Review: Sierra Six by Mark Greaney

Sierra Six (Gray Man, Book #11)

by Mark Greaney

Release Date: February 15, 2022

2022 Berkley

Kindle Editiion; 528 Pages

ISBN:978-0593098998

ASIN: B0951LWVM1

Audiobook: B09B46LBYT

Genre: Fiction / Thriller

Source: Review copy from publisher

4 / 5 Stars

Summary

Before he was the Gray Man, Court Gentry was Sierra Six, the junior member of a CIA action team.

In their first mission they took out a terrorist leader, but at a terrible price--the life of a woman Court cared for. Years have passed and now The Gray Man is on a simple mission when he sees a ghost: the long-dead terrorist, but he's remarkably energetic for a dead man.

A decade may have gone by but the Gray Man hasn't changed. He isn't one to leave a job unfinished or a blood debt unpaid.

 

 

My Thoughts

Sierra Six is the next entry in the Gray Man series and I really enjoyed this one, far more than the previous entry, probably because I finally got to learn more about Court Gentry's past and how he became involved in the program.  And while I have become disenchanted with dual story lines lately, this one worked rather well and was actually necessary in order to understand the present day circumstances in which Court finds himself implicated.  

 

While I don't think this was my favourite Gray Man novel at this point, it was still entertaining. As mentioned above, I do think the dual story line worked rather well, and I actually found the earlier one to be rather more interesting than the present-day one as I was fascinated by Court's learning process and his integration into the 'team'.  Both story lines also had really good action scenes where I was literally flipping the pages, detailed descriptions which made me feel like I was right in the midst of the action, and some good moments between the characters that actually became rather emotional, something that I find lacking in some thriller novels. And I am always happy to have Zach Hightower in any shape or form so it was fun to learn more about his and Court's early days and how they interacted.  I do wish the author would develop the female characters a bit more in his novels however; I think it's time for some bad-ass female characters to make an appearance who are not necessarily evil or sketchy.  And I do think it's time for Court to wrangle with Susanne Brewer; I've been looking forward to that book for a long time.

I have always enjoyed Court as a main character and over the course of the series, he has definitely grown a lot.  It was a lot of fun to learn more about his early days and some of the mistakes he made trying to fit in as a team member rather than work solo.  The author makes no punches when it comes to the fact that Court is guided by his own moral compass, and make his decisions because of that compass, having little to do with anyone else.  It is always interesting to see him flip at a moment's notice from this kind and attentive person to a killing machine with one goal in mind, his target, at a moment's notice, and I always look forward to those moments when it happens as the author is so skilled at doing it.  This is where Greaney is at his best, writing those action scenes where Court is hunting down and doing what he needs to do to get the job done.  

Verdict

Sierra Six is a solid entry in the Gray Man series. It's fast-paced, action-packed, and weaves Court's early days in to the present day rather seamlessly as it explores the effects of earlier missions on present-day activities.  While I do think some of it could have been edited for a tighter story, it was still a fun and interesting read, and I liked learning more about Court, what makes him who he is. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series, and recommend it to anyone interested in the thriller genre.