“Back Blast” by Mark Greaney – Homecoming: Search for Deadly Answers
However, the fateful day came when a mission was to be his last; a mysterious and sudden betrayal left him disgraced, with the agency putting a “kill on sight” order on him. This led to the birth of a ruthless and feared international assassin, known only as the “Gray Man”.
Court worked for himself for many years, but decided that living with the truth obscured by thick shadows wasn't an option. And so he returns back to Washington, hoping to uncover the whole truth about his last mission, who betrayed him and why.
Needless to say, the “kill on sight” order still stands very strong... but that doesn't deter him from setting off to interrogate a list of men responsible in one way or another for the mission. There is, however, a hidden danger that Court hasn't realized: the consequences brought on by the mission are far from being over or forgotten.
There are many people tied to the thing, and they would much rather keep a lid on the operation and the questions it gave birth... for they will do anything to prevent their powerful secret from being spilled out into the open. With the sights set on him, Court must evade the killers on his trail while going on his own hunt, for the truth that can never be kept from men like him.
Even though this is the fifth novel in the series, it is not necessary to have read the previous ones to understand or enjoy it. As it happens, the author does a very skillful job at catching the reader up on what's been happening, and dedicates this book to the full unveiling of an enigma that has persisted throughout the series, that of the infamous Gray Man, assassin extraordinaire.
As you might imagine, this thriller is a kind of “go-for-broke” ride that moves along at a quite a rapid pace, spending the bulk of its focus on the action rather than the character development, which is still present but not prominently at all.
And that's a good thing, because in this kind of novel slowing down the action too much can kill the tempo and be rather infuriating, a pitfall Greaney masterfully avoids with a pacing that flows smoothly and never feels abrupt.
With Gentry being the best spy the CIA ever had, you can expect more than a few extraordinary displays of skill in impossible situations from him. The action sequences make you feel like you're sitting on pins and needles, and despite his tremendous abilities Gentry often comes up against brutal challenges he escapes from by the skin of his teeth.
The vivid and precise way in which the author describes these scenes really contributes to making this novel a page-turner that becomes hard to put down... there is always something fresh and exciting hiding perhaps a few pages, or perhaps a few sentences away.
The story itself, while not exactly presenting any innovating strokes, is a very solid vehicle for the thrills and the action. There are elements of constant danger, suspense and mystery, all balanced perfectly to make for a solid plot without holes and a few good twists.
Though it is true that a few turns of events are somewhat predictable, it only comes with the territory when we're talking about the thriller genre, saturated to the brim with espionage stories.
This is definitely the kind of book you can accidentally read through in a sitting with the pages practically turning themselves... a real delight that will please all those who are into spying, conspiracy and assassination thrillers.
 | Mark GreaneyPersonal site Mark Greaney is the best-selling standalone author and co-author to numerous Tom Clancy novels. He made his debut with The Gray Man, instantly becoming a crowd favorite and spawning a series that is still going strong. His most well-known work as a co-author to Clancy is undoubtedly Threat Vector |
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