Burner (Gray Man)

Product Information

Burner is exactly that: A burner. Since this is Greaney's 12th Gray Man novel that means I have said "this is my favorite Gray Man novel" twelve times. Greaney always gives us interesting plots, incredible action, humor and intelligence are all hallmarks of his.. In Burner, Greaney takes the Russian invasion and shows us an outcome that would be disastrous, but entirely plausible. It’s a shame there isn’t more non-fiction around in the espionage genre. After all, real spy thrillers can be just as fast and furious as Mark Greaney’s Gray Man and the Burner. However, they don’t have to be as placid as John le Carré’s novels and shrouded in delicate diction and sophisticated syntax. This was... fine, but far from one of my favourites in the series. Maybe it was the fever curtailing my attention span, but this felt like it dragged on for entirely too long. And of course, I've never been all that great a fan of Zoya or the romance subplot that just won't die...

Burner by Mark Greaney feels like an impressive ode to spy craft in the midst of an absolutely captivating & thrilling tale. Greaney is masterly at writing action, with scenes like a car chase on a winding, hilly road in Saint Lucia coming alive in cinematic fashion. An epic gun battle on a train is so prolonged, it’s actually exhausting, involving as it does submachine guns, broken glass and mayonnaise. While Court is playing real-life battleship, over in Zurich, a man named Alex Velesky steals records from the Swiss Bank he works for and meets with Russian financial advisor Igor Krupkin. Hellbent on dealing a blow to Russia after losing his son in the war against Ukraine, Krupkin wants Velesky to deliver damaging info detailing major Russian conspiracies to two separate sources. The banker agrees, not knowing just how many people are desperate to get their hands on that info—or how far the Kremlin is willing to go to make sure that never happens. Alex Velesky is about to discover that the hard way. He's stolen records from the Swiss bank that employs him, thinking that he'll uncover a criminal conspiracy. But he soon finds that he's tapped into the mother lode of corruption. Before he knows it, he's being hunted by everyone from the Russian mafia to the CIA.Coming in innocent to the series, I first met Court in the Caribbean, where he was engaged in blowing up ships hidden in the islands by Russian oligarchs. In a timely bit of parallel history, Russia and Ukraine are central to “Burner,” as a Ukrainian-born banker who has inside information about Russian money being funneled to the West is determined to expose the scheme, no matter the personal peril. So I started the book in a way that even I didn’t expect, at the beginning of the story they have gone their separate ways and each is the worse for it. It soon becomes clear that the only thing that may ease their pain is some field work, but with these two, pain has a tendency to increase not decrease. Greaney is fantastic at writing action and once he starts he seldom lets up. Court seldom has a chance to catch a breath. The fight on the high speed train will have you gasping for breath - it never lets up. Strap in and hang on tight . . . Mark Greaney delivers another heat-seeking thrill ride that’s not to be missed.

Strap in and hang on tight . . . Mark Greaney delivers another heat-seeking thrill ride that’s not to be missed.”— The Real Book Spy Wow, Greaney really can’t miss when it comes to the Gray Man books. Burner was another exceptional novel that had me hooked from the very beginning all the way to the final, devastating encounter. The blend of exceptionally written action scenes, spy thriller elements, complex characters and the utilisation of contemporary issues makes Burner really stand out, even alongside the other epic Gray Man books. This was another easy five-star rating from me as Greaney once again shows why he is currently leading the spy thriller genre. This series is not only getting better with every new addition, but it somehow continues to show us Alex Veleskey has stolen records from his employer, a notorious Swiss bank, hoping to expose a massive corruption. He didn't count on so many people wanted to keep the records hidden. Court Gentry, the Gray Man, may be the only person able to keep him and the data out of the wrong hands."However, the Russians aren’t the only people interested in the data, as the CIA wants to claim it for themselves. Determined to keep their interest in it quiet, the CIA reach out to Court Gentry, the Gray Man, to capture Velesky before the Russians do. However, Court is unaware of the full significance of the data he is reclaiming, and that he will have to compete against the love of his life, Zoya. Soon caught between the competing interests of the CIA and Russian intelligence, Court and Zoya decide to work together to keep Velesky alive. But with the dangerous data revealing dark dealings in the highest levels of government, can even these two legendary spies survive? Ben Coes, New York Times bestselling author of international espionage thrillers featuring Dewey Andreas

It has It's been a long time since I have read a book in International espionage/ CIA thriller genre. Huge thank you to #TinaJoell at Penguin Random House for asking me to be on this tour for the new #grayman book and my ARC of #Burner . This was my first Gray Man novel, but it won’t be my last. This was a fun fast paced action suspense thriller. The writing style is fantastic and can’t be missed. Its well-researched and very vividly done so you feel like you are right there. I fell that the main character, Court, was also well done. The amount of emotional depth that was shown in his character was phenomenal and thoroughly thought out. Gentry's extracurricular activities do not make a lot of headlines, but they do put him in the eyes of the intelligence community once again and he is somehow roped into a new operation where information about Russian money laundering to operatives in the West has been revealed in an electronic storage device. Everyone wants that device. And Gentry is going up against the best assassins the Russians have to get it. What's more his old flame Zoya has resurfaced (although not in the best condition) an is involved in seeking it on behalf of someone. I do like the John Gilstrap 'Jonathan Graves' series and find it great fun. Gilstrap is clearly having fun and preposterous is expected and delivered. The 'Gray Man' series has slid into a similar series, but not as well done as Gilstrap's. Part of that is the ability of reading Gilstrap's bit of tongue in cheek efforts. Also, Gilstrap's situations fit better than the ones written in this. The finale in 'Burner' is clunky due to taking itself too seriously. Oh, and the character that I have come to dislike so greatly......well, I have total faith in Mr. Greaney in that aspect as well.

Member Reviews

This is not a spoiler. I’m only on chapter 23 (out of 73 chapters) so there is still lots to come in this book. I just had to get it out there once I saw her name. I have no problems saying that I HOPE (man oh man do I hope) that this is the book where she finally gets what she deserves. I’ve been waiting SO patiently…… But the only man who can put the information together and share it with the world is 4000 miles away in New York City. There’s no way a Swiss banker like Velesky can hope to stay ahead of the killers on his trail for that long.

Did you see the Gray Man movie on Netflix? That should give you some idea of the flavor of a Gray Man novel. This one feels like old-school Ludlum - Corruption at the highest levels, multiple countries, innocents hoping to do the right thing and an operative just trying to stay alive. It is easy to see why Netflix chose to make a movie from the first book since the twelfth book in the series is full of explosions, shootouts and the main characters barely making it out of situations alive . But Greaney doesn’t skimp on character development either, and I appreciated that three major characters are women, all quite different from one another. Court is a solid, appealing hero, sensitive enough to admit his loneliness and brutal enough to kill those who need killing. I like to think that Court has changed as the years have gone by. He started as a steely killer. Since then he’s been a member of a team, a CIA officer, an unofficial Agency asset, even a bodyguard. He’s a smart guy—he has to be to have lived this long—but he’s not always right. He frequently finds himself in over his head in various situations, but he always finds a way out. That's a problem for tomorrow. Today they need to keep him and themselves alive. Right now, it's not looking good.There are some consistency issues in this book. The Brewer character is altered from earlier books to fit the plot. Court Gentry has been de-aged a few years. There are also plot holes, but the pace of the book rips past, and are easily missed. To me, Mr. Greaney has already done a fabulous job of creating a character in Court that is such a contradiction. What a dichotomy. He is definitely lethal; in fact, he is arguably one of the most dangerous men on the planet. Yet, he is also so unbelievably good. Good in a way that is hard to explain unless you have been on this journey with Court for the many, many books in this collection. And now.....I'm just thrilled for the "possibility" of Court and Zoya and I can honestly say that my fingers (and toes) are crossed for these two crazy kids :)