I remember asking Mark Greaney about The Gray Man’s possible descent into darkness. He is a gritty character, but he manages to maintain his composure in the toughest of situations. But say he loses his cool, if something could do that, how would he react? Mark Greaney may have stretched out a year or two, but he wrote a whole book to answer this line of questioning. And that book is Midnight Black.
In the explosive finale of The Chaos Agent, Zoya Zakharova was kidnapped by the Chinese and delivered to the Russians who had been hunting her for her allegiance to The Gray Man. With his lover spirited away to a harsh winter-ensuing Russian gulag, The Gray Man will stop at nothing to get her out of there, even if it means going into the abyss of death and destruction without any hesitation. But he may just be walking into a deadly trap orchestrated by an ambitious man looking to claim the sweet reward of being the one to deliver the fatal blow to the legendary assassin.
We’ve seen Gentry bruised, shot, and sullen before, but never this dark and unhinged. Greaney shakes things up for the characters and the readers who’ve been following The Gray Man on his escapades across the world. Something inspiring could be said about how the Gray Man sticks to his guns (metaphorically speaking, he can even kill with bare hands when he’s not sneaking his way in) as he tries to get into a police state that’s waging a war. Yet at the same time, Greaney sets a very somber and chilling tone from the very first chapter that’s certainly one of the most badass openings to an action thriller with a touch of noir that takes a master of the craft to truly nail.
Speaking of badass, this book is packed with great cinematic action that only raises that awareness of grittiness you feel just from reading the synopsis of the book alone. I was mesmerized by playing out the opening action sequence in my mind, thinking of how it feels like the perfect blueprint to adapt to the big screen (They really oughta make Gray Man 2 now). Midnight Black is a literary juxtaposition: grand and explosive in scale, yet it is so personal and intimate. From icy car chases to foot chases on trains to visceral shootouts, it’s a whole bucket of fun!
I wish I could say more but then it would be spoiling a lot. I will say, be prepared for friendly faces to pop back in to lend The Gray Man a hand when he needs it the most. The way Greaney fuses the lone solitary nature of Court Gentry with his ultimate acceptance of relying on those he can trust is one of the major reasons that Midnight Black is a thriller with emotionally- bruising gut punches. I am so excited to see how Mark Greaney continues the arc of his characters from this point onwards. It has to be one of my favorite Gray Man stories yet, with a nostalgic sprinkle of the old school Gray Man but with the nuanced evolution of his foundations over the years.
Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.
Purchase Midnight Black
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)
Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
