Evan Smoak is one tough dude. He is Orphan X, the quiet assassin that is called upon when someone needs to die. Now, though, he has become the Nowhere Man who helps the truly desperate. And Max Merriweather is truly desperate. All he has left from his brutally murdered cousin is key that apparently someone wants very badly.

Now, Evan must figure out who that is and eliminate them while protecting Max and everyone around him.

This is not a happy, happy book for a quiet afternoon of reading. But it was definitely interesting. It sure did hold my interest.

Oh Evan Smoak, I love you more with every book. I get so excited with the release of each book in the Orphan X series, and I always worry that I'll be disappointed - but it hasn't happened yet. This one made me laugh out loud so many times (as Evan learns more and more how to behave in a human relationship) and brought me near tears more than once. And then there's the adrenaline charged, kick-ass action that Hurwitz brings to every book in the series. The Nowhere Man is certainly a larger-than-life character, but wow is he fun to follow, especially as the characters he allows into his world increase, albeit ever so slowly. The bad guys are truly awful, and Evan helps his "client" in more ways than one - this time in part because of what he's begun to learn in his own life. Just fabulous all around. I loved it, and have to add that I listened to part of it and Scott Brick's narration was amazing, as usual.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Evan finally has people off his back and doesn't have to keep looking over his shoulder. Now the question is what to do. He decides to take one more Nowhere Man assignment and then call it quits. Of course what he thinks is a quick low level job turns out to be anything but and he keeps finding himself one step behind.

I really love these books and Evan. I really want him to finally be able to settle down but lets face it I don't think that will ever happen entirely. What would be nice is if he could have a relationship with his neighbor.

I love his interaction with Joey, the young 16 year old hacker that he has saved from the Orphan program and taken under his wing. He loves her like a daughter but is fearful to admit it to himself.

These are books that you really should read the whole series to understand what is going on. They are not stand alone books.

I do feel in this book Evan is looking more deeply at himself, his wants and what made him who he is. He seems to have a soft spot for Max seeing a bit of himself in him. I really like their interaction and while Max seems like the ultimate fuck up he turns out to be anything but.

In his first four Orphan X novels, author Gregg Hurwitz has built a fascinating character—a man recruited as a child to work secret missions for the government before walking away to atone for his sins by helping the helpless. But in Into the Fire, a new mission causes him to rethink his future.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

Can't get enough of this series! I have now gone back to read all the Gregg Hurwitz books I can find!
Just for reference I'm a 58 year old granny!

Loved this and can't wait for more!

In a bid to get caught up I thought I would do some shorter reviews, just share the blurb and my thoughts – rather than provide my usual oversight on some of the themes and threads before capturing my overall thoughts on a book. Still with me? Great. Books I didn’t enjoy don’t appear on the blog so I don’t want you to presume I am doing shorter reviews because I was underwhelmed or unhappy…that’s not how we roll here.

I will start with a Five Star Read. When I was doing my 6-hour daily commute to work a few years back I hit the audiobooks pretty hard. One of the gems I discovered was the Orphan-X series by Gregg Hurwitz. I hung onto every word of that first book and quickly downloaded all the others available at the time – now I patiently wait for news of the next instalment.

Evan Smoak was an assassin for the US Government, part of the “Orphan” programme which recruited orphans who were trained as dispensible killers. Smoak left that world behind and went into hiding with a large bank balance to support his off the radar lifestyle. He tries to do some good and put his skills to use, he helps people in desperate situations and when he has solved their problem he asks them to find someone else who needs his help.

The books have all been terrific to read and Into The Fire may just be my favourite. Smoak is moving further away from the life he once knew and watching him try to adapt to a more mundane lifestyle (dating, residents association meetings, mentoring a young hacker etc) while also plotting to bump off some bad guys was wholly absorbing.

I am a huge fan of this series and encourage you to seek them out if action heroes are your thing.

Our ex-assassin Evan is close to the end of his 2nd career - making restitution to the universe by offering his formidable services to those in need. One last mission, and the balances should be even. This time, he's contacted by Max, whose accountant cousin Grant has been murdered. Before his demise, Grant had left Max a thumb drive that needed to be shared with a journalist if something happened to him. Now the journalist is missing and someone's been in his apartment.

Evan starts digging, with help from another Orphan program member, Joey. The solution is easy - take out the bad guy. The problem is, it leads to the next hidden guy, and so on.

With action scene on action scene, this could have become a silly comic book, but Hurwitz does a good job of imbuing his characters with humanity and flaws that give nicely fleshed out folks you can care about.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance copy.

Will Orphan X Survive?
The first page of this terrific novel indeed pulls you right ‘into the fire.’ As with most of the series, from the very beginning the story is riveting. Author Gregg Hurwitz wastes no time drawing the reader into the tension. Protecting a man from a growing number of criminals becomes an all consuming task. With every one Evan ‘handles’ another shows up worse–and more powerful–than the one before.

Evan Smoak is a fascinating, well developed character, one I hope will return! The unusual details about his upbringing as well as the way he lives now are very intriguing, right down to his floating bed aligned with magnets. He’s a complex man, striving to do good, to help people, yet able to do bad—very well—to achieve those ends.

Every step he takes is carefully calculated. It’s the little details included there that add depth to both Evan and the story. Listening to his thought process as he reaches conclusions is engaging, leaving you wanting more. Conflicts surface throughout Evan’s life in Into the Fire, both professionally and personally. First, the assignment he thought completes seems to have so many limbs it is difficult to know where the end lies. Since it involves law enforcement as well, it grows more and more dangerous.

Will He Retire?

Then personally, his desire to leave his current profession behind at the end of this case weighs on him. Can he stop? What might come next? For Orphan X, is a ’normal’ life at all possible? Lastly, there is Mia, a woman he cares about, one that could be more except for the opposite sides their career paths take. Can he sort it all out? Will this be his last assist? Is it really what he wants?

The entire series is wonderful. Hopefully Mr. Hurwitz will give us more, even if Evan moves in a new direction. Each book is fine as a stand alone, but if you enjoy series, you may want to start at the beginning with Orphan X.

I received this book as part of the release tour. I enjoyed it so much, that I will be adding the audiobook to my collection to read it again. Love the premise, the character, and the stories!


About The Author

Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times, #1 internationally bestselling author of 21 thrillers, including INTO THE FIRE (January 2020), and two award-winning thriller novels for teens. His novels have won numerous literary awards, graced top ten lists, and have been published in 32 languages.

Gregg has written screenplays for or sold spec scripts to many of the major studios (including THE BOOK OF HENRY), and written, developed, and produced television for various networks. He is also a New York Times bestselling comic book writer, having penned stories for Marvel (Wolverine, Punisher) and DC (Batman, Penguin). He has published numerous academic articles on Shakespeare, taught fiction writing in the USC English Department, and guest lectured for UCLA, and for Harvard in the United States and internationally. In the course of researching his thrillers, he has sneaked onto demolition ranges with Navy SEALs, swum with sharks in the Galápagos, and gone undercover into mind-control cults.

Additionally, Gregg is actively working to end polarization in politics and on college campuses. His editorial pieces have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, and others.

Great escapist fiction! It's captivating to think of a person who can meet every challenge and who seems to be ready for anything. It's even better when he is on the side of the angels.

It did end with a cliffhanger which I know doesn't appeal to some readers. However, the story of the man who needed help from our hero was resolved.

The story moved along quickly and was enjoyable to read.

I like this author and this series, alas when I downloaded it or thought I downloaded it, my kindle never saw it. I have searched to no avail so I can't review it.

This was my least favorite book from this series. Too much repetitive gratuitous violence as well as a story loop that keeps repeating. I am hoping that his next book will increase in quality.

I received an ARC copy of Into the Fire by Gregg Hurwitz thru Net galley. All I can say is move over Tom Clancy, Ian Flemming, Dan Brown and Brad Thor. Gregg Hurwitz knows how to weave a suspencful, thrilling, and engaging story. The only character I could see Evan (if he would ever need help) Jack Reacher may be the one for the task.
This is the fifth book in the Orphan X series, and oh my, oh my, I love Evan Smoake. Into The Fire is a thrill ride from the very first page.
Now that the man behind the murders of the other Orphans is out of the way, can Evan have a normal life? Evan Smoak is sought out by a man who is truly in over his head, and does understand why someone would entrust him with something seemingly very important. Max Merriweather was left a cryptic message from his brother. Max does fit in with the rest of the family, and is reminded of it over and over again. Max is truly bewildered of why his brother would do this, or it something on the lines that if something happened to Max, it truly really would not matter. The moment Evan and Max delve deeper and deeper someone is willing to do anything and everything to stop them from finding out the truth of the flash drive, and what happened to Max's brother.
Thank you Netgalley for gifting this tale to me for an honest review. Thank you Gregg Hurwitz for writing another show stopping, pulse pounding, thrill ride.

Evan or X...I am obsessed. This character is multifaceted and so vividly complex. I never know what he will do, but I know and love how the books walk us through his emotions, memories and planning.

This story is great. When I sat down to write this report I went to discuss my favorite scene or part and I couldn’t. My mind kept jumping from one moment to the next and there are just to many stand out moments for this book. Nothing is what it seems and relationships are evolving and characters are showing new levels to themselves and I am here for it all.

This series shows a lot of violence and mayhem, but it also shows such goodness and loyalty in people. Evans response to his neighbor getting mugged was touching, his feelings for Mia and Peter are so deep you can feel that they are intrinsic to his core now, his bond with Joey is precious and I can keep going. The balance of those relationships with his success as Mr. Nowhere Man is mind boggling, it this series pulls it off brilliantly.

As always I would love to see this as an amazon or Netflix series so they can focus on the details such as the penthouse, trucks, the testing lab he gets his weapons from, etc. This is a great book and each book draws me more and more into this world and my love of X grows.

Thanks for the chance to read this book and share my opinions.

Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Into the Fire. I voluntarily chose to review this novel and my opinion is freely given.

Evan Smoak is the Nowhere Man, known to help those who are truly in need. Word of mouth reference is the only way to find him, with a closely guarded phone number and an even more shrouded personal life. When Max Merriweather's cousin Grant is murdered, placing Max himself in the crosshairs, will Evan be able to help without putting himself in danger?

The Orphan X books are always a good read, with suspense and thrills all the way through. Into the Fire is more of the same, but that is not a bad thing. I do like how Evan has grown a bit, bringing closer those who support and help him on his endeavors. There is not a lot of realism here, but that is to be expected when the main character is a man who was taught to be an assassin when he was still a child. Overall, I enjoyed Into the Fire and would recommend the series to those who like mystery thrillers and suspense.

Evan has been battling if he wants to continue what he's been programmed to do most of his life. He has completed his personal missions and wants to settle down into a normal life. Everything seems to be falling into place until Max calls him for help. Max just lost his cousin who appeared to be investigating a very dangerous scandal. He left Max with something very important and winds up putting Max and everybody Max knows lives in jeopardy. Not knowing where to turn, Max lucks out by running into the last person that Evan helped. What seems to be a simple case turns into a very twisted ride.
This book gave very serious vibes like it was the last book in the series. I have rooted for Evan with every book. I know he's done bad things, but he's trying his best. He protects those he cares about. The fact that he's able to care about people with the way he's been programmed to be is amazing in itself. I was so mad about the ending. I won't say why. I refuse. Anybody who reads my reviews knows I refuse to give any spoilers about a book at all. I prefer the reader read it and then contact me so we can talk about it. But yes. If there's not another book in this series, I'm going to rage.
This book was narrated by Scott Brick. Unless I'm mistaken, he narrated all five books. I've loved his narration in them. There's something intense and terrifying about his voice. Well, not all the time. Just when he needs to pitch it in the right moments in books. I do not think these books would have been as intense had I read them and not listened to them. I hope I can track down other books he narrates to listen to them as well. I have recently learned that a person can develop a voice crush. I would say I'm pretty much there.
I really enjoyed this series. I've enjoyed this entire series. I'm currently working on talking my mom into reading it. I may do a buddy read with her. As if I need an excuse to read this series again. It's a fantastic and intense series. The whole book has made it feel like it's the last book in the series. I'm really hoping that my feeling on this is wrong. Other than subtle hints I've gotten, I haven't really seen any concrete evidence that it is. Especially with the ending of this book. We shall see. Either way, I recommend this whole series.

I love all of Greg Hurwitz' books. His range of characters, settings and plots is impressive. If you were to read about Evan Smoak - the hero of the Orphan X series - the immediate temptation would be to write him off as a cartoonish caricature. Don't do that! The point of fiction is to push the boundaries and the author that can successfully make you suspend your disbelief is one to follow. I have been to Los Angeles countless times and the thought of the shenanigans that Mr Hurwitz has going on in the towers on Wilshire makes me smile. I can't wait for the next one!

Evan, the principal character, is the perfect assassin. Trained by a US black ops’ leader, now dead, Evan decided to leave his employer and is now hunting and being hunted by them. He has a need to find meaning in his life and pursues that by helping less fortunate members of society deal with criminal bullies.

In this book, Evan deals with a criminal cabal populated by opportunistic individuals at multi societal and big city political levels. Each layer Evan eliminates makes evident the next level. Having decided to end his savior occupation in order to get on with a relationship with female prosecutor who lives in his building, he is constantly anticipating the end to his current self-assigned war.

But, it’s difficult to get a personal sense of life direction without confronting life issues in those people around you. In helping his client challenge his life mistakes and self-loathing, Evan is forced to face similar conflicts in his own life. The book is chuck full of well-trained black ops operator action! However, by generating reader adrenaline in one chapter then eliciting tears in another. the peppering of self-evaluation humanizes the characters thus making the book a good read

Into the Fire: An Orphan X Novel is an action thriller! But its humanizing subtext makes it appeal to the less action driven reader.

After five books, thrillers in the same vein of the Bourne series, I am fully involved in Evan Smoak's journey. His moral compass guides him to take up the mantel of the Nowhere Man, helping those in danger with no recourse but to look beyond the law for justice. Evan desires to redeem his perceived wrongs. He endeavors to convince himself, after one more job, he can begin a regular life.

As the series moves forward, consequences escalate for Evan. Into the Fire is the most intense book yet. The level of conspiracy Evan encounters goes deep, and the mounting threats kept me on the edge of my seat. When this book concluded, I immediately wished for the next one. If crime thrillers are your thing, I highly recommend Into the Fire by Gregg Herwitz.

An excellent continuation of the Orphan X/Evan Smoak series. All the excitement one would expect from Evan Smoak and more character development than ever. Trust and relationships don't come easily, but is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

I hated this book because it was one violent gruesome graphic killing after another. I got through 51% and just had to put it down. I was bothered by the continual graphic violence in the book and could not get into the story or determine the message. I'm sorry but I just had to stop reading it.