When Ballistic begins, Gentry who has been on the run from the CIA for five years, is also being hunted by a Russian mobster who’s Gentry's old employer named Gregor Sidorenko.
Before long, his peaceful life in the steamy South American environments is shattered by a nefarious foe, and Gentry escapes by the skin of his teeth to Mexico - hiding himself in dark corners, keeping away from others, and blending in with the locals along the way.
It is in Mexico that the main narrative of Ballistic takes shape. On his way to Tampico along the gulf coast, Gentry catches a news report about the death of a man named Eduardo Gamboa - a major in the Mexican Federal Police who was killed during a mission to assassinate a drug kingpin named Daniel de la Rocha on his yacht.
Because he is in the proximity to Gamboa’s home in Puerto Vallarta, he decides to go there to pay his respects. That decision, however, stirs up a hornet’s nest. What initially seems like a gesture to honour a fallen comrade soon landed Gentry in a full-blown war with a powerful drug cartel. Eventually, he ends up having to protect Gamboa’s family - his widow and unborn son.
If there is a skill that Greaney has, it is that he doesn’t write the same book twice. Through the first three novels in the “Gray Man” series, Greaney takes readers to different locales and crafts stories with varying focus. Not only does this keep the narrative fresh, it allows readers to gain more insights into Court Gentry.
Ballistic can be a brutal and frustrating novel at times. But readers can enjoy the focus on family in the story. When it comes to genre novels about covert operators, the protagonists can oftentimes be one-dimensional.
Overall, Ballistic is a thriller that will keep the readers on the edge with its suspense and non-stop action. Another exciting read.