The only book more exciting and filled with action involving Court Gentry "The Gray Man" is another book about his exploits. And "One Minute Out" certainly fits the bill. Gentry is an assassin. He works for the CIA but also does paid work for others and has made himself very wealthy doing so. The story opens as The Gray Man is in Croatia fulfilling a private contract. While in the process he stumbles upon a world wide human trafficking network and is forced by circumstances to go after it. It is a huge operation netting billions of dollars to it's leaders, but in the process making slaves and ruining the lives of countless women and girls forced into sexual slavery. While handling the Croatian contract Court meets a young woman whose sister is among the many girls captured by the Consortium (the name of the network). For many reasons he indicates that he will help her rescue her sister and the action begins. Following the route of the kidnapped girls takes Court from the Balkans to Hollywood in the United States. The entire journey is filled with action while Court and the young girl he is now loosely aligned with follow the trail of the ring transporting the women to their ultimate destination where they are to be sold off as sex slaves. An unforeseen obstacle presents itself when the CIA intervenes prohibiting Court from killing the head of the kidnapping group as the individual is supplying information to the agency about various criminal activities. Mr Greaney does not hide his feelings about any government agency condoning turning people into slaves under any circumstances. The horrors these women meet when captured is described in graphic detail including their murder when their useful life is over due to physical impairments. The author is a master at grabbing his readers, getting them drawn into the action and keeping them glued to the book until finished. This novel is the ninth involving the Gray Man and is another five star read with the reader anxiously awaiting the next one.

Here is a truth for you: The only thing better than the last Gray Man novel, is the new Gray Man novel. I have become a huge and loyal fan of this series - and this genre, as a result of Mr Greaney's work - even though I had come very late to the Gray Man series/party. I was only introduced to it last year by my husband, who insisted I would love it ( this is NOT my usual type of reading at all. I am a history buff and Doris Lessing girl). Boy, was he right. He bought me every book and I devoured them, one by one. Courtland Gentry is everything you need and want in a hero, and I was hooked from the very start. I have also listened to most of these on AUDIBLE (audio books) and do love the narration, and so found the first person approach in ONE MINUTE OUT really very appealing. The subject matter of the story was at first hard going for me, however, as it is in no way trivialised I was able to persevere. As always, the pace is hard, fast, breathless. Being in our hero's head is fascinating. At times, I have had to stop and walk away for a bit, that's how tense and taut the action got- but that is what I want from a thriller. It's a very fine piece of writing and I will be re-reading this one, just like the others, for fear of having missed anything at all! Loved having Hightower back - one of my favourite literary characters, ever. Here's hoping the author keeps going with this series, I am so ready for the next one.