Ballistic

A Gray Man Novel

By: Mark Greaney

Narrated by: Jay Snyder

Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Ex-CIA assassin Court Gentry thought he could find refuge living in the Amazon rain forest. But his bloody past finds him when a vengeful Russian crime lord forces him to go on the run once again. Court makes his way to one of the only men in the world he can trust - and arrives too late. His friend is dead and buried.

Years before, Eddie Gamboa had saved Court's life. Now, Eddie has been murdered by the notorious Mexican drug cartel he fought to take down. And Court soon finds himself drawn into a war he never wanted. But in this war, there are no sides - only survivors....

Listen to another Gray Man novel.

©2011 Mark Strode Greaney (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Bourne for the new millennium." (James Rollins, New York Times best-selling author)

"The story is so propulsive, the murders so explosive, that flipping the pages feels like playing the ultimate video game." ( The New York Times)

Riveting

The gray man experiences life other than as the assassin, still the hunter and hunted. He does have a heart.

well written and well read

In EVERY book I think...well there's no way he can get out of this one. I'm always surprised and on the edge of my sear. These books are extremely well written and researched. the narrator is great, he does a good job with a variety of accents too! I have fallen in love with the series and look forward to long drives in the car so I can listen to what happens next. I highly recommend.

Wow! Exciting read!

Action packed and well-played. Loved it! I have to run and get the next book now and see what ha[[ens next! Such an exciting and well-written book and so well translated to audible. Off to listen some more!

Intense; predictable, yet satisfying.

Would you listen to Ballistic again? Why?

I have listened to this novel at least twice/ There is a very good amount of detail to the story, the characters, the political environment, the Good and Bad guy.

Would you be willing to try another book from Mark Greaney? Why or why not?

Yep. I like the spy/assassin stuff. Impossible odds, and pulling through, but scathed.

Good, but not great

Each novel in this series is better than the last. While the action is satisfying, Court Gentry never quite passes for a real human. This story, however, creates a bit of vulnerability that is refreshing and colors in some of the edges. I was distracted by how poorly the narrator handled the Spanish language. It is ubiquitous and accessible to most Americans and a little coaching on pronunciation would have made a huge difference.

Dialog between Cort and drug lords.

Loved it. Tourcher segment and love making of Cort and Lori. Drug lords teams and there madness to forcing there will.

Enjoyed - Shows Court’s Skills & A Friend to have

The author has a great imagination & keeps me engaged in the story…I definitely would like to have such a friend in the real world.

Book 3 - Best So Far

Mark Greaney gets better with each book in this series! You have your typical Gentry - gets his butt in trouble, real human trouble, and eventually works his way out of it! But he does so in a more normal way than most of your action heroes - he really seems to get the psychology of those around him! The whole story just seems real! What I liked the most out of this book is that there really weren't that many situations that he got stuck in that were not solvable - if you gave it some thought.

The best thing about Gentry is that he sees right and wrong - and uses the wrong of his skills to make some rights in the world! It would be nice if there was more of that!! He's obviously devoid of a conscience, but he's not devoid of wanting to make something right.

I highly recommend the series if you are seeking a more human and realistic action hero! I have become a huge Gray Man fan!!

Practice some Spanish

The reading was good but if you are going to read for Spanish characters, learn Spanish pronunciation

just the escapism and intricate sequences we need

Excellent book, great narrator. I've read every book on the series and listened to this over 10 years ago. I have over 500 titles and in the action vigilante spycraft thriller genre, this holds up against the best of the craft. the grey man series is much funnier (in dark humor and dry remarks) and takes itself less serious than the Rapp's Harvaths and Orphan X characters of the others.

The premise for the story is very creative and the story telling by Greaney and the awesome performance of Snyder enhances the text. How he had a prequel that explored courts past was very slick.

the violence in Mexico wasn't as well known in 2011 and not many authors were exploring it in the fiction realm, to paint a vivid and gritty story that spans the amazon and up to the border was all ahead of its time. there mustve been alot of research about the narcos and Mexican p9litics and culture.

bottom line: If you want perfect realism, read old Clancy or griffin. better yet, there are dozens of true stories if you'd like. but if you want an imaginative, fun, and violent look into what makes court tick and how he takes on a cartel, spend the 10 hrs.

sidenote: this story sent me down a rabbit hole with non fiction related to narco terrorism, CIA machinations and the codependent relationship between the US and our southern neighbors. we'll worth it.