Gray Work
Confessions of an American Paramilitary Spy
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Gray Work
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Narrated by:
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Jeff Gurner
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By:
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Jamie Smith
About this listen
In this unprecedented audiobook, a paramilitary contractor with more than two decades of experience gives us a firsthand look into the secret lives of America's private warriors and their highly covert work around the world. Author Jamie Smith has planned and executed hundreds of missions on behalf of government agencies and private industry in some of the world's most dangerous hot spots - and lived to tell the tale.
They are elite warriors who run highly dangerous missions deep inside foreign countries on the brink of war. Jamie Smith knows these men well. Not only is he one of them, but he was the founding director of one of the most successful global, private military contracting firms. For the first time, he breaks his silence, pulling back the curtain to reveal in raw, intimate terms exactly what paramilitary spies and operators like him do when the government cannot act or take public responsibility.
Combining the thrilling narrative of an international spy thriller with bracing boots-on-the-ground realism, Gray Work follows Smith through grinding CIA training and his career as an operative, his work with Blackwater Security, and the creation of his own successful company. Here is the grit and gristle of modern warfare, from espionage and assassinations, rescues and renditions; from the dark corners of the Arab Spring and the fall of Qadhafi to black ops; from Syria to Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and beyond. Smith has fought terrorists and won; he was ambushed on a mission in Pakistan and took a bullet through his shoulder and to his back and subsequently survived a grueling mountain trek that almost cost him his life.
As founding director of Blackwater Security and then as head of his own company, Smith has helped shape a decade of war. His book powerfully illustrates how the men who serve in this gray area between the public and private worlds are transforming the art and science of modern warfare.
©2015 Jamie Smith (P)2015 HarperCollins PublishersWhat listeners say about Gray Work
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 24-06-2020
Interestingly drawn-out
Not a bad book, good insight into this line of work. The book is a bit long and can be slow at times. Good listen though, the narrating is great!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- C. Broughton
- 07-02-2019
An engaging and fascinating insight
This is the memoir of a major player in the defence and security contractor business (what once world have been termed mercenaries) over the past 20 years. It provides a fascinating glimpse into the shadowy and ambiguous world of contemporary geopolitical paramilitary operations and "gray work". This guy is ideologically an unreserved 'America first' type, but that comes with the terrain. Apart from that, the author's authorial voice strays from time to time from that of neutral narrator to letting his domestic political views come through strongly; but mostly this book provides a riveting first person account of on-the-ground operations as exciting as any novel or movie.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Edward S Morrisoin
- 17-06-2021
Interesting book.
I found a few of the things in this book a bit questionable but i have say that if it's not all true as claimed by some then the writer certainly has a vivid imagination.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dan B
- 12-04-2017
Illuminating
For those interested in knowing more about the few who support military and other government operations - from the shadows, this is for you.
Narrated by a clear, and apt voice the listener is compelled to keep listening.
For those who already have a good idea about what goes on "behind the scenes", this is also an excellent Audible.
Full endorsed!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 15-08-2021
Great Title!
Loved listening to this audiobook from the moment it started as it draws you in and holds your attention, I highly recommend it!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- barclay
- 07-09-2018
A greyt read
But seriously, good stuff. Great stories and great direction. Well written and informative but friendly
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aquiverof
- 14-07-2016
Expanding
The book delved into the rise and rise of the Private Military Contractor, and the increasingly asymmetrical nature of modern battlefields. A place where the front line is a sphere that totally engulfs all that you know. Brilliantly written by a person who knows the details of both a state operated large intelligence organisation, and the role that PMC's can play in international and domestic security affairs.
Thumbs Up.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nick
- 27-05-2016
Disappointed
Got halfway through this book and thought this is a lot of information that you normally wouldn't expect someone who has done this type of work to be writing about, so I decided to google the author.
I would recommend anyone looking at reading this book to do the same before purchasing.
I think this book would be better to be marketed in the fantasy section.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-05-2021
Narrator was ok... except for
Audible intake of breath before every... single...sentence.. was pretty distracting. Other than thay the author was ok. Story was decent too. Jumped all over the place though.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jesse Clarke
- 22-03-2016
great story and narrator
really interesting story. was more gritty and realistic than many others in the genere. no posturing or muscle flexing to look like a bigger badder tough guy.
I'll admit that Im an atheist so the few parts where he mentions bible things to use chapters as examples and says some sh+t about Jesus. it was pretty infrequent which was good. but when I did hear it I would feel rather irritated listening to someone spout fairytales after just surving violent war zones.
but it was infrequent enough that even a very unforgiving atheist such as myself was able to ignore the such passages.
other than that it was a great book and I would recommend it to anyone who loves non-fiction soldiers in action, gritty and bloody type books.
I should note that he is a private military and espionage style contractor.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to listen to it and once again id like to give a shout out to the narrator Jeff Gurner for a job well done. he's no David Attenborough ;-) but I never once got sick of his voice. great job all around.
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2 people found this helpful