"Relentless" by Mark Greaney delivers an action-packed experience that will keep fans of the genre engaged from start to finish. While the novel boasts an abundance of heart-pounding sequences, the writing may not be on par with some of the greats in the thriller genre.

Greaney's strength undoubtedly lies in crafting intense and dynamic action scenes. From exhilarating gunfights to high-stakes chase sequences, "Relentless" is a roller-coaster ride of non-stop adrenaline. If you're seeking a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this one delivers in spades.

However, where the novel falls slightly short is in the writing style and character development. While the plot is undoubtedly gripping, the prose lacks the finesse and depth found in more seasoned thriller authors. The characters, while engaging enough, may not leave a lasting impression compared to some of the more memorable figures in the genre.

Despite these shortcomings, "Relentless" still manages to entertain, making it a suitable choice for those looking for a quick and action-packed read. Greaney's storytelling proficiency shines through in the fast-paced plot, and his ability to maintain tension and suspense is commendable.

Additionally, the novel's premise offers a satisfying mix of espionage, espionage, and revenge, making it a compelling choice for fans of action-driven narratives. If you're in the mood for a thrill ride with a somewhat predictable but nonetheless captivating plot, "Relentless" will deliver on that front.

In conclusion, "Relentless" by Mark Greaney is a decent addition to the action thriller genre, providing an ample supply of heart-stopping moments. While the writing may not reach the heights of some of the genre's finest, the novel's relentless action will keep readers engaged throughout. If you're in the mood for a fast-paced, action-packed story and can overlook some of the writing's shortcomings, this book may scratch that particular itch.

Greaney’s Court Gentry Gray Man series is a fast-paced black ops espionage thriller series which features an undefeatable hero who sometimes is a deniable asset for the CIA and sometimes is on his own being hunted. However, this the tenth volume of the series shows a Gentry who appears imminently defeatable, having never fully recovered from a knife-in-the-shoulder wound and unable to be given time to heal properly. He is not at his best and needs constant IV treatments for a bone infection.

This story takes place across the world with so many groupings of operators that it is at first hard to keep them straight. Eventually, you understand who the bad guys are (anyone Gentry is facing off with) and the excitement grows. The plotting in this particular novel is not as tight or as easy to follow as in other novels in the series, but stick with it. Something will make sense in the end.

It opens with an adventure in Caracas and often segues to the Persian Gulf, but the main theater of operations here is Berlin and, before the end of the novel, Berlin might just look like more of a war zone than a modern West European capital.

It's hard to keep a series like the Gray Man revving—the past couple of installments have sputtered at times. This one tackles that problem head on. Court's not Superman, or even Jack Reacher. He's human. OK, he's clearly the sort of fantastical super-spy human who exists only in books and movies, but at least the illusion of humanity peeks through now and again.

In the 10th book in the series, Mark Greaney continues to put his assassin, Court Gentry aka the Gray Man, through all kinds of trouble and bodily harm (that man's body must be covered with scars by now) all over the world. The Gray Man has a heart and a conscience that complicates his tasks further as he will only take on targets that deserve getting killed.
The development from pure singleton operator with CIA kill squads on his heels to a team player in the Poison Apple trio with Zach Hightower and Zoya Zakharova is working really well - both for the Gray Man and for me as a dedicated fan of the series, as it has added new dimensions of personality and energy to the stories.
Fans will not be disappointed by this addition to the series. Newcomers to the series should put this book back on the shelf and start from the beginning - there is simply too much background carried over from book to book to just drop into the series in medias res.

I love everything about The Gray Man series.
This book is no different. It’s spectacular from start finish
I am terribly bad at reviews. I can never think of words or ways to do justice to this wonderful author.
Just to say read it. Just read it..

Relentless sends the reader into the lives of intelligence work and the motivations and real dangers these men and women must encounter. The Gray Man is amazing. You will love his relationship with Zoya, Zack and Hanley and be on edge with them as they unravel and out perform the enemy.
This book takes us behind the scenes and is a first rate thriller!

Relentless by Mark Greaney is the 10th novel in The Grey Man Series. Each of the books in the series can be read as a stand-alone novel, so it is possible to jump right into this book. To be honest, I am not a great fan of "shoot em up" thrillers. Although, I can understand why these books are page turners from the 1st paragraph. Mr. Greaney knows his readers well. The Grey Man is Court Gentry, who is a contract assassin with a conscious. He only removes from the playing field bad guys. In this novel, at least three other assassin groups are attempting to kill him off.
I listened to an interview with Mr. Greaney and he sees his main character as someone between Jason Borne. And John McLain. Like both of these characters, he gets shot, knifed, punched and falls into glass and with these mere flesh wounds, he is still able to shoot the bad guys in the right eye socket! So, a great novel for readers who like thrillers that leave the reader aching and panting.

Relentless is the latest book in Mark Greaney’s The Gray Man Series. Although I have not read all the books in the series, I have not been disappointed by the ones that I have read. Consequently, you don’t have to read all of the other books in the series to enjoy this one or any of the others based on my experience. The author always does a great job of providing enough background from the previous books so you never feel lost.

In this book, we find Courtland Gentry aka The Gray Man laid up in an off-book CIA hospital trying to heal from a previous mission that almost killed him. Unfortunately, there is always another threat that needs to be eliminated so Court has to go off on his next mission at 50% of his strength. That mission eventually leads him to provide backup for his love interest and fellow spy Zoya Zakharova code name Anthem. Anthem has her hands full infiltrating another covert operation while trying to stay off the radar of assassins from her home country. To up the ante, the third member of their spy guild, Zack Hightower aka Romantic has been captured due to some high-tech surveillance program that can identify spies. Needless to say, all three of these Poison Apples come together to try and take down a terrorist organization whose leader has some unexpected ties to the CIA. There’s a lot more to it than that but any more information would ruin it.

There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about Relentless. It was action-packed, funny, and kept me on the edge of my seat. The Gray Man is legendary but he consistently shows that he is very much human. He gets blown up, stabbed, shot, beat up, etc. You name it, it happens to him. No matter what, he just doesn’t stop. As the title says, The Gray Man is relentless and I can’t wait for the next book.

**Received a copy from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed.**

Published by Berkley on February 16, 2021

Action thrillers with shootouts and fist fights and Middle Eastern terrorists usually range in quality from mediocre to bad. Mark Greaney’s novels are a happy exception. He’s produced ten Gray Man novels since 2009. The protagonist, Court Gentry, hasn’t changed much over the course of the series — apart from falling in love and stressing about feeling vulnerable because of it — but Gentry doesn’t really need to change. He’s an action hero. His job is to save the world and to entertain readers while he works. Thanks to Greaney’s ability to link action scenes together like cars on a runaway train, Relentless is another thrill ride.

Gentry starts the novel in a hospital bed, recovering from stab wounds and a nasty infection. That doesn’t stop the CIA’s DDO, Matt Hanley, from giving him a new assignment after being assured that Gentry might live for at least a week if he’s unplugged from his IV. Gentry is an off-the-books deniable asset, one of a few who are pressed into Hanley’s service when he doesn’t want an operation to leave American footprints. Another off-the-books asset, Zack Hightower, went to Venezuela to interrogate Clark Drummond, an NSA computer scientist who left his job, taking with him a database of every spy in the world and new facial recognition software that will tag the spies whenever they are captured by a camera. Unfortunately, Hightower was tagged by the software so it’s Gentry’s turn to track down Drummond.

A couple of gun battles later, the task is finished, but not before Gentry discovers that he’s not the only person looking for Drummond. An elite team of mercenaries working for an Israeli-owned company has been hired by the United Arab Emirates. They confront Gentry in Venezuela, not quite knowing why Gentry is there. They’re soon chasing Gentry around the globe as their mission expands.

Speaking of mercenaries, Gentry’s girlfriend, Zoya Zakharova, a former Russian spy and another of Hanley’s deniable assets, has infiltrated Shrike Group, a mysterious company that has recruited operatives from espionage agencies around the world. She begins working on a project that monitors Iranian activities in the EU. Zoya assumes that the client is Israel but Shrike doesn’t let its employees know anything about its clients. We eventually learn that any assumptions made about Shrike and its clients are likely to be false.

That setup all occurs early in the story. Greaney throws a lot of information at the reader before going turning the action up to 11. Gentry learns that Zoya has likely been outed to her former Russian masters so he goes to Berlin to watch her back. What seems to be an Iranian plot to attack the American embassy in Berlin sets the stage for a more sinister plot by someone who isn’t technically an American enemy. Gentry and Zoya team up, eventually bringing Hightower back into the story, and chapters are filled with flying bullets and exploding drones as our improbably unkillable heroes take on an army of terrorists and mercenaries.

I appreciate the fact that in most of these novels, Gentry is fairly apolitical. He goes after bad guys without demonizing them because of their nationality. He avoids killing innocent people because he doesn’t see humans as collateral who can morally be sacrificed as part of a risk assessment. He trades quips with Hightower and worries that Zoya, who appreciates fine art, is too good for him. In short, at least in recent books, there’s no reason not to like Gentry. That makes it easy for an action novel fan to like the Gray Man books, regardless of the reader’s politics.

Gentry’s career has gone through an evolution, from agent to outlaw who was unfairly hunted by his agency to independent contractor. The end of the novel changes his life again. It’s good to keep a series fresh and, so far, the Gray Man series shows no signs of growing stale.

RECOMMENDED

Relentless was a great read. I've read and liked all of the Gray Man series, and Relentless was probably my favorite. There were too many twists and turns to count. And so many villains. It was very fast paced and left me waiting for the next one. Thank you NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in return for my review.

Another excellent espionage thriller from Mark Greaney. I have enjoyed all the books in the Gray Man series and although this one can be read as a standalone, it moves the story and the relationships forward. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. An action packed thriller with great characters and unexpected twists. Highly recommended

Book Review - Mark Greaney’s 10th Gray Man novel is nothing more than a solid action-packed adventure with lots of espionage intrigue, the usual series suspects, plus plenty of new antagonists, and a really good setup for the next Gray Man installment. Relentless also had some nice progression in Court Gentry’s character without changing the overall tone of the series. While reading/listening to Greaney’s Gray Man series, I savor every word in every chapter. It’s like watching an action movie in your mind. I can’t put the books down nor stop listening to the audiobooks with Jay Synder as the narrator. Greaney’s writing takes you along in vivid HD color with every word! He creates a virtual story in your head and you can’t stop until it’s finished. Relentless is another fast-pace Gray Man book that has a couple of different storylines intertwined. Yes there is significant action, and also strategy and subterfuge (deceit & trickery) between multiple characters from several different countries. And Greaney does an excellent job in not making the multiple storylines too complex and difficult to follow. From Venezuela, Germany, Russia, and the Middle East, the overall story joins all the different characters together for a final and dramatic encounter in Berlin. As usual, Greaney’s research and spy-craft knowledge were very detailed and acutely accurate. And his character development of Court (especially after ten books), Zoya and Zack Hightower just keeps getting better with every new book. The epilogue was not that unexpected but the cliffhanger ending (in my opinion) definitely was. I am now left to patiently wait for Book 11 in the Gray Man series and I will do so anxiously!

Court Gentry, the Gray Man, is sent to recover an agent long thought dead. But his mission is interrupted by assassins who kill his quarry, and Court barely escapes the same fate.

When he learns that the woman he loves has been sent to infiltrate a shadowy agency that has been hiring agents gone missing, he follows to watch her back.

In true Mark Greaney fashion, this novel screams from action to action, presenting a complex and rewarding thriller. Recommended.

A strong Gray Man effort, but not his best. I give Greaney credit for trying new things and innovating. These books are all about action, place, and danger. The formula is reliable and satisfying for action novel devotees. In the past he tried a first person novel; the results weren't great. Here, it feels like there is more emphasis on intrigue and strategy, rather than on Gentry's action scenes. In fact, for the first half of the book I found myself wondering why there isn't more of Gentry? Greaney is no le Carre, but it is obvious he is trying to develop this series into more than pure adrenalin, and I credit him for that.

I enjoyed the book. Once Gentry got to be himself (almost, considering the medical issue that made me feel like this was a book about Superman under the influence of kryptonite), and the pace quickened, I found it to be as enjoyable as most of the other series books. If you're a Gray Man fan, you have to buy it. If you're thinking about diving into this landscape, start at the beginning and work your way here. You won't be disappointed.

It was good to see Hightower return, albeit as a somewhat defanged sidekick. Zoya is here as well, but her relationship with Cort is a weak point of the book. Okay -- killer secret agents have trust issues. I think that's plausible. But at some point we should see a real relationship develop -- why put Zoya in the books if you're not going to develop things in much more depth?

I recommend the book. It great escapism and pretty good action. You won't be disappointed.

RELENTLESS is the tenth book in the Gray Man series which continues to deliver action-packed, fascinating stories that are thrilling to read.

Mark Greaney once again, has written a book with an intricate plot that is a blast to read as you take in one twist after another.

In RELENTLESS the Poison Apple group of Court, Zoya and Zach are back working together much to the chagrin of the CIA.

It’s a non-stop action globetrotting thrill ride from Caracas to Berlin with more international stops along the way.

There are a lot of power plays, manipulation, and action! Highly recommend this book and the entire Gray Man series.

Another great novel in the Gray Man series; books that make you stay up late to finish them are the best! Looking forward to the next one already!

The moment I finished reading this novel (and right after updating my Goodreads) I looked up ALL nine previous titles in this series. The Gray Man, first in this series is being developed into a film, and pretty soon we’ll be watching it on the big screen! I highly recommend jumping on this bad wagon, you’ll get hooked right away!

This is a mystery filled with many characters, but not hard to keep track of, as the writing does an amazing job to keep the story flowing. The mystery behind disappearances, and the journey to find out answers. The plot twists kept me on my toes, when I realized, there’s twist after twist. All the action, and villains reminded me a lot of movies, and plots like that of Mission Impossible, and James Bond. Definitely check this out if these are some of your fave.

Court Gentry, the Gray Man, is a contract agent for the CIA who has become a legend in the field. Suffering from a life-threatening infection obtained from a knife wound, he heads to Berlin where fellow agent Zoya Zakharova is working under cover at Shrike, a private intelligence firm. Gentry has strong feelings for Zoya. While he has been forbidden from contacting her, he will provide backup, should she need it. Shrike has been providing surveillance on several Iranian sleeper agents for their client. Only Shrike’s owner has had contact with the client and Zoya is investigating the company’s actions and the client’s identity. While Shrike members speculate that he may be Israeli, he is actually Sultan al-Habsi, deputy director of intelligence for the UAE and the son of the Crown Prince. While presenting himself as an ally to the West, he is also orchestrating a terror attack that could lead to a war between the US and Iran.

As Court follows Zoya he is also avoiding mercenaries brought to Berlin by al-Habsi. A prior encounter with Court ended with the death of one of their members and they are seeking revenge. Zoya is also being hunted by an assassin sent by Russia. As a former SVR agent who defected, they either want her back to interrogate her or thy want her dead. Court and Zoya must work together if they want to survive and prevent a war.

Mark Greaney’s story provides edge of your seat thrills. His Court Gentry is relentless in his pursuit of the truth. While he is suffering and not in top form, he is still capable of handling whatever situation Greaney throws him into. This is the tenth Gray Man novel in the series and Court just keeps getting better with each one. Thriller fans are guaranteed a wild ride with Relentless. I would like to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for allowing my review of this book.

Mark Greaney is at the top of his game with Relentless. Court Gentry is brought back from a hospital bed to help out his old buddy Zach Hightower and his new love of his life Zoya Zakharova. This book is non stop action from start to finish. Just as you think you know it all in this book, Mark drops a bombshell at the end of the book and leaves the reader wishing for more. Without getting into too many more details this book is the best Mark has ever written and I for one cannot wait until he writes another one! If you have enjoyed the previous Gray Man books you will devour this one!

Referred to as The Gray Man, Court Gentry, is an undercover operative for the CIA. He is so undercover that most of the CIA do not even know about it. He along with Zoya and Zack create a task force of three whose job it is to tackle those things that the CIA can deny having any knowledge about. Desperately sick and needing constant IVs and medical care due to a severe infection, Court is called upon by his "boss" to return to the field immediately even though his doctor strongly advises against it. Zoya is in Berlin undercover and Zack is missing so that leaves the job up to him. Non-stop action make all of these amazing books in the Gray Man series a great read for anyone who likes thriller, action-adventure and mystery books. Thank you Net Galley, Berkley Publishing Group and Mark Greaney for the ARC of this e-book to read in exchange for an honest review.