By Mark Greaney
Court Gentry is The Gray Man, an assassin with a conscious. He's the guy who does what is "righteous" (in his mind) no matter how hard the CIA, his sometimes employer, directs him otherwise. A Gray Man novel is often is often a triangulated dance between the CIA directive, the bad guys, and Gentry, whose stubborn pursuit of what's "righteous" lands him in hot water with both criminals and the agency.
In One Minute Out, Court is "freelancing." He is tasked to take out a bad guy. By his own admission, Court "has been doing this long enough to know that sometimes plans go sideways," and it does when Court fails to pull the trigger on a clear shot -- or does it? Gentry's disdain for the criminal he is supposed to end leads him down a dark, twisted, and sinister path with hopes of a brighter light at the end.
Like the Gray Man, Mark Greaney is an man with a conscious. One Minute Out is a thriller with message. Greaney wants us to journey with Court through the underside of society so that we, like he, will do something about one of its ugly truths.
What I appreciate: Mark Greaney's story craft! The man can tell a story: Characters, complicated plot, suspense, action, tension, mystery, intrigue. It's all there and believable.
What I find amusing: Court Gentry's "code." If you are a bad guy and pursuing the Gray Man, he will slit your throat or put a bullet through your head without a second thought; but if a dog -- trained to kill -- is chasing him, he holds back. Gentry says, "I don't shoot dogs--ever!" Come on man! That kind of puppy love makes me wonder if this is just Greaney's attempt to please PETA?
