RELENTLESS

Relentless: Mark Greaney

When the book opens we meet Court Gentry after receiving a stab wound. He needs to take it slow for a while. But even though he is really hurt and should not go out on any ops or missions, he is forced to change directions. Not fit for any real duty. He is the CIA’s contract killer and rarely has any free time. His mission according to his boss, Matthew Hanley, Deputy Director for CIA Operations, he must go and another operative. This time it is Clark Drummond, is a former traitorous operative that Zack Hightower is trailing. Drummond is a former NSA computer scientist and in a was grabbed  in a marketplace in Caracas by thugs working for an intelligence service from Venezuela. Due to this failed operation, Mathew Henley decides to get Court to leave his hospital room recovering from a serious chest wound to finish the job. Not everything goes as planned and although court has a long  of culprits, including a group of American mercenaries  who sold to for a spy organization of the United Arab Emirates , things do not always go as planned.

This firm is comprised of several who go by different code names to be undetected. A rouge international intelligence firm, and a Russian super-agent who may be the only assassin strong enough or able to go hand to hand with Court. Keith Hulett whose code name is Hades is one mercenary who was in the U.S. Army Special Forces at one time. His boos go by the Code name Tarik, was deputy director of the signal intelligence agency, Unite Arab emirates son of the crown prince of UAD and the rule of Dubai. Is real name being Sultan aL-Habsi. Their role is to take out he target and collect the cash even if it means there are other casualties. These men are strictly concerned about the money and the deaths mean nothing to them.

His next stop is Berlin to deal with a horrible, coordinated attack on Americans there. Called the Violator, who is a killer with a heart, so he takes on work or missions that he feels area worthy. However, a sultan in the Unite Arab Emirates is trying to prove his worth to his father who is terminally ill. An Iranian Quds sleep agent plots chaos in Berlin.

Court is concerned about Zoya Zakharova, Code name Anthem, a former SVR, Russian Foreign intelligence Service, Office, Cia Contractor and part of the Poison Apple program. She is hoping to get into the Shrike International Group run by Rudolf Spangler, owner of the group and former executive, East German Ministry of State Security. Events get tangled and lives are at stake as Zoya’s time with this group is short lived as he is made. Spangler is dangerous and so are those related to him. Spangler is connected to the Sultan al-Habis, and he is SIA’s deputy director of operations gut her secretly runs the operation. When a serious player is killed by the name of Vahid Rajavi, a drone kills, this man was the original source. He has decent asses in Iraq. This man’s father is the crown prince, and he is extremely ill, and the crown prince’s successor might not be the Sultan unless he is finally in his father’s favor. When Court questions his boss about their connection to the Emirates what he shocks him as Hanley states that  the United States has a long-standing order at the Agency. Not just the CIA< all U.S. intelligence. The U.S> does not analyze intelligence collect on the UAE form our allies. As Court questions what makes the UAE special?

Court expounds by stating that he is the DDO, and he is just the person who pulls the trigger and wonders why he does not go to the President and relate that he picked up credible information from an outside source. Why don’t they expose what the UAE’s is up to without revealing how he picked up the intelligence from your own HUMINT operation? The answer will astound you.

Is al-Habsi the one orchestrating the plot and if so is he going to be their next target? Added in another player Haz Mirza might be working as a rogue agent for the SIA and not for Quds Force. The entire Shrike operation was to eliminate German informants about Mirza and to find  official  cover operatives for Iran in the city, and to create fake linkage between them and Mirza.

Added in Court is extremely ill and has an infection and requires antibiotics, drugs to stay awake and infusion treatments from Dr. Kaya on a regular basis. There are others that require their attention like Maksim Akulov who works for the Russian Mafia targeting Zoya.  

There are others after Zoya.  Anya Bolichova a Russian Intelligence asset for Solntsevskaya Brata, Inna Soronkina, Russian Intelligence ass for Solntsevskaya Bratva, former officer, Foreign intelligence Service for the Russian Federation are after Zoya.  Also hunting Zoya is Annika Dittenhoter who Court has safely hidden away with Zoya. The final scenes are tense, and the violence is there as well as the bloodshed from those that are taken out. Hanley gives Court aka Violator and Zack aka Romantic the green light to finish the job but unarmed.

When all is said and done you will not believe the dramatic and shocking twists to the ending as one man finds himself in a different position, and Court needs to hide and go rogue again as someone was tipped off and now he is in danger. Another is after Zoya and is determined to take her out and will bind her time as long as it takes. Just who is the traitor that caused more deaths and wants Zoya out of the way? You someone is hiding in plain sight and the Sultan was taken out after ruling for only 6 hours and it came back to bite someone right in the face.

What is next for Court? Will Zoya find out who set her up? Author Mark Greaney has created a dramatic plot with so many twists and turns and an opened ended ending letting us know there is much more to come for the Poison Apple Group. A must read that will raise your blood pressure and give you the chills as Court, Zack, Zoya and Matt hope to fight to the finish as once again Court needs to go knee deep and hide and the outcome for Matt Hanley has yet to be permanently decided. They are the true examples of the meaning of RELENTLESS!

Fran Lewis: Just reviews