Burner (Gray Man)

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This is the first book I’ve read by this author & although it is #12 in The Gray Man series, I had no trouble reading this as a standalone. Burner follows Court Gentry, who is hiding from the CIA & causing some trouble abroad, as he receives a phone call from none other than the CIA requesting the seemingly simple task of retrieving a burner phone. This burner phone turns out to be more valuable than imagined & multiple adversaries are fighting for control of if, including an ex lover of the infamous Gray Man. A suspenseful & gripping escapade follows on a worldwide ride.

There are some consistency issues in this book. The Brewer character is altered from earlier books to fit the plot. Court Gentry has been de-aged a few years. There are also plot holes, but the pace of the book rips past, and are easily missed. Velesky is on the run after stealing data from his employer that could expose a great deal of powerful people, both in the East and the West, and the dirty money that has been flowing across the globe. They will do anything to keep the information from coming out. That includes killing anyone and everyone tangentially related to those who have possession of the device. Caught between a GRU hit squad and CIA assassins, the unlikely trio must stay ahead of their pursuers if they hope to finish the mission, assuming they don’t end up killing each other before then. This was... fine, but far from one of my favourites in the series. Maybe it was the fever curtailing my attention span, but this felt like it dragged on for entirely too long. And of course, I've never been all that great a fan of Zoya or the romance subplot that just won't die...

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Nothing starts off the thriller field of 2023 quite like the latest Gray Man novel from leading author Mark Greaney. Greaney is a very impressive author who has been killing it throughout the genre for years. Not only has he produced some cool standalone books, such as last year’s exciting action romp Armored, or the cool military thriller he co-wrote with Hunter Rawlings IV, Red Metal (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019), but he has also written the exceptional Gray Man spy thriller books. Following legendary assassin Court Gentry, better known as the Gray Man, as he gets involved in several deadly situations, the Gray Man books are one of the leading spy thriller series and I have deeply enjoyed the epic and powerful adventures that Greaney has so far released. I personally have had an exceptional time with several of the Gray Man books, including Greaney’s debut novel, The Gray Man (which got a film adaptation last year), as well as the later entries such as Mission Critical, One Minute Out (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020), Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021) and Sierra Six (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022). His latest release is the outstanding Burner, which was one of my most anticipated novels of 2023. The 12 th book in the Gray Man series, Burner was a particularly intense read with a fantastic story behind it. The groups have different motives and objectives, and when they collide on a train near Geneva, the story is just getting started. It doesn’t help that one of the most elite Russian assassins is set on obtaining the data and will kill anyone who gets in his way. And he has a personal history with The Gray Man. I have no problems saying that I HOPE (man oh man do I hope) that this is the book where she finally gets what she deserves. I’ve been waiting SO patiently…… Right and wrong are rarely clear-cut issues in the Gray Man’s world. No one understands that better than Court and Zoya. Clear-cut or not, choices must be made. They’ll have to decide where their loyalties lie. Because one thing’s for sure. If they’re going down, they’re going down together.

This is not a spoiler. I’m only on chapter 23 (out of 73 chapters) so there is still lots to come in this book. I just had to get it out there once I saw her name. Outstanding….Fans will close the book happily fulfilled and eagerly awaiting his next adventure.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review) I do like the John Gilstrap 'Jonathan Graves' series and find it great fun. Gilstrap is clearly having fun and preposterous is expected and delivered. The 'Gray Man' series has slid into a similar series, but not as well done as Gilstrap's. Part of that is the ability of reading Gilstrap's bit of tongue in cheek efforts. Also, Gilstrap's situations fit better than the ones written in this. The finale in 'Burner' is clunky due to taking itself too seriously. To me, Mr. Greaney has already done a fabulous job of creating a character in Court that is such a contradiction. What a dichotomy. He is definitely lethal; in fact, he is arguably one of the most dangerous men on the planet. Yet, he is also so unbelievably good. Good in a way that is hard to explain unless you have been on this journey with Court for the many, many books in this collection. And now.....I'm just thrilled for the "possibility" of Court and Zoya and I can honestly say that my fingers (and toes) are crossed for these two crazy kids :)

Member Reviews

That's a problem for tomorrow. Today they need to keep him and themselves alive. Right now, it's not looking good.

Where to begin? With this book that’s a good question. Court is off working private jobs once again. Of course the book begins with Court in a life and death situation and he would be the one to walk away. Meanwhile Zoya if in Milan, she’s depressed and drinking. Feeling ashamed of her home country. She’s messed up a few “easy “ jobs and wonders if she’ll ever get another. That’s when her handler calls with an offer. Timely as can be the events in this novel take place as Putin's war against the Ukraine in 2022 takes place. The West is on the surface enraged by Russia's actions, but still dying to do business with whoever has the goods. And those willing to do business with the Russians include elements of the Central Intelligence Agency, tasked with preventing ongoing trade talks from being scuttled.Wow, Greaney really can’t miss when it comes to the Gray Man books. Burner was another exceptional novel that had me hooked from the very beginning all the way to the final, devastating encounter. The blend of exceptionally written action scenes, spy thriller elements, complex characters and the utilisation of contemporary issues makes Burner really stand out, even alongside the other epic Gray Man books. This was another easy five-star rating from me as Greaney once again shows why he is currently leading the spy thriller genre. I started listening to this at 4am and haven’t been able to put it down. I wanted to write this review before I finished because I didn’t want to be tempted to write anything additional and take anything away from another listener. Gentry's extracurricular activities do not make a lot of headlines, but they do put him in the eyes of the intelligence community once again and he is somehow roped into a new operation where information about Russian money laundering to operatives in the West has been revealed in an electronic storage device. Everyone wants that device. And Gentry is going up against the best assassins the Russians have to get it. What's more his old flame Zoya has resurfaced (although not in the best condition) an is involved in seeking it on behalf of someone.