Court Gentry in a mercenary activity in India prior to becoming the gray man. Writng style (alternating chapters and timelines) is off-putting. ( )

Sierra Six is a worthwhile addition to Mark Greaney’s Gray Man Series, but his decision to use a two-books-in-one format is disappointing. It’s a shame this 511-page novel wasn’t released as two separate books.

One plot follows the assignment of Court Gentry (aka, the Gray Man) to a six-member CIA action team. Gentry has been working as a lone operator (i.e., assassin) and has no experience operating in a group. He is coerced to accept the assignment against his will. The feeling is mutual. The five-member action team doesn’t want an inexperienced lone operator as a member. An early mistake by Gentry during a terrorist raid increases the team’s hostility toward Gentry and his unhappiness with his present situation.

The second story occurs twelve years later. Gentry, now known as the Gray Man, is a lone operator pursued by the CIA and international police agencies. Twelve years ago, the Sierra Action Team thwarted a terrorist’s mass murder plan. The CIA concluded the master terrorist who planned the raid died in a helicopter crash. Instead, he survived and spent the last twelve years crafting a plan to detonate a dirty bomb in a large Asian city.

Both stories are worth reading, but my reading pleasure was diminished considerably by the interleaving of the stories. I turned the page every few chapters, anticipating the continuation of the gripping story I was reading, only to find it was set aside for another segment of the alternate account. Readers who find this approach off-putting could first consider reading the earlier (“TWELVE YEARS AGO”) story. Then, return to the beginning of the book to read the later (“PRESENT DAY”) story.

Both stories are intricately plotted with intriguing twists and turns and well-crafted action scenes that have made the “Gray Man” series a bestseller. Even with the irritating interleaving of two plot lines, the stories (and book) are worth your time. ( )

this is one case where the movie is definitely better than the book. This is a superhero who is not overly clever, or, apparently, talented, except in markmanship. The plotting is plodding. ( )

Sierra Six is the next entry in the Gray Man series and I really enjoyed this one, far more than the previous entry, probably because I finally got to learn more about Court Gentry's past and how he became involved in the program. And while I have become disenchanted with dual story lines lately, this one worked rather well and was actually necessary in order to understand the present day circumstances in which Court finds himself implicated.

While I don't think this was my favourite Gray Man novel at this point, it was still entertaining. As mentioned above, I do think the dual story line worked rather well, and I actually found the earlier one to be rather more interesting than the present-day one as I was fascinated by Court's learning process and his integration into the 'team'. Both story lines also had really good action scenes where I was literally flipping the pages, detailed descriptions which made me feel like I was right in the midst of the action, and some good moments between the characters that actually became rather emotional, something that I find lacking in some thriller novels. And I am always happy to have Zach Hightower in any shape or form so it was fun to learn more about his and Court's early days and how they interacted. I do wish the author would develop the female characters a bit more in his novels however; I think it's time for some bad-ass female characters to make an appearance who are not necessarily evil or sketchy. And I do think it's time for Court to wrangle with Susanne Brewer; I've been looking forward to that book for a long time.

I have always enjoyed Court as a main character and over the course of the series, he has definitely grown a lot. It was a lot of fun to learn more about his early days and some of the mistakes he made trying to fit in as a team member rather than work solo. The author makes no punches when it comes to the fact that Court is guided by his own moral compass, and make his decisions because of that compass, having little to do with anyone else. It is always interesting to see him flip at a moment's notice from this kind and attentive person to a killing machine with one goal in mind, his target, at a moment's notice, and I always look forward to those moments when it happens as the author is so skilled at doing it. This is where Greaney is at his best, writing those action scenes where Court is hunting down and doing what he needs to do to get the job done.

Verdict
Sierra Six is a solid entry in the Gray Man series. It's fast-paced, action-packed, and weaves Court's early days in to the present day rather seamlessly as it explores the effects of earlier missions on present-day activities. While I do think some of it could have been edited for a tighter story, it was still a fun and interesting read, and I liked learning more about Court, what makes him who he is. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series, and recommend it to anyone interested in the thriller genre. ( )

The story line was interesting, however the execution of it was poorly done for those accustomed to a linear story. For whatever reason, Greaney decided a book that alternated every chapter from 'Present Day' to '12 years ago' was the best way to tell the tale.

I found it off-putting and annoying. I prefer reading books set in the conventional linear fashion. For this reason I could only give this novel a rating of 2 stars. ( )