Relentless (The Gray Man Book 10)

Mark Greaney

Berkley Pub

Feb 16^th, 2021

Relentless by Mark Greaney is how the main character, The Gray Man, Court Gentry, is defined. The title also describes how the story will blow people’s minds with all the action and intrigue. 

Greaney noted, “I read an article in an intelligence magazine that explained how the US has an agreement with the UAE.  The US will not collect intelligence on that country.  I thought –what if something went wrong?  After doing some research I saw that we are not always allies and did have some problems in the past.  As I was finishing my last edits, news broke out that the UAE and Israel were signing an agreement to work together against Iran. The UAE was worried that the US might not come through for them.  They are Sunni and are worried about the expansion of Shite Iran.”

The plot opens with Gentry in the hospital being treated for an infection caused by a knife wound.  He is asked to head to Venezuela to find a rogue NSA employee and interrogate him for information. He finds out that there is software, PowerSlave, that can identify operatives and that the UAE plans on using an Iranian cell to start a war.  After discovering that his love interest and fellow member of “Poison Apple” is in Berlin, he heads there.

“I wanted to do this book in Berlin before I had a story. I wanted it to have a Cold War feel with geo-political issues.  This is where a lot of the action takes place. At the core, this is a spy story.” 

Zoya Zakharova has infiltrated a private intelligence firm, Shrike, with some alarming connections. While Gentry has been forbidden from contacting her, his job is to provide backup, should she need it. Shrike has been providing surveillance on several Iranian sleeper agents for their client. Needless to say, they find a way to work together to find information about those wanting to orchestrate a terror attack that could lead to a war between the US and Iran. Not only is Zoya in danger because of her mission she is also being hunted by Russian operatives who are attempting to assassinate her. As a former SVR agent who defected, the Russians want her dead or alive. Court and Zoya know they work best when working together, helping each other to survive and prevent a war.

“Court has a bone infection.  It prevented him from doing what he wanted in the needed timeframe.  It made him weak. I did not want a character like those in the movies and TV shows where someone gets shot or stabbed and then they are right back into the action.  Realistically, Court has suffered a fair amount of physical abuse. In the previous book, One Minute Out, he is stabbed. Now he has an infection, which makes him more vulnerable.  It is one more enemy he needs to fight.  I hope this shows his true grit.  I came up with this from my own personal experience.  About five years ago, I had surgery on my foot.  I ended up getting an infection where I needed to have IV seven days a week for eight weeks.” 

Mark Greaney definitely has become one of the top thriller authors. His characters are very well developed, and plots filled with hard hitting action and riveting tension. He is able to create storylines where his characters are up against assassins, mercenaries, spies, and terrorists.

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