“Court Gentry was the Gray Man, and the Gray Man lived for this sh*t...”
— “Ballistic” by Mark Greaney
I stumbled on thriller writer Mark Greaney when I saw a promo ad for the Tom Clancy novel “Locked On” several years ago.
At that point in Clancy’s career, the author had taken on “co-writers” to continue his series of Jack Ryan novels. When I saw Greaney’s name on the cover, I decided to look him up.
I noticed that Greaney wrote a series of thrillers starring a character referred to as the “Gray Man.”
Greaney collaborated and authored a number of novels in the “Clancyverse.” I liked his style and thought he was particularly skilled at crafting action scenes.
I finally purchased the first novel in the series — “The Gray Man” — in the summer of 2013.
I was impressed with the amount of action that Greaney shoehorned into the story. I’ve read a lot of “international intrigue” thrillers over the years, but found “The Gray Man” to be wildly entertaining.
I recently completed the third book in the series titled “Ballistic.”
The central character in the “Gray Man” series is Court Gentry — a legend in the covert ops world (known as “Violator”), who has been disavowed by the CIA.
When “Ballistic” begins, Gentry has been on the run from the CIA for five years. He is also being hunted by a Russian mobster named Sidorenko.
Gentry is hiding out in the Brazilian jungle working for a small marine salvage operation along a remote Amazon tributary.
Before long, his life in the steamy South American environs is tossed asunder by a nefarious foe, and Gentry escapes by the skin of his teeth to Mexico — concealing himself in dark corners, keeping away from others, and blending in at third world bus stations along the way.
The 37-year-old operator has a keen intellect — honed while outrunning and outgunning a “shoot-on-sight sanction” from the CIA.
It is in Mexico that the main narrative of “Ballistic” takes shape.
On his way to Tampico along the gulf coast, Gentry sees a news report about the death of a man named Eduardo Gamboa — a major in the Mexican Federal Police who was killed during a mission to assassinate a drug kingpin named Daniel de la Rocha on his yacht.
Gentry knows the man as former DEA agent Eddie Gamble — an operative who saved Gentry’s life in a Laotian prison several years before.
Because he is in proximity to Gamboa’s home in Puerto Vallarta, he decides to take a detour to pay his respects.
That decision stirs up a hornet’s nest. What initially seems like kind gesture to honor a fallen comrade soon leads to Gentry becoming involved in a full-blown war with a powerful drug cartel — his sole goal that of protecting Gamboa’s family — his widow and unborn son.
The journey takes readers from remote haciendas to seedy motels to baroque churches, thrilling the reader all along the way with shootouts and explosions.
What I like about Greaney is that he doesn’t write the same book twice. Through the first three novels in the “Gray Man” series, Greaney takes readers to different locales and crafts stories with varying focus.
Not only does this keep the narrative fresh, it allows readers to gain more insights into Court Gentry.
“Ballistic” can be a brutal and frustrating novel at times. I enjoyed the focus on family in the story. When it comes to genre novels about covert operators, the protagonists can oftentimes be one-dimensional.
Gentry’s interplay with the Gamboa family is particularly interesting in “Ballistic.” It allows Gentry to explore a heretofore unseen emotional side with Eddie’s sister Laura (Lorita) — a facet of his character not seen in either “The Gray Man” or “On Target.”
The Gamboa’s are also a family with a deep seated Catholic faith. There are instances throughout “Ballistic” where the family — in the face of imminent danger — takes the time to pray.
Laura even encourages Gentry to pray with her at one point in the novel. “You pray for us both,” Gentry says. “I’ll stand watch.”
“You are not a believer, are you?” Laura asks.
“I... I wasn’t raised in the Church,” Gentry replies. “I don’t know how it all works.”
“Let me show you,” says Laura.
Quiet moments like that make the “Gray Man” series special, and help set the character of Court Gentry apart from his contemporaries.
I should also note that the antagonist in the novel — Daniel de la Rocha — is well drawn. He and his "Los Trajes Negros" are compelling heavies in the story. (The character also has a creepy obsession with “la Santa Muerte” shrines that adds to his overall depth and dimension).
If you decide to take a chance on Greaney’s novels, I’d encourage you to start with the first book in the series “The Gray Man” and move forward from there.
Greaney is a talented writer and his thrillers have an emotional core that sets them apart. They are well worth your time.
Fun fact: Mark Greaney was a drummer for a heavy metal band back in the 1980s (which doesn't seem like him at all). Learn more about the author in this fun "Did You Know?" feature on his publisher's YouTube channel:
This summer, Greaney will be publishing a new standalone fiction novel with Lt. Col. Rip Rawlings about World War III. Greaney met Rawlings at the Pentagon while researching the Clancy novel “Command Authority.”
The collaboration is called “Red Metal” and I'm very much looking forward to reading it...
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