Don't Tell, but Mark Greaney Is No Fan of ‘Goldfinger'

New York Times

27-02-2025

With 'Midnight Black,' the latest installment just out, he disclosed in an email interview the weird way he names his characters — and his love for Martin Short. SCOTT HELLER
What books are on your night stand?
I am reading 'Flames of Heaven,' by the criminally underappreciated thriller author Ralph Peters, probably for the fourth time. It's one of my favorite novels, and it captures the chaotic end of the Soviet Union so well.
I consume books for research and right now I'm exploring the history of the Irish Republican Army. On my night stand is 'Four Shots in the Night,' by Henry Hemming, nonfiction about an assassination in Ulster in 1986.
What's the last great book you read?
'Heat 2,' by Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner. As both a massive fan of the 1995 film and a cynic, I wasn't expecting much from a sequel, but I was blown away. The book is a masterpiece, and I can't wait for the movie!
Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel as if you were supposed to like, and didn't?
It's probably heresy to say this — I'll start by saying I love James Bond books and movies. The first Bond film I ever saw was 'Moonraker.' It's ridiculous; astronauts battling with space lasers and metal-jawed villains … but I was 11 years old, so I thought it was the most extraordinary piece of cinema ever created. I wonder sometimes if seeing 'Moonraker' at that age fostered my love for the genre. That said, 'Goldfinger' was not a great book. Ian Fleming put in too much golf and not enough … you know, secret agenting.
Who's your favorite fictional villain?
Anton Gruber from 'Nothing Lasts Forever,' the novel adapted into the movie 'Die Hard.' He isn't nearly as quippy and charming as his cinematic counterpart, but he's still a near-perfect 'baddie.'
What's the last book you read that made you laugh?
'I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend,' by Martin Short. I've been a huge fan since I was a kid. His autobiography is as hilarious and wonderful as he seems to be.
The last book that made you furious?
'Red Notice,' by Bill Browder. This nonfiction account of the Kremlin-sanctioned murder of a Moscow-based lawyer after the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars from Browder's company reads like a top-notch thriller. This book, and the equally infuriating and compelling sequel, 'Freezing Order,' should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand the nature and magnitude of state-endorsed crime and corruption in Russia today.
What's the most terrifying book you've ever read?
'Four Battlegrounds,' by Paul Scharre. It's all about the future of artificial intelligence, including, but not limited to, the weaponization of the technology. Scharre lays out the incredible challenges the world will face in the years to come.
Do you have sources in the C.I.A. that help with your research?
I speak exclusively with ex-agency personnel, but I do have quite a few contacts who are currently employed in other government agencies, as well as the military. When I worked with Tom Clancy years ago it opened a lot of doors for me.
How do you know when you've included enough technical information to make spycraft believable? How do you know when enough is enough?
This is a topic I discuss with other authors all the time. There's a danger of going too deep into the weeds with details, and I never want my books to feel like advertisements for certain brands of equipment, or how-to manuals of vehicle surveillance tactics or other esoteric aspects of tradecraft. A little goes a long way.
What's the most memorable thing that happened to you on a research trip?
I don't suppose I'll ever top flying in a Navy F-18 over the Gulf of Mexico, making seven and a half G turns, passing Mach 1, and flying in formation during strafing runs at a Navy range near Hattiesburg, Miss. The most intense two hours of my life, no question!
How do you name your characters?
My answer is absurd, but true. I go online and pull up the website of the national volleyball league in whatever nation my character is from. I then pick a couple teams at random, then find given names on one team and surnames on the other, making sure the names work well together and don't sound too much like other characters in the same book. I use volleyball because it's random; nobody knows volleyball players' names!
Did the casting of Ryan Gosling in 'The Gray Man' affect how you continue to write the character?
I thought he was a perfect choice, very in line with the Court Gentry in the books, so his casting hasn't really changed how I write the character. Gosling played him capable but vulnerable, smart but fallible, and that's how he's written.
You're organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Winston Churchill and David Sedaris. That would be a weird night.