Sierra Six is the early leader in the clubhouse for the best thriller of 2022 and it will take something incredibly special to surpass it. Mark Greaney has delivered one hell of a book that instantly becomes my all-time favorite in the already magnificent Gray Man series. It’s perfection!
Fans of the series already know that Court Gentry is a bad ass mofo with an unmatched, somewhat superhuman skillset that allows him to operate solo and dispatch bad guys as if it’s a walk in the park. And while readers have been given glimpses into his past throughout the prior ten books, we’ve never heard the complete story of how Gentry became Sierra Six and operated as part of an elite CIA Ground Branch paramilitary team. Until now. And holy hell is it a spectacular story.
Court Gentry is hired to do a simple job – infiltrate the Turkish embassy in Algeria and plant a small device that will allow his client to eavesdrop on cell phone calls made in the vicinity. However, nothing is ever easy for the Gray Man and as the operation goes sideways, Court comes face to face with a ghost, someone he thought has been dead for 12 years. Cue the flashback to a dozen years ago, when Gentry was being integrated into Golf Sierra, a CIA action team on the hunt for a terrorist mastermind with visions of changing the political and military landscape of South Asia. The events of that time left an indelible mark on Gentry and now that this long-thought dead terrorist has reappeared, the Grey Man will do whatever it takes to finally put this son-of-a-bitch six feet underground where he belongs.
The brilliance of Sierra Six is that it’s like 2 amazing novels under one cover. Mark Greaney flawlessly switches back and forth between present day and flashbacks to 12 years ago in a way that does multiple things at the same time. First, it provides insight into Court Gentry’s past and his evolution as an operator. Second, it seamlessly draws parallels and connections between events a dozen years apart that enhance both storylines and provide depth that a single timeline wouldn’t be able to achieve. Third, it provides tremendous character development for Gentry by allowing us to witness a journey that makes him a little more human through mistakes and emotions that we didn’t know were possible for him. And finally, it reminds us how lethally awesome and relentless the Gray Man truly is.
When I read a book, I’m looking for three things – entertainment, something fresh and to feel an emotional connection to the characters. This book nails all three. Sierra Six is simply stupendous! It’s so freaking unbelievably great. And while it’s been obvious for a long time that Mark Greaney is inarguably one of the best authors in the genre, Sierra Six elevates him to a higher plane of thriller existence that few authors are able to achieve in their lifetimes.
Bravo Mr. Greaney. Thank you for the gift of this incredible novel.
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