The Chaos Agent

Mark Greaney brings together a contemporary topic, diverse characters, multiple settings, and plenty of action in the thirteenth novel in the Gray Man series. In this latest book artificial intelligence leads to a shocking and alarming scenario.

Someone is killing the world’s leading experts on artificial intelligence and robotics. Is it a tech company eliminating the competition, a country intent on military superiority, or something even more ominous?

The Gray Man – Court Gentry and Zoya Zakharova have assumed new identities and are living together in Guatemala. Both have governments and individuals as their enemies and are trying to keep a low profile. Unfortunately, that is about to change. They’re tracked down and offered a job by an acquaintance of Zoya’s. Despite rejecting the offer, being seen with him is enough to have assassins pursue them. On the run they realize that whoever wants them dead seems to be one step ahead of them. It’s time to fight back.

Court, a former CIA operative, is drawn to danger, misses making an impact, and suffers from insomnia. Zoya is motivated by causes and mainly wants to survive. There are a host of additional characters, but it was easy to keep track of them. Readers get various points of view throughout the novel with the initial chapters introducing many of them and their situations.

Greaney is an excellent storyteller who kept me on the edge of my seat with gripping scenes, action, a superb plot, and fantastic writing. In preparation for this series, he not only traveled to multiple countries but trained extensively in the use of firearms, battlefield medicine, and close-range combative tactics. The dynamic plot came alive and felt all too possible with real-world issues around artificial intelligence incorporated into the story highlighting the societal and political differences.

A constant sense of urgency, a state of uneasiness, and lots of action combined with great characters and a well-written plot make this suspenseful novel a must read. My only quibble was one aspect of the ending. However, this undoubtedly sets the stage for the next book in the series. Themes include artificial intelligence, deception, trust, industrial espionage, violence, differing political and social ideologies, murder, and much more.

Overall, this is a gripping, gritty, and chilling story with complex characters. It’s intense and dramatic and kept this reader turning the pages. I recommend this series to those who like political, action, and military thrillers. While this series is best read in order to fully understand the backstories of the main characters, this one worked as a standalone novel for me.

Berkley Publishing Group and Mark Greaney provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for February 20, 2023.