Gunmetal Gray by Mark Greaney

Published by Berkley on February 14, 2017

I typically roll my eyes at thrillers that require the hero to defeat dozens of highly trained fighters, as if he were a superhero. I make an exception with Gray Man novels because rolling my eyes would divert my attention from the fun, fast-moving story. Besides, Gunmetal Gray strikes me as being more credible than most action thrillers, simply because it illustrates how badly intelligence agencies foul things up when they try to meddle with the rest of the world.

Having resolved his little misunderstanding with the CIA, Courtland Gentry accepts a contract to carry out its latest scheme. Fan Jiang, the best hacker working for the Chinese government, has bolted, making his way to Hong Kong with a head full of secrets. When Gentry arrives in Hong Kong to look for him, a Chinese colonel offer him a contract to kill Jiang. The person offering the contract is someone who doesn’t mess around, but neither does the Gray Man.

An elderly British assassin, a female Russian spy, and Triad gangsters all enter the plot before a hundred pages have passed. And that’s only the beginning of the criminal and intelligence organizations that step on each other’s toes as they try to use or kill Fan. The difference between the spies and the gangsters is often negligible, but Gentry tries to rise above it all to carry out a mission of his own — one that departs from the expectations of both the CIA and the Chinese colonel.

To recover Fan, Gentry frequently finds himself caught between paramilitary operations run by the Chinese and Russians, not to mention the Triad, the Vietnamese army, heavily armed Cambodian and Thai thugs, and the Mafia. All in a day’s work for the Gray Man.

Of course, there are things Gentry doesn’t know about the full scope of the CIA’s plan, because the CIA worries that he’ll go off reservation — again — if he learns the truth. And, of course, the CIA is right about that. The truth matters to Gentry, and being told to be a good little patriot and do what he's told doesn't sit well with him. There’s plenty of action in Gunmetal Gray, but also a fair amount of intrigue.

Readers who are familiar with the series know what to expect from Gentry, but Gunmetal Gray introduces a female SVR agent who is a worthy adversary, or ally, depending on her mood. Gentry and the Russian don’t know what to make of each other for much of the novel. And while Gentry works alone by preference, he finds himself admiring the Russian’s skills (and curves). That adds a bit of spice to the story.

The plot takes the usual twists and turns that a reader expects from Mark Greaney. He’s a clever writer who doesn’t view the world through the narrow lens that impairs most action/thriller writers who focus on international intrigue. The plot is reasonably complex and, as I noted, it is driven by the unerring ability of intelligence agencies to make a mess of things. But political intrigue aside, most of the novel is about the Gray Man doing his thing, and it delivers action in large helpings.

Notwithstanding that this is an action novel, the ending reveals truths about powerful governments that, regardless of ideology, place a higher value on winning their games than they place on moral behavior. The Gray Man is driven by a moral code and is inevitably disappointed that the CIA is not. A nation’s values mean nothing when they are sacrificed for the illusion of security. I loved the way that lesson is revealed in the novel’s ending.

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