

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The introduction of the Gray Man, a lethal weapon and a man with his own integrity.
This guy is loyal and fearless. He seems to experience a lot of bad luck but always seems to achieve the primary objective, often very worse for wear.

Great escapism and perhaps a vehicle to release some of the pent up energy from my highly structured and stressful life.

Loved this book, now listening to Book 3 and just purchased book 4.

Keep them coming Mark Greaney!

Court Gentry, Good guy and your worst enemy.

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The writer sounds new and wooden.. not the slick style of eg Berenson. But if he is a beginner then he had, imho, potential and i will try another one. Very American.. the characature of a Brit and use of words like 'bloke' .. oh dear. Anyway, the narrator also needs to get out a bit - (out of the USA) . mispronunciation of eg. Citroën and Kazaks.. started to grate. But the story clips along and i did finish it so a promising start to a new series. Fingers crossed for book 2.

struggled through but maybe potential

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First up, I have no problem with gonzo-action stories from the likes of Child. However, such stories still need to keep you hooked into the world - keep you suspending your disbelief. They can only do this when all the characters are well-constructed and consistent. Alas, this is not the case with The Gray Man.
The 'bad guys' are paper thin. I had to keep pushing myself back into the book to get past the strands of subtle racism in the writing style from time to time. Worse, characters act in ways that are completely and utterly puzzling. Without spoilers, I just could not see why the head of an international mercenary organisation - himself an ex British Special Forces who operated in Ireland - would not call upon his considerable resources as soon as his family was threatened. But even when I tried and get past that fundamental flaw, the main bad guy's behavior was so fundamentally flawed as to make me just shake my head in wonder.
Add to this writing that continually had to remind the reader - directly - how 'good' the hero was just left me cold.
On the plus side, The Gray man is well-paced and the scenes well constructed. The author can write a decent combat scene - just as long as you ignore the poor characterisations of the combatants.
That said, the book is perfectly performed by Jay Snyder. Given the excellent reading, I made it half-way through the book before giving up. And given some of the trashy books I enjoy as a guilty pleasure (James Swallow, I'm looking at you!) that's damning praise.

Well read, but labored story telling

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A bit over the top and american for my liking. Nothing new in the plot.

Bit over the top

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