Wow! Into the Fire is amazing! You can read this as a stand alone but I highly recommend reading the others first. This book is complex, it has depth. It will suck you in and won’t let go. I could not turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen next. I loved this book.

Trained assassin Orphan X just claimed his latest victim--in the form of my entire Saturday morning. I mean, how am I supposed to go outside and enjoy a gorgeous day like a normal person when I’m glued to this book? Evan Smoak decides this will be his last case as the Nowhere Man, the anonymous serial rescuer of distressed and desperate. We’ll see how that works out, because we know that more trouble is going to find this guy. Reading this latest installment of the Orphan X series is like watching a TV hero proclaim victory when there are still 42 minutes left in the program. Except then he does it again when there are 33 minutes left, and again when there are 26 minutes left, and so on. Dude, maybe stop saying “mission accomplished” so much—we all know that never ends well. The usual supporting cast is here, including new characters picked up on more X’s recent outings. The book can be read as a stand-alone, but it’s a treat for faithful readers to see out favorites reappear. All the crazy gadgetry and high-tech weaponry are in evidence, as well as Evan’s usual amusing challenges with interpersonal interaction. Everything from the criminal activity to the tactical gear to Evan’s ridiculous maglev bed is extreme or outrageous in some way. None of it is terribly plausible, but who cares? It’s a thrilling ride, and the ending is satisfying on several levels.

If you are looking for an exciting thriller that will keep you up all night with non-stop action, Into the Fire, the fifth Orphan X novel, is just your ticket. Hurwitz fills each page with excitement. If you are new to the series, Evan Smoak (Orphan X), is an ex- black-ops government asset, pulled from the orphanage at a young age and trained to be invincible.

On his own now after a departure, he is the Nowhere Man who answers calls from people who need help. And, then asks them to pass on the number. You need to suspend disbelief at his batcave-like Bruce Wayne like life in a fancy condo with secret rooms, endless money supplies, every technological marvel he could ever need, and his own secret hacker extraordinaire. And, of course, liked the caped crusaders, he always succeeds against all odds. Also, accept the many-tentacled conspiracy he goes after. Then, sit back and enjoy all the action.

This novel, which doesn't require reading the previous four, has Evan tangling with a foe who is like an iceberg which is more hidden than visible. He tackles just about everything including breaks no into a jail to take out an enemy. Again, a non-stop thrill ride.

Oh Happy Day! Put my life on hold, please! Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this arc!

I've read the previous 4 books of the Orphan X series and enjoyed them all, Into the Fire is the best one yet.
They are all premised on a totally implausible former government assassin doing "good deeds" anonymously as some sort of James Bond-ish reincarnation "paying-it-forward" in atonement for his past. Pure escapist reading.

In Into the Fire (an apt title), Evan has a real onion of a case on his hands. Layer after layer of bad guys to deal with and dispatch. The pacing never seems to let up. Somehow he even manages to rescue a dog... which he gifts to Joey (an adopted "niece" from a previous book). I truly enjoy the characters of these stories, all fully developed and three dimensional human beings.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Even Smoak has his own set of rules for living.
He used to be a government assassin.
He left this and became known as The Nowhere Man
He tries to help people who are in desperate straits
This book is so exciting that it is impossible to put down

Best Evan, "Orphan X" book yet. This was hard to put down!. This was a challenge even for the most well trained assassin government ingenuity can produce. Every time you think you have the head of the corrupt organization it goes to the next higher, evil layer. Like peeling a rotten onion. I enjoyed Max and Violet on the fringes. Mia and Peter on the sidelines. Wondering where the series will take us and what the future holds in store for Evan Smoak.. Fantastic, fast paced read.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Barely tolerated by his father, ostracized by most of his family, Max Merriweather is hardly holding on, scarcely eking out a living. When his uber-successful cousin asks him to keep something “just in case,” Max agrees but thinks no more about it until Grant is brutally murdered and Max returns home to find a knife-wielding intruder methodically searching/trashing his tiny apartment.

But Max’s problems are only beginning. Before sneaking out of his apartment, Max manages to retrieve the envelope Grant asked him to hold, but Lorraine Lennox, the reporter he’s supposed to contact, is strangely silent and unreachable. Then, when Max calls on Grant’s widow, he learns that his family blames him, some going so far as to say the murderer should have killed Max instead of Grant.

Can Evan Smoak, facing his own demons but still working as the Nowhere Man, help Max? Or will the fire consume them both?

Readers who have not yet read the earlier Orphan X tales will have no problem following the story as there is sufficient backstory folded into the narrative, but reading the earlier books will provide readers with significant insights.

Complex, well-developed characters are one of the highlights of the Orphan X series. “Into the Fire” finds the Nowhere Man still struggling to understand that “normal” life that seems so elusive to Evan. This introspectiveness, this searching for understanding, gives Evan’s character complexity and depth.

As with previous narratives, the story is nuanced, compelling, and unputdownable. Unforeseen revelations keep the tension mounting; surprising reveals keep the pages turning until the explosive denouement readers simply won’t see coming.

The continuing saga of Evan Smoak in this, the fifth book in the Orphan X series, is a must-read . . . don’t miss it.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#IntoTheFire #NetGalley

“”How you do anything is how you do everything”. The second commandment for Evan Smoak applies as well to Gregg Hurwitz’s cool,, superb Orphan X series. I can’t wait for Into the Fire and the reader will have great fun reading his earlier books in the series or to sample Hurwitz’s stand alone novels. Here are a few of Smoak’s other commandments.:
Assume Nothing,
How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything
Master Your Surroundings.
Never Make it Personal.
If You Don’t Know What to Do, Do Nothing.
Question Orders.
One Mission at a Time.
Never Kill a Kid.
Always Play Offense.
Never Let an Innocent Die. Don’t Fall in Love with Plan A