Ballistic [Paperback]

Anyone familiar with the first two novels in The Gray Man series (The Gray Man (A Gray Man Novel) and On Target (A Gray Man Novel)) will know they are filled with action and adventure throughout the book. This third entry is certainly no exception. Author Mark Greaney takes the reader on a thrill ride that would make any amusement park proud. Moving from one challenge to the next Courtland Gentry's exploits kept my attention riveted to the pages of this book. Court has been hiding out from all the many factions who want to see him dead, most recently his ex-boss, Russian mobster Gregor Sidorenko. Hiding in the back-of-beyond jungles of South America worked for seven months but now a manhunter has found Gentry and it's time to move on. With only escape in mind Gentry is waiting in a bus station when he happens to hear a television news story concerning a man he once shared a prison cell with in Laos. Could this Eduardo Gamboa be the same Eddie Gamble he had known back in that prison? Because if so, then Court does not believe the man he had known could be guilty of what these news reports said. Before long Gentry finds himself a very unwilling actor in the bloody business of drugs and other crimes between two feuding Mexican drug lords. Between his former bosses in the CIA, his former boss in the Russian mob, and now these armed and decidedly dangerous Mexican criminals it will take an expert in survival to come out of this mess alive.

I enjoyed this book very much, in fact I have come to expect that from Greaney. It seemed as if there was action taking place almost every minute and the excitement factor was ramped up to heart pounding level for most of the novel. I don't read thrillers or adventure novels to spend my time hearing about how somebody's day went at the office. If I'm looking for adventure, then that's what I want. I'm asking an author to entertain me and take me out of the humdrum. As a reader I gained a little more insight into the background of Court Gentry, but there is still much more left to be revealed - I hope - in future novels.

There was one specific element in the novel where I would have liked to get some additional narrative. The story eventually revolves around a kidnapping with Gentry fighting to rescue that victim. Not just the reader, but Gentry himself lost all contact with that victim for a very long period of time. I began to wonder what it was that made The Gray Man so sure this hostage was even still alive. A few quick peeks into how the person was being treated would have helped the sympathetic and curious sides of my nature.

Court Gentry has more lives than a multitude of cats, but without his specialized ability to find his target, make plans which succeed, and remove the bad guys, there would not be much reason for him to exist as a fictional character. I'll take him just as the talented author writes him and be glad to do so. So, Mr Greaney, when can we expect book number four?

I really enjoyed Ballistic, it moved extremely quickly and as with the author's other books, includes alot of info on the locale and economic/political conditions where the story takes place (in this novel, mainly Mexico).

I particularly like the fact that the author has a working knowledge of guns and fighting, nothing ruins a book more for me then to read that the hero pulls out a .48 magnum or some such gun that does not even exist.

The author is always raising the stakes in his novels, unlike most action/suspense novels, their is no down time or pages to skip due to shear boredom while the author describes in excruciating detail how his character feels. Instead, he shows you how the character feels through action, either in the present or via backstory.

My two wishes are that it (and the other two books) were longer. They really draw you in and I hated when they were over. I'd like to see some more backstory on Court's days in the SAD or even prior to that. What made him who he is? Can't wait for the next one.

This is the third "Gray Man" book I've read. After reading the first one, "The Gray Man", I couldn't wait for the sequels to come out. I get swept in every time Court Gentry gets into one of his "fixes" that seems impossible to get out of and/or survive. The action scenes that Mark weaves flows in a way that you follow along in rapt attention, visualizing every movement, just like watching a movie. "Ballistic" is one exciting thriller, so be prepared for a wild ride.

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