The Gray Man

By: Mark Greaney

Narrated by: Jay Snyder

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

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)

great action packed summer read

Take this book to the beach and transport yourself into the Gray Mans world. (do not forget your sunscreen!)

Really like it

Good story. Good performance. Look forward to the next books. Five more words remaining. done

Pleasantly surprised

I have the say I was a bit skeptical but I was pleasantly surprised. Great story and narration.

Very entertaining

The production was really excellent, and the story was enjoyable. I rate this four stars overall because I looked forward to each listen, but I can't give a book five stars in this category unless it compares to Hunt for Red October - in other words, the bar is set high.

My favorite series in this genre

I don't know if they are my favorite books, but he is definitely my favorite character and it's definitely my favorite story.
I'm only hesitant on declaring them my favorite books because when it comes to RE-listening, I find myself not as inclined to do it, and when I do, I fast forward through parts of it. I'm not sure what that means, but the parts that I do like, though, are my favorite in the genre.

It's also very hard to evaluate something as a "book" when I've listened to it on audible. The narrator has too much impact.

For this first book, there is something special about it. You are learning about him, his past, his skills, his motivations. I think it has the most packed in. there really are no breaks. I also think he gets the most beat up and has to overcome the most to get to the end.

I read some reviews that said Court Gentry was 2 dimensional blah blah. I don't agree. He is one of the more interesting protagonists. It doesn't go into his feelings, it's more… just.. Him, somehow. I'm always rooting for him, always invested. But everyone seems to have different likes/dislikes and requirements in that way. Some people seem to love characters that I hate and vice versa.

He's funny in that he's not a superman in the sense that he blows through opposition without problems.
He's a little more like John Wick in that he gets beat up and wins by tenacity and scrappiness.
Sometimes he gets REALLY beat up. And at least once in every book, he survives by shear luck or the intervention of others.

What is fascinating to me is that the author somehow marries the legend of "the grey man" - what others see as almost mythical-- and the reality that it never actually played out the way it sounds. Not that the stories aren't true, they are…. But they all happened, one decision, one move at a time… a long string of moments, turns, close calls, lucky breaks, one good samaritan at a time. Those very "understandable" moments string together and at the end of it all is a story that becomes a legend. The things he does don't always seem brilliant and amazing when he does them, but they all work (mostly) and then as you step back and look at it all, it takes on a new significance.
For some reason, that is a fun aspect of this series for me.

The narration is an interesting combo of narration and "inner thoughts" (that are often sarcastic and/or funny) that make it more engaging to listen to. For example "he assessed his injuries: his elbow was bruised and swelling from hitting something on the way down the mountain. Or several somethings. Or every g*dd@m something along the way."

In the first book there are more moments that do seem more cheesy than later - maybe I just get used to it.
I think this is the most action packed of this genre.
The only thing I don't like about the series is that a lot of it is him being hunted by just about everyone. It makes for an interesting story, but I don't "like it" because I DO like him. I know he's a good guy, but no one else seems to. Even when they do, they hunt him anyway. It doesn't seem fair. Makes me mad!


In short, this series is close to my heart. When his newest book came out, I managed to hold out for about 5 months before I broke down and listened to it. I was saving it as a special treat, when I really needed a pick me up or escape, or a particularly long work car trip. It was eventually a 6 hr each way drive that I chose. And boy did those 12 hours fly by.

Shaking my head

This was just “ok” verging on bad. Weak character development, one dimensional plot, and stiff narration with intonation and pronunciation issues. I don’t understand the review average. The narrators voice for the kids was comically bad. I wanted to like this, but it’s not worth the time.

First-rate thriller with captivating narration

This is the first audio book I've tried. I've listened to some podcasts but never a full length book. Jay Snyder is a truly awesome narrator. Trying to portray each character is incredibly challenging and Jay does a great job.

The story itself is well designed and carefully thought through. I didn't have moments where my mind drifted and I thought "Oh come on... That's too far out there." Mark makes it all so believable.

I' not going to review the story itself. Many others have done that quite well. It's a great story. Completely engrossing. I've have a monthly commute that takes almost 4 hours each way. Trying to find something to be entertaining for the long boring trip was not easy. Audible supplied the entertainment with really well produced stories, written by an expert that really did in-depth research to make it all credible, and read by a highly talented voice actor.

The Gray Man series is just outstanding as an entertaining series. 5 stars in all categories.

Excellent

gripping. the story really kept me on my toes and moved briskly. plenty of action too.

Change Title Gray "Super" Man

Story was unrealistic and if the GM was given one more hurdle I would have puked my objection. The bad guys always a step ahead, McGyver feats to extradite himself way to many times, the wounds to his body - please, and the coincidences - common - after reading positive reviews my confidence in future reviews has taken a serious downturn - not likely to follow up this fiasco with any sequels.

The Gray Man

Interesting character with lots of fascinating adventures and a sad home life of his own making. But he’s still just a man with a heart and many regrets. He knows who he is and accepts it but he longs for things denied to him too.