Mark Greaney’s 15th Gray Man Novel Announced (with Details)

Get ready, because on February 17, 2026, the Gray Man returns to action in The Hard Line, the latest must-read thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Mark Greaney.

Courtland Gentry, aka the “Gray Man” (also known as Violator and Sierra Six), a former CIA operative who kills fast and disappears in a blur, was first introduced to readers in Greaney’s electrifying 2009 debut novel, The Gray Man. Since then, Court has gone on to star in fourteen novels to date, including this year’s Midnight Black, all while becoming one of the biggest names in fiction today, on par with Mitch Rapp, Jack Reacher, and Jason Bourne. In 2022, Gentry was brought to life on the big screen by Ryan Gosling (Barbie, Drive, The Blade Runner 2049)—who starred opposite Chris Evans (Captian America, Knives Out, Avengers: Endgame)—in The Gray Man, a huge blockbuster film that topped the summer charts and became one of the most-watched movies in Netflix history.

Now, Gentry is back for more action in The Hard Line, the 15th book in Greaney’s series, which instantly becomes one of the most anticipated books of 2026.

“This book is about family,” said Greaney in a statement to The Real Book Spy, “the ones you are bound to by the blood in your veins, and the ones you are bound to by the blood you’ve shed together. The Hard Line has a more cloak-and-dagger feel to the story than the last few Gray Man novels, with locations ranging from the corridors of power in Washington, D.C. to the desolate countryside of Northern Ireland, and I can’t wait for readers to check it out.”

Check out the cover art and plot details below.

Release Date: February 17th, 2026

Berkley

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The Gray Man discovers that “family” is just another word for “target” in the latest entry in this #1 New York Times bestselling series.

For a man who works in the shadows, a family is not just a luxury—it’s a weakness. When an unknown enemy uses threats against Zack Hightower’s estranged daughter to blackmail the injured operative into taking on a dangerous mission, his friend, Court Gentry, aka the Gray Man, volunteers to take Zack’s place.

But Court has problems of his own. He’s already got an expert assassin on his trail for no apparent reason. And now his quest to protect Zack’s family may drag his own family into the maelstrom.

There’s one lesson that Court has found undeniable: There’s a reason superheroes have secret identities.

Mark Greaney‘s research for the Gray Man novels, including Midnight Black, The Chaos Agent, Burner, Sierra Six, Relentless, One Minute Out, Mission Critical, Agent in Place, Gunmetal Gray, Back Blast, Dead Eye, Ballistic, On Target, and The Gray Man, has taken him to more than thirty-five countries, and he has trained alongside military and law enforcement in the use of firearms, battlefield medicine, and close-range combative tactics. With Marine Lt. Col. 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.

Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by 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 in addition to running TRBS. He is the author of FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” LETHAL RANGE, OUT FOR BLOOD, GONE DARK, and TED BELL’S MONARCH. For more information, follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and BookBub. For even more content and book news, subscribe to The Real Book Spy Substack!