Get ready, because Mark Greaney’s Armored is set to be released in hardcover July 5th, and Book Spy readers are getting an exclusive first look at the hard-hitting cover art.
Armored, which started as an Audible original drama (it’s currently available in audio format) and is now headed to bookstores (and possibly even the big screen), is not part of Greaney’s #1 New York Times bestselling Gray Man series or his bestselling Red Metal franchise. Set in a different universe, Greaney’s latest project introduces a whole new cast of memorable characters. That said, it does feature the kind of pulse-pounding action sequences that the author is known for.
“It’s a completely different premise, different characters, and something of a different feel to my other works,” said Greaney in an exclusive statement to The Real Book Spy. “The hero in Armored isn’t a CIA assassin or a high-ranking military leader’ he is a high-risk security officer; a talented but also vulnerable family man with financial problems who, in a moment of desperation, takes a job with the worst private military corporation in existence to go to one of the most dangerous places on earth.”
“Armored is the story of a private military contractor named Josh Duffy. He is a young family man recovering from a serious injury who takes a job with a security company in Mexico to guard dignitaries on what he has been warned is a “suicide run”. It’s a dangerous mission through the Sierra Madre mountains, where Duff and his small unit face annihilation at every turn by drug cartels, police, armed locals, and other enemies, both outside the motorcade and within, while his wife, a former Army officer, uses all her leadership skills to support him from the U.S.
“I describe it as one part Black Hawk Down and one part Apocalypse now. It’s a very intense, action-packed story with a wide cast of characters and a multitude of twists and turns. I also hope readers will find it to be a uniquely cinematic experience (It’s been optioned for film by Sony, with Michael Bay and Erwin Stoff to produce).”
Check out the official cover art and plot details below.
A novel inspired by #1 New York Times best-selling author Mark Greaney’s Audible Original drama, Armored.
Joshua Duffy is a Close Protection Agent—a professional bodyguard—and he’s one of the world’s elite operatives. That is, he was until his last mission in Lebanon. Against all odds, Josh got his primary out alive, but the cost was high. Josh lost his lower left leg.
There’s not much call for an elite bodyguard with such an injury. So, Josh has to support his family working as a mall cop in New Jersey. For a man like Josh, this is purgatory on earth, but miracles can occur even in Paramus.
A lucky run-in with an old comrade promises to get Josh back in the field for one last job. The UN is sending a peace mission into the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico, an area so dangerous it’s known as Espinazo del Diablo—the Devil’s Spine. Only a fool would think they could broker peace between the homicidal drug cartels in the region, and only a madman would sign on to keep those fools alive.
Mark Greaney has a degree in international relations and political science. In his research for the Gray Man novels, including Relentless, One Minute Out, Mission Critical, Agent in Place, Gunmetal Gray, Back Blast, Dead Eye, Ballistic, On Target, and The Gray Man, he traveled to more than thirty-five countries and trained alongside military and law enforcement in the use of firearms, battlefield medicine, and close-range combative tactics. With Marine LtCol Rip Rawlings, he wrote the New York Times bestseller Red Metal. He is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers Tom Clancy Support and Defend, Tom Clancy Full Force and Effect, Tom Clancy Commander in Chief, and Tom Clancy True Faith and Allegiance. With Tom Clancy, he coauthored Locked On, Threat Vector, and Command Authority.
2022 is set to be the year of Mark Greaney, giving his fans a ton to look forward to. On top of Armored, Greaney is also set to release Sierra Six, the 11th installment of his popular Gray Man series, on February 15th. Plus, The Gray Man movie, an action film starring Ryan Gosling as Courtland Gentry (with Chris Evans co-starring) is said to be hitting Netflix sometime this year. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the duo behind Avengers: Infinity Ward (2018) and Avengers: End Game (2019), The Gray Man is widely considered one of the most anticipated films of the year.
For more updates, and to stay up to speed on all his projects, make sure you’re following Mark Greaney on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and his official website for more details.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and pens a monthly thriller column for CrimeReads. Additionally, he co-hosts ThrillerTalk, a new podcast with K.J. Howe. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, comes out on August 2, 2022. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.