I just finished listening to Jeffrey Marcus Oshins’ political thriller, The Gray Anarchist. I want to thank Deep Six Publishers, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks, the author and NetGalley for an ARC in return for my unbiased honest review.

I loved the voice acting by Will Ripley, he did a great job in creating the characters in the story. Even when the story dragged, which was often, Ripley kept me engaged with his creative style.

I found the book farfetched and skimpy on details in many places and at other places I just had to say WHY? Why the whole BSMD bit?, it didn’t really add to the story other than a throw away line at the end of the book.

I hope to god the intelligence agencies are not as inept as they are presented in this story.

Will Ripley did an excellent job with this narration. His voice and cadence were pleasant There was a singing portion and instead of speaking it, like so many other narrators have been doing, he sang it, which always adds to the performance. Both feminine and masculine voices were well done.
This feels like the first book in a series. While I don't normally read a lot of political thrillers, I'm glad I chose this to give a listen. Being a Stephen King fan, I love detailed writing so you can fully develop the picture in your mind's eye. The biggest drawback was that the ending seemed rushed. After all the details in most of the book, the last 30 minutes seemed like they had hit their deadline and didn't have time to finish fleshing it out. I feel this is a strong start and would pick up book two.

Thank you @netgalley and Jeffrey Marcus Oshins for this free  audiobook.
I don't read a lot of  political thrillers,  but this one did not disappoint.   It reminded me a bit of the Netflix series Scandal, although it had a different storyline it still had some of the same political thriller/drama elements. I could definitely see this book made into a movie or miniseries.

It is a captivating,  intriguing plot - a page turner for sure.  The narration was well done.  The author's background in politics and national security. No doubt made this book's narrative more realistic, and it is eerily timely.

Tbo it wasn’t a bad book my biggest complaint was it read like a case file it tells you what happens and who who said what but it was very hard for me to picture what was going on I get I don’t need every detail but at the same time how am I supposed to know the world ur in and what ur seeing


Besides that all in all it wasn’t a bad book it had a grate storyline and plot and quite a bit of action

Audio Book Review - Will Ripley offers a great performance for this book. Something out of my comfort zone, the delivery makes this tale fly through and creates a clever and sinister piece of literature which had me hooked. Definitely worth the time

I just finished The Gray Anarchist An Intriguing Political Thriller by Jeffrey Marcus Oshins and here are my musings.

Senator Allen Hansen, a principled politician, is fighting for reelection… There is a bill. A controversial bill granting powers to the FBI that will allow them to breach the privacy of USA citizens without cause. He stands against the corrupt president and the battle is on between them.

I don’t read many political thrillers because I find that authors tend to politically lean one way or the other and it shows in the writing and that irritates me no end but this book really caught my attention and I had to read it.

The audiobook was excellent!! I really enjoyed the narrator! They did an excellent job of bringing the excitement to life.

The book covers multiple POV with intersecting timelines… I think if I was reading the book, I may have gotten lost but the audio helped keep what was what straight in my head. The character development was probably the only part that fell a little flat! I don’t think anyone was as defined as I like but honestly there was enough of a plot and it moved at a consistent pace that it wasn’t a deal breaker in how much I enjoyed the book.

It would make a great movie!

4 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and Deep six publishers for my gifted ALC

Fans of political thrillers may want to consider picking up The Gray Anarchist, a novel by Jeffrey Marcus Oshins, who is a national security consultant with years of experience on the staff of the national security of Congress. The novel jumps out to readers with running speed, involving politics, murder, espionage, and environmental activism.

While the story is good, there is enough sexual innuendo as well as profanity to turn off most readers who like to sit back and enjoy a good story without having to wince at smut. Most readers with morals won’t want to finish this book, even though the story is full of twists and turns, as well as building suspense. Almost everyone knows that politicians are crooked and will do anything to justify power and money that they can get. Oshins does a fairly good job of developing his characters, but none are particularly likeable and this reader didn’t really care what happened to any of them. The way that things were covered up as a matter of course points out what is happening today with modern politics.

All told, this book is smut, and will appeal to those who would rather read about sex with plenty of profanity instead of a well-written story that doesn’t use those two points in lieu of thoughtful words. This book is definitely not recommended, at least in circles that are decent.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Thank you to Deep Six Publishers, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks, the author and NetGalley for an LRC in return for an honest review

I had high hopes going into The Gray Anarchist, especially knowing that author Jeffrey Marcus Oshins has a serious political résumé, with experience in national security, congressional work, and presidential campaigns. With that kind of background, I expected a sharp, authentic political thriller. Instead, I found the story a bit boring, occasionally confusing, and unevenly executed.

Despite its high-stakes premise (a former eco-terrorist reemerges to sabotage a presidential candidate’s run) the book felt slow and flat. Some scenes lacked tension, and several plot threads just didn’t come together clearly. It tried to juggle too many ideas in too short a book: terrorism, political sabotage, media manipulation, surveillance, and even a scandal involving BDSM. As a result, none of these elements were explored in depth, and the story felt overstuffed and unfocused.

The BDSM subplot, in particular, felt cringeworthy and out of sync with the rest of the book. The dominatrix’s public statements were especially awkward — they came off like bad erotica lines dropped into a political drama, undermining the tone rather than adding complexity or shock value.

The President in the book, clearly modeled on Donald Trump, was another example of the book’s lack of subtlety. While I appreciated the physical description (the fake tan and panda eyes actually made me laugh), the character felt more like parody than pointed critique.

One issue worth noting for audiobook listeners: the paperback edition includes a helpful list of acronyms at the start of the book, which is missing from the audio version. Given the heavy use of government and intelligence terminology, this would’ve been useful to include in audio form or as a reference PDF. Without it, some parts were hard to follow.

The narration by Will Ripley, however, was solid — clear and well-paced. He kept things moving even when the story didn’t.

Overall, despite its promising premise and the author’s real-world political experience, The Gray Anarchist missed the mark for me — too much going on, not enough depth, and a tonal mismatch that made the whole thing feel off-kilter.

There are much better political thrillers out there. Personally I would recommend Jeffrey Archer. He is known for crafting slick, fast-paced political dramas with compelling characters and plenty of intrigue. Compared to The Gray Anarchist, Archer’s books often have tighter plots and more engaging storytelling.

#TheGrayAnarchist #NetGalley

The Gray Anarchist pulled me in at the beginning. I wasn’t sure what era I was in at first, which made the opening even more intriguing. The story draws you in with crime, political corruption, and betrayal, setting up a tangled web of motives and consequences.

What stood out most to me was how the plot followed different characters' POVs and they intersected at times. From flawed politicians, corrupt agents trying to do the right thing, and civilians caught in the middle, everyone had their own version of justice. The story keeps building as things escalate into violence, and it becomes harder to tell who the real enemy is until the very end. Even then, I don't think that the story offered clear-cut answers on who was right and wrong. Most every character lives in a space where right and wrong are constantly shifting, which I appreciated.

The narrator, Will Ripley, did a great job keeping things clear and engaging. His delivery gave the story momentum, and each character had enough vocal distinction to follow along easily. His voice matched the story well, making the audiobook more engaging for me.

The book moves at a constant pace and does a good job of balancing tension with sharp and sometimes humorous dialogue. I think the humorous dialogue/narration fits the characters well. The story can be intense, but it isn't overwhelming, and the different storylines come together in a way that feels earned. I will say the only criticism I have of the story is that those threads and escalations felt rushed at times but I still think the story delivers.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for an engaging political thriller with twists, flawed characters, and thought-provoking moments. I feel like any person reading/listening to this book will have different takeaways from the story and characters.

Thank you to Deep Six Publishers and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.

Political thrillers aren’t my typical genre, and I enjoyed the action and scheming. The pacing was good. I’m not familiar with this author, and this book read like a first dive into this genre with a lot of potential.

Two critiques: First, the multiple povs, even in third person, were a bit hard to follow at first and resulted in each individual character lacking depth. While I liked the length of the book, trying to pack that many characters into a short read proved a bit too ambitious. Second, the end seemed a bit rushed and loose ends either tied too quickly or not at all.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would read more by this author.

This was my first political thriller.

I think it would definitely appeal to people who enjoy the genre! It is a well written story, though I found it frustrating because I didn't like ANY of the characters. Which is a first for me, haha. I wasn't rooting for ANYONE in this book. It was filled with action and was very busy, much like action/spy movies! It would definitely make a movie, and one I'd watch!

The Gray Anarchist by Jeffrey Marcus Oshins

Thank you to NetGalley for my audio book. I’ve never read or listened to a political thriller before so when I saw it was available for listening, I thought I would give it a go.

Senator Alan Hansen is running for re-election but someone has instigated an investigation into his past as a college activist. His campaign manager Deirdre is trying all that she can to protect him from the press and the fall out that will accompany such allegations.

Running concurrently with Alan’s story is eco-terrorist, Lauren Bastini’s story. She is now 73 years old, living a secluded life but still committed to destroying US Government and large companies who she thinks is destroying the country with their anti-environmental ways. Lauren was the leader of the Oakland Four which was active during the time Alan was at college.

The story kept me engrossed while listening but I won’t be looking for another political thriller soon. If you enjoy politics and the behind-the-scenes action and all the many acronyms for the various departments, this is one to look for.

Well, that’s a wild ride. I will start by saying this is the first “political thriller” I’ve ever read. 100% not my kind of read. Although, this book did not change my mind, I do think people who enjoy the political thriller genre, would eat this one up. I don’t have a ton to say since it’s just not my jam so let’s do this book report style:

Negatives:
-I was about 18% into the book (audio) and I had to restart it. I was real confused on who was who. I re-read the jacket from a few different internet searches to make sure I knew what the book was about, then started over. This was helpful.
-The politics aren’t my jam. I had a hard time remembering who was the “good guy” and who wasn’t.
-Again, politics aren’t my jam. It was a bit of a refresher trying to remember different branches of government and I didn’t want to think like that in a book.

Positives:
-The narrator was perfect for this book. The narrator was listed as Will Ripley. He did the characters just fine and had excitement in his voice in all the right places. Since this was a thriller, it was a big ask.
-I loved the thrill. 100% finished the book only to see how it ended and if the world was going be destroyed.
-I think this book was relatable, given how our government has behaved the last 20 years…..

All in all, if you love the genre, grab this one!
Thank you NetGalley for the read! Although it wasn’t my style, I actually enjoyed the ride.

The Gray Anarchist by Jeffrey Marcus Oshins is an ambitious and complex novel, but ultimately, it didn’t quite work for me. From the first few pages, it felt like being dropped into the middle of a story without much grounding—characters, context, and motivations all seemed to unfold without enough setup, making it hard to connect or fully engage.

That said, Oshins clearly has a strong voice and an intricate world in mind. Readers who enjoy nonlinear storytelling or diving headfirst into layered narratives may find this style intriguing. For me, though, it lacked the accessibility and emotional anchor I look for in a novel.

It’s not a bad book—just not my type. Fans of dense political or philosophical fiction might appreciate what The Gray Anarchist is trying to do more than I did.

A vindictive US President wants his bill to pass (sound familiar?). It would give unprecedented powers to the FBI to collect data on US citizens. One senator who opposes the bill is targeted by the President (sound familiar?). A sealed record is uncovered about the senator’s past, potentially or naively abetting an eco-terrorist group. Members of that group are not yet finished with implementing the group’s agenda. Oh and the senator has a rock star of a chief of staff…and of course he is sleeping with her. In other words, this was a busy, confusing story with mostly unlikeable characters and lots of action, pulled from the headlines. 3.4 rounded down.
My thanks to the author, @DeepSixPublishers, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook #TheGrayAnarchist for review purposes.