The Gray Man (The Gray Man #1) is a 2009 action thriller novel written by Mark Greaney and published by Jove Books. First of the Gray Man series, the story follows Court Gentry who, after assassinating a powerful figure, becomes hunted himself as he evades his pursuers to mount a mission to rescue his handler.

After pulling off a hit in the Middle East, the Gray Man becomes targeted by a powerful international corporation. His handler, Sir Donald Fitzroy is blackmailed into betraying the Gray Man, who not only has to avoid the numerous kill teams searching for him but has to save Fitzroy and his family in the process.

The story is pretty simplistic and if you’ve ever watched the Bourne films or pretty much any generic action thriller with agents and hitmen, you’ve seen this before. But how well does the story entertain. It’s actually done well enough to be engaging despite the predictability. It’s definitely action packed and there’s a lot of suspense and it kept me engaged the entire time. The ending is pretty climatic with a lot of gunfire, explosions, and death. It’s like a Bond film. (3 out of 5)

Our main protagonist is Court Gentry (kind of a unique name) who is the mysterious Gray Man, possibly the most capable assassin in the world. An independent operator who takes on contracts he deems necessary. His exploits have made him a legend across the military and criminal world. Gentry’s like a mix between the Frank Castle and Jason Bourne. He’s an interesting one because on one hand he seems like a decent guy despite his profession. However, he isn’t particularly deep. We do learn about him, and we do root for the guy. He has inciteful moments, he has morals, he’s resourceful, but there’s nothing overly memorable about him. I do like that the writer doesn’t make him invincible. He gets pretty banged up. Still, he’s a likable hero.

The supporting cast is good. Sir Donald Fitzroy seems decent. He’s Gentry’s handler and although does betray him does his best to help him. I understood his motivations and felt for the guy. He was put in a really bad situation especially with his family on the line. I liked Fitzroy’s relationship with his granddaughter and how perceptive she was. Also, I liked that that was a motivating factor for Gentry. You can say that the main antagonist is Lloyd Hansen, a former CIA member, who’s put the bounty the Gray Man. Lloyd is a bit of a mixed bag. He’s not as fleshed out as he could’ve been and at the same time not as cardboard as he’s presented. I understand his motivations, I understand he’s an opportunistic and manipulative jackass. He’s the kind of villain that you’d expect from a story like this. I liked some of the other characters, Gentry’s mentor, the woman helps him, the lone assassin hunting him. It’s a decent cast. (4 out of 5)

I listened to the audiobook and I gotta say that I really enjoyed it. Jay Snyder’s narration was done extremely well, not only with the characters but also with storytelling. Because of his consistency and style, the pacing maintained its momentum while remaining engaging. I liked the emphasis of character’s emotions giving conversations depth. The accents of the different agents stood out very well. Never got the sense I didn’t know who was talking. (5 out of 5)

Now the author is Mark Greaney, and I didn’t mind his work. I thought he provided a great page turner, i thought the pacing worked well, I liked the strong characterization. Greaney is very descriptive with knowledge of international relations and criminal intelligence, that makes me wonder does he have some experience or if he’s that good of a researcher. Also, when it comes to firearms and the logistics of weapons, injuries Gentry endures, Greaney seems pretty sound. Yes, there are a lot cliche’s but it’s still an intriguing read.

Something that Greaney does that I really appreciated was making Gentry human. Yes, he’s skilled in stealth, espionage, and certainly killing but he’s human and not invincible. He gets hurt, he needs rest, he’s constantly on the defensive. A lot of situations he gets out of it’s not just his skills, sometimes it’s luck or other people interfering or helping.

The writing is good. It’s descriptive, it’s engaging. The dialogue is what you’d expect from a story like this. There’s cheese and most of it comes from the villains but it’s expected. The action and suspense are handled very well. This is Greaney’s first solo novel, and there are some mistakes here and there. Mostly, it has to do with consistency and some of the structure. Still, it’s good writing. (3 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, The Gray Man is a solid thriller with a lot of action and a lot of suspense. It’s a great read and although some characters could be fleshed out more and the story is simplistic, it’s still an edge of your seat thrill ride. I really liked the characters, liked the action, the narration was fantastic, the writing was good, and the pacing was good. The Gray Man (The Gray Man #1) gets 4 out of 5.