Gunmetal Gray (Gray Man Series #6)

What do you get when you combine a rather wimpy computer whiz from China, spy agencies from a handful of countries who desperately want to get their hands on the computer whiz, the crazy and crooked ways of Southeast Asia, and a jaded covert operative known as the Gray Man?

THIS. You get Gunmetal Gray, the sixth in the Gray Man Series by Mark Greaney. And THIS, my friends, is spectacular.

Gunmetal Gray (Gray Man) by [Greaney, Mark]

You might be okay to read Gunmetal Gray even if you have not read the first five books in this series (The Gray Man, On Target, Ballistic, Dead Eyeand Back Blast, in that order). Some of the backstory is covered, but not all of it. But, trust me, you’ll want the backstory to understand the characters a little better. The first five books are all amazing, so they’re well worth the read.

If you don’t have time to go back and read the first books, or if it’s been a while and you need a refresher: meet Courtland (Court) Gentry. He was recruited by the CIA as a young adult for his knack for, um, “getting things done” (if you know what I mean). They wiped his slate clean and trained him to be an unstoppable, one-man force, and he excelled. Then the CIA declared him public enemy #1 and for five years they had an uneasy relationship. Court went off-grid and did some freelance work. The CIA tried desperately to kill him. Which, yes, is maybe slightly worse than an “uneasy relationship”. Now, after the events in Back Blast, Court is back in a quasi-working-relationship with the CIA. He’s agreed to work some of their contracts – at his discretion – and they’ve agreed not to kill him.

Enter the Chinese computer whiz: Fan Jiang. He’s run away from his position in the Chinese military intelligence, where he was part of an elite group testing systems, and now everyone is after him. Russia wants him for the secrets he possesses. America wants him for the same reasons, and also because they do not want Russia to have him. China wants him before he can spill their secrets, but mostly so they can execute him. And several Asian gangs want him because he knows how to hack systems, which they view as valuable to themselves. Fan just wants to go to Taiwan, where he hopes to live in peace; he has no interest in working against China.

When the CIA asks Court to find Fan so they can use a paramilitary group to “rescue” him, Court agrees but has ulterior motives: the man who gave him contracts when he was a freelancer is being held by the Chinese after he failed to find Fan, and Court is determined to set him free. But with so many players and dso many hidden agendas, trying to make progress is a seemingly endless dance of one step forward, two steps back.

And so begins the adventure – Court tracks Fan across countries and through different gangs and hideouts. On his left shoulder are the Chinese: they’ve got his former employer under lock and key. On his right shoulder is the CIA: his new handler is desperate to keep control of everything. Stuck in the middle: Court’s ever-present code of conduct and morals. Court’s pretty smart and starts to put two and two together to form his own opinions and game plan. For a man who’s spent the last five years running his own operations, and staying alive by doing so, having to work within parameters and being asked to explain things . . . let’s just say this is not his preferred way to do things.

Unfortunately for Court, there really is no rest for the weary. This book is full action, no timeouts, no stopping, from the first page to the last. Mark Greaney also writes for the Jack Reacher universe (created by Tom Clancy), so you know his books will be full-throttle the entire time. If you’ve read any of the other Gray Man books, you know Court has a habit of getting into situations where most people would just curl up into a fetal position and await certain death. Court, on the other hand, will MacGyver something – or a few somethings – and execute some half-brained attempt that may give him some scrapes but also gets him away with his life.

quote from movie "Reservoir Dogs"

A common approach to problems in this book. Also, this movie is similar to the book in several facets – multiple people involved, different goals, and more than a few twists. For bonus points in a nonexistent quiz, who knows the movie??

The characters we all know and love (or hate, depending on your perspective) are all here and performing as we might expect. But where Court has always purposefully had no emotional relationships, here we see him acknowledging and forming relationships. It’s a nice change of pace for him, and for readers. Court may be – at the ground level – a professional assassin, but it’s nice to see what a few other levels look like. Where the other books felt more like a highly trained operative carrying out a mission or trying to survive with zero emotional connection to anything, I felt Gunmetal Gray gave us a more complete picture of what the man behind everything actually looks like.

Sure, maybe some of the action seems unrealistic. Like, maybe you’re fighting 50 angry dudes with guns and knives, while you have nothing except your wits. Maybe you manage to kill a handful and burn down a building and are surprised when you escape with just a few bruises. But, seriously – have you ever been a covert operative with extensive training? I sure haven’t, so I’m going to live in blissful ignorance that this is all totally possible.

And maybe there are times when I wish maybe a certain character could go to character heaven so that Court could just get things done. Maybe one day in this character’s future there will be a car bomb with his/her (definitely “her”) name on it.

And maybe you sort of hate the ending, but then realize the ending is fitting for the story, even if it’s frustrating, so you decide to love it.

But you know what? It is fun and exciting to read, and I love it.

Overall: 9.5/10.

Oh – that movie quote image above is from “Reservoir Dogs”. If you haven’t seen it, please do so. I’ll add the points to the imaginary quiz, as promised.

Discussion

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