Sierra Six by Mark Greaney is actually two stories in one book. Readers are treated to double actions by the Gray Man, both in the present timeline and what happened 12 years ago. Both stories are compelling, suspenseful and dramatic and readers are taken on a rollercoaster ride filled with vivid action, lots of intrigue and fascinating dialogue. In this 11th book in the Gray Man series, Court Gentry aka the Gray Man unexpectedly faces an old foe.
Gentry had joined Golf Sierra, the counterterror team led by Zack Hightower when he was 25 years old. He had been trained his entire life to operate firearms and move tactically, without any skills. Neither had he any people skills.
Despite not having a lot of world experience, yet Gentry came across as cocky and sure of himself. However, he got brought down to earth in this story and did missions he was told by the CIA.
Gentry was the new Six, or point man. The previous two Sixes were KIA or killed in action. So the team expected the same fate for the new guy. But overtime, Gentry proved himself and gained the respect of the team and its leader. The story alternates between 12 years ago and the present, with harrowing violence and high stakes in both scenes.
One bad man, however, connects the two threads: The Golf Sierra team’s current antagonist is Murad Khan, aka Pasha the Kashmiri. The new Six must learn how to work with a team because he’s used to operating on his own. Gentry’s CIA code name is Violator, but he’s also known as the Gray Man. In the present, Khan is thought to be dead until he and Gentry accidentally spot each other while the Pakistani plans mass murder of non-Muslims.
Gentry has insanely good fighting skills combined with luck and a powerful desire to kill the bad guys who deserved to die.
Both threads have a strong, brave, and appealing woman, and our hero is attracted to both. But Six is too busy for romance as he has so many bad guys to kill and so little time to do it.
Greaney has created a great series character in The Gray Man. And Gentry always brims with self-confidence whenever he is on a mission, such as when he pilots his team over a rugged mountain range in a helicopter he’s not qualified to fly. Those are some of the hairiest, scariest scenes, along with a deadly high-rise battle in the middle of Mumbai monsoon winds.
In the present, Gentry is older, wiser, a little laid back but not as sure of himself. He still seeks justice. Now he will go against the wishes of his bosses. He has expanded his skill levels with a lot of more years and tradecraft behind him.
Hired as a freelance intelligence operator to infiltrate the Turkish embassy property in Algiers and to plant a listening device, Gentry comes face to face with Murad Khan, the head of KRF who is responsible for death and destruction 12 years earlier. The terrorist had been reported killed at the time. Now Gentry is on the hunt to stop Khan as he plans another major attack involving dirty bombs in India.
The story and ending are typical Gray Man - a lot of action, suspense, and tension. As with all Greaney's books, there are scenes that put the reader in the middle of the intense fight. This one shows why Greaney is one of the best thriller writers today.
