The Gray Man series is Mark Greaney’s 12-part book series. When The Gray Man came out in 2009, it became author Mark Greaney’s first published novel. Not only that, but it reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to become a national bestseller.
This series is about Court Gentry, also simultaneously known as the Gray Man. He works as a CIA operative turned internationally hired assassin who can always take down his target with little to no difficulty. When Gentry ends up being hunted, he must do what he must to survive… and this is just in book one!
In 2022, Netflix even made a movie from the first Gray Man book in the series. It starred Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas.
Currently, there are 11 books in the Gray Man series. The twelfth book, Burner, comes out on February 21st, 2023. This allows readers to catch up on the entire series before the next one is officially available. If you want to read the whole series, our list will guide you on the best order to read the Gray Man book series and give you all the information you need if you remain on the fence about the series.
All The Gray Man Books in Order (2023):
1. The Gray Man (2009)
The Gray Man is the first book in The Gray Man series. It centers around a man named Courtland Gentry, also known as the Gray Man.
He works as an assassin and is exceptionally good at what he does. When you work in such a dangerous field, you must ensure your skills are sharp and up to par. Gentry does this and always ensures he never misses when attacking his targets.
His life is unconventional, to say the least, but it works for Gentry. However, one day, Gentry finds himself the target of a man who has captured his handler, Sir Donald Fitzroy. Somehow, Gentry must rescue Fitzroy while avoiding Llyod, a man who wants him dead because of a personal grudge.
This first book in the series sets the tone for the rest of the books and keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
2. On Target (2010)
On Target is the second book in The Gray Man series that is just as action-packed as the debut novel.
It’s been around four years since Court Gentry, aka the Gray Man, was thrown to the wolves by his handlers in the CIA. His life is thrown into uncertainty when an old friend of his approaches him. This wouldn’t be such a problem if he didn’t think the man was dead.
After the shock wears off, his comrade sends him on a mission, one that he has no choice but to accept. It involves Gentry kidnapping someone, which is not something the dangerous assassin often uses his skills for. The job brings him face to face with people from his past, people Gentry would have been happy never to see again.
3. Ballistic (2011)
The third book in the Gray Man books in order, Ballistic, picks up some time where On Target left off. It focuses on what happened after Gentry was forced to take on that dangerous mission given to him by the CIA.
In an attempt to find some peace, Gentry ends up living in the Amazon rainforest. Just when it seems he may have found peace, his past comes knocking in the form of a Russian crime lord he has a history with.
He has no choice but to flee and tries to seek refuge with Eddie Gamboa, the last friend he has on this earth. When he finds him, Gentry discovers his friend is no longer of this world and has been murdered by the Mexican drug cartel. What makes this so terrible is that Eddie had tried for years to take them down, only to end up dead at their hands.
Once again, Gentry is forced to fight.
4. Dead Eye (2013)
Dead Eye shows us that revenge isn’t always what it is cracked up to be. Court Gentry seeks revenge on a former employer who has betrayed him. The problem is that by doing this, Gentry ends up putting himself in the crosshairs of a man named Russel Whitlock, codenamed Dead Eye.
He comes from the same program Gentry was once a part of, and now as a free agent, he has set his sights on Gentry. Dead Eye is determined to end Gentry’s life, and while Gentry is a skilled assassin in his own right, how can one fight someone with the same skills?
All Gentry can do is run from the dangerous man who knows exactly how he thinks and fights. Eventually, Dead Eye will find him and end this cat-and-mouse game once and for all.
5. Back Blast (2016)
The fifth entry in the Gray Man books in order, Back Blast, is set about five years after Gentry was put at the top of the kill list by the Agency, a group he once worked for. Since then, he’s become an assassin known as the Gray Man and has carved out a successful career for himself.
He wants to let the past go, but that’s easier said than done. After deciding he simply can’t let it go, Gentry tries to find out why the Agency wanted to kill him. He focuses his attention on the ones involved in his last mission, Operation Back Blast. If Gentry is going to get answers, then it is going to be found with those people.
The problem is, sometimes, the deeper you dig, the more secrets you uncover.
6. Gunmetal Gray (2017)
Gunmetal Gray is the sixth book in the Gray Man series and features a significant change. Gentry is now back working at the very same CIA that tried to off him over five years ago. His first mission back goes less than stellar, making him wish he had never come back.
When in Hong Kong, Gentry is attacked by two Chinese agents, which is strange because usually, the Chinese have a watch and don’t interact with foreign agents. He searches for answers and finds himself face to face with Donald Fitzroy, an old friend currently being held hostage by the Chinese.
Gentry’s old friend was hired to find Fan Jiang, someone who used to be involved in a secret computer warfare program. Now, for some reason, China wants him dead. The first two attempts to find the man come up empty, leading the Chinese to decide to supervise Fitzroy’s next attempt.
This is a problem for Gentry, who is also trying to find Fan Jiang and get his information back to the states.
7. Agent in Place (2018)
Agent in Place picks up where Gunmetal Gray ends. Gentry has finished the mission that marked his return to the CIA, and his next contract job seems to be pretty straightforward. All he has to do is kidnap Syrian dictator Ahmed Azzam’s mistress and get whatever intel she has.
He easily captures Bianca Medina, the mistress, and brings her straight to the rebels. It gets more complicated when Bianca tells Gentry that she had Ahmed Azzam’s son, which could be a problem when his wife gets wind of it.
Gentry soon has no choice but to help Bianca get her son out of Syria alive if he wants to get whatever intel she possesses. He has only a certain amount of time to accomplish this and what was supposed to be a simple contract ends up putting Gentry in a very unexpected situation.
8. Mission Critical (2019)
Mission Critical starts with Gentry aboard a CIA transport plane. All is going well when, out of nowhere, some security team brings a hooded man onto the plane. They try to kick Gentry off, but the CIA headquarters takes care of this and forces them to let him stay.
The man that was brought aboard is of utmost importance. He will be taken to the U.K., where the CIA and MI6 will question him about a mole in Langley. It seems straightforward enough, but when they land in the U.K., they are attacked, and the mysterious prisoner is taken!
Gentry is lucky enough to escape by the skin of his teeth. When the CIA sends him after the attackers, he finds himself faced with quite a difficult task.
9. One Minute Out (2020)
One Minute Out is the 9th book in the series that takes Court Gentry, aka The Grey Man, to Croatia, where he ends up stumbling upon a human trafficking ring.
What’s especially concerning is that the ring expands from the Balkans to California. Naturally, Gentry wants to take down the human trafficking ring. They are doing terrible things to people and should be stopped!
The issue is that the CIA doesn’t want Gentry to do anything of the sort. They tell Gentry to stand down for the time being because the man who is the ringleader of the human trafficking ring has information about a terrorist attack in the United States. So, until they get that information, nothing is to be done about the human trafficking ring.
10. Relentless (2021)
Relentless marks the tenth book in the Gray Man series, and it’s a thrilling read, just like the nine others that came before it.
Around the world, there are intelligence agents that are vanishing. Gentry finds himself forced to bring one of these agents in when, out of nowhere, they show up in Venezuela, of all places. It gets complicated when a group of assassins attacks. Luckily, Gentry comes out of it with his life and some important information.
At the same time this is happening, Zoya Zakharova is a fellow CIA agent who is infiltrating a private intelligence agency in Berlin. Through a series of events, Zoya and Gentry end up in each other’s lives, and both of them are concerned with all the intelligence agents that have gone missing.
What if one of them is next? The only way to stop it is to figure it out before that happens.
11. Sierra Six (2022)
Sierra Six is a book that delves a little into Court’s life in the past. It focuses on before Gentry was The Gray Man, a freelance assassin known for his incredible skill. Before he took this name, Court was a part of the Sierra Six and a junior member of a CIA action group.
The first mission involved the group taking out a terrorist leader. During the mission, a woman’s life is lost, a woman Gentry cared for very deeply. A few years later, he is again on a mission that starts like any other normal mission. When Gentry spots the terrorist one day, the same one who is supposed to be dead, he is filled with a myriad of emotions. One of these includes rage.
Gentry knows it’s been over ten years, but he wants the man to pay for the woman he lost. If he didn’t end his life, her death would have been for nothing.
12. Burner (2023)
Burner is the latest book in The Gray Man Series that is set to come out in February 2023. Court Gentry is still doing his thing. He has found a lover in the equally dangerous CIA agent, Zoya, and they see eye to eye. That is until a man named Alex Velesky comes into the picture.
Alex committed a big crime. He stole records from his employer, the Swiss bank, in an attempt to uncover some kind of criminal conspiracy. What he ended up doing was discovering a lot of corruption that had been going on. This leads to Alex being hunted by everyone, which includes the Russian Mafia to the CIA.
When Gentry and Zoya get wind of this, they want to capture him, but for different reasons. For once, they don’t agree on how to proceed. It’s a problem they will have to figure out later because, for the time being, they need to focus on keeping Alex and themselves alive. Too bad this is easier said than done!
Who is Mark Greaney?
So, who is Mark Greaney, exactly? You might wonder who is the author behind this phenomenally successful action series and we have you covered.
He is a best-selling author whose bibliography contains more than The Gray Man Series. He’s also been a part of writing seven Tom Clancy novels, even collaborating with him on three Jack Ryan novels.
Red Metal is another book published in 2009, and in 2022, Mark started the series Armored. His books have been published in two dozen languages, which is quite an accomplishment. In addition, Mark has also done a lot of research for his novels to ensure he gets all the details right. This included visiting Washington D.C., the Pentagon, and military bases, to name a few.
The author was born back in 1967 in Memphis, Tennessee. He went to school and got degrees in political science and international relations. He went on to become a writer, but if you consider the content of his books, these degrees helped with the writing process on some level.
When Mark isn’t researching or writing, he can be found at his home, located in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. He resides there with his wife, three children, and dogs named Mars, Ziggy, Winston, and Lobo.
FAQs:
How Many Gray Man Books Are There?
There are currently 11 published books in The Gray Man Series, with number 12 set to come out on February 21st, 2023.
What Book is the Gray Man Movie Based On?
The 2022 Netflix film focuses on the first book in the series.
Does Mark Greaney Have a New Book Coming Out Soon?
Burner, the next book in The Gray Man series, is due to be released in a little over a month, i.e., on February 21st, 2023.
Conclusion
If you are a fan of thriller novels, then The Gray Man series is one you must check out. The number of surprises, twists, and turns packed into this twelve-book series is beyond amazing. It’ll keep you on the edge of your seat and make it impossible to put the book down.
Remember, the twelfth book isn’t out yet, giving readers a long enough period to finish the first eleven before it is released. Best to make your decision before Burner officially comes out.
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