Gregg Hurwitz continues not to disappoint with another thriller featuring Orphan X and his sidekick, Joey. This story is loaded with some interesting twists with learning more about his childhood; as well as trying to end an attack by micro-drones that are self-controlling and seemingly indestructible. Orphan X is one of the best continuing characters in a thriller series today. He's a trained one man army from when he was a child and only accepts missions from people who are in distress and need his help.

I received this e-ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I happened on the first Orphan X book shortly after it's release, and completely by luck. I hadn't read any other books by Gregg Hurwitz (though I since have read several outside of the series), but immediately knew this was a character I wanted more of. The end of the previous book in the series (Into the Fire) left an incredible cliffhanger on the very last page. Needless to say, that cliffhanger sets up much of the premise for this sixth book in the Orphan X series.

I couldn't wait to start in on this book, and it didn't disappoint. Despite Evan's continued effort to "retire", he keeps coming back for more. This book moved quickly, and was indeed a page turner. The action didn't disappoint, and held up to the very last line, but what I loved about this one was the deeper dive into Evan, both for the reader, and for Evan himself as he's forced to take serious stock of himself this time around. Those who love Joey (like me!) will find this to be a great inclusion of her character, and Mia and Peter show up too.

Orphan fans will love this, and I can't wait for book 7.

Orphan X is the only spy thriller series that I read. Its because its packed full of action but also has heart and humor. Prodigal Son shows Evan Skoats in his usual badassery but also shows him struggling to accept a softer side of himself. This was an exceptional story.

This novel is the 6th written by Greg Hurwitz about the exploits of Evan Smoak; Orphan X. It follows the others in featuring a lot of action; much of it very violent in tone. As a young boy Evan was recruited out of the orphanage, he resided in into a secret U.S. government program in which members are taught all necessary techniques involved in handling directed and secret assassinations. He became one of the stars of the program traveling all over the world as necessary following the orders of his handler. Along the way Evan amassed a huge amount of money, making himself independently wealthy. He decided to leave the program and set himself up as the "Nowhere Man" answering calls from people needing help with a major problem. His services at this point were free.
Evan did not know of any family he had when out of the blue he receives a call from a woman claiming to be his mother. He traces the call to a point in Argentina; travels to Buenos Aires and makes contact with the lady. Her point in calling him is that she wants to get him to help a man that is on the receiving end of a group attempting to kill him. The action moves back to the US where Evan takes up the cause of the individual that he has been asked to help. He also starts working out whether or not the lady is truly his mother and what other family he has that he was never aware of.
Mr. Hurwitz has created a man with no family and uncaring in his previous novels. In this book he introduces a different Evan, and I believe that it introduces a touch that can only help him become more human. He shows love for a teen age girl that he is caring for as well as finding feelings for the woman claiming to be his mother that he thought he would never have. The novel ends with a sequence that immediately carries Evan headlong towards a new adventure. I am looking forward both for the normal style of the stories as well as where his newly acquired character takes him in future novels.

Really excellent! Maybe the best of the series, with a great setup for the next one. Evan — the Nowhere Man, Orphan X — is blindsided by a woman who claims to be his mother and is launched into a situation that comes closer than any in the past to getting him killed. This installment sees Evan coming to grips with his long-buried emotional side. And dealing with the strange concept (to him) of family. Highly recommended.

Hold on tight to your book because the pace of The Prodigal Son will whip the Kindle right out of your hands or send your pages flying! Evan Smoak is back!

I've loved the Orphan X series since the first book and have given several copies away as gifts. I've enjoyed some of the stories more than others, but have never been disappointed. The Prodigal Son is definitely one of my new favorites. Readers new to the series can jump right in, because it reads like a standalone, though fans like me who have read the books from the beginning will feel comfortably at home.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC for an honest review.

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz is book six in his Orphan X series.

"Evan receives a call from someone claiming to be his mother and asking for help from the Nowhere Man. Evan has retired from missions but agrees to look into this one - all while not violating the terms of his presidential pardon. what he finds is corrupt technology and an old acquaintance from his past. A past he has avoided as much as possible. To complete this last mission he'll need Joey and her scary hacking skills and another former orphan, who tried to kill him many times. But Evan feels pressure to stop this technology from being released and to save his old friend."

This is another fast-paced, action filled Orphan X story from Hurwitz. Evan is desperate to settle into a normal life with normal relationships. We see the dance between him and Mia. And the formidable skill set he just can't seem to put aside. there are flashbacks to the time at the group home when he was chosen by Jack - his interactions with the other boys. And a surprising revelation about Andre. I love when an author allows a character to grow and change and Hurwitz allows Evan to do that here - even making him try small talk with a resident in his building. Hurwitz shows us some scary technology and looks at an AI's ethics. If you haven't read the Orphan X series yet - why not? This is another great addition to the series from Hurwitz.

The Orphan X series is one of my favorite series so I was estactic when I was provided an ARC through NetGalley. "Prodigal Son", by Gregg Hurwitz, is the 6th installment of the series and I feel confident in saying it's the best one yet. It's so good I was mad I finished it. I didn't think Mr Hurwitz could top the previous book and I was proven wrong. Where "Prodigal Son" shines is the emotional aspect of how Evan Smoak (Orphan X) copes with feelings he's never dealt with before and the ramifications on his relationships while still being a total badass.

The worst thing about an Orphan X novel is when you finish one and your next thought is how long you are going to have to wait for the next one. In Prodigal Son, Hurwitz takes us far deeper into Evan's character and his journey of self-discovery than ever before. Yes, he confronts another horrible opponent, and, yes, he overcomes them once again (or does he?), and, yes, a variety of threads from previous books continue to spool out intriguingly, but what makes the Orphan X series special is the depth of the characters and the journey of our discovery alongside his. This is another great read.

Origin stories aren’t always captivating even if the character is; they can be hit or miss. With PRODIGAL SON, author Gregg Hurwitz provides readers with ample backstory while delivering a fast and furious thriller in real time. Our hero is working on a retirement that doesn’t quite fit him. Out of the blue he is contacted by someone claiming to be his mother. Why now, after all these years, has she appeared? In an effort to learn more, his past comes roaring to life in more ways than he could imagine. Whoever said retirement was peaceful didn’t know Evan Moak. This book is an excellent addition to the series and fans will love it. While it could stand alone, it is best when read with at least one of the other books. There are clever appearances and references to characters from other episodes. I loved this book and eagerly await the next. Orphan X remains one of my favorite series. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Prodigal Son is an action thriller that truly raises the standards for what encompasses a spectacular action-fest read with such a deeply resonating emotional core. It knocks out of the park all the previous Orphan X novels (no small feat) and establishes itself as THE BEST ORPHAN X NOVEL YET.

The storyline picks up with the shocking revelation at the end of Into The Fire where Evan Smoak gets a call from his mother. A mother he didn’t know he had. Meanwhile, following the events of Into The Fire, Evan Smoak is trying to adjust to a life outside of being The Nowhere Man. Trying to gain some semblance of a normal life and relationships. However, a sinister and dangerous plot involving drones being programmed to make ethical decisions on their own in terms of taking out targets without any human intervention or observation spins a web of a narrative that ends up becoming intimately personal for Evan Smoak, a narrative that digs deep down into Evan’s past as a little boy at the orphanage, and the ripple effects of his childhood extending to present day with some very startling discoveries about his real family, revelations that will surely leave you breathless while they hit like a freight train. The story is tied together with a component of a new danger in the form of self-thinking drones unlike anything Evan has ever faced before, mixing it with a gut-wrenchingly emotional story of family and decisions about responsibilities, making Evan face his deepest desires, taking readers on a journey of Evan’s emotional turmoil under the façade of coolness that Orphan X is known for.

The action, as ever, is absolutely praise-worthy with regards to interesting weapons details and vivid action sequences that are as fast-paced as they are brutal in nature. The finely described ARES 1911 pistol, Evan’s choice of weapon, is imbued somewhat with a sense of intimacy with descriptions about the weapon frame, bullet cartridges, and features such as slide locks and reloading techniques that give readers a great insight into just how deadly proficient Evan Smoak is with a weapon. The action sequences themselves are written with the beauty of allowing visualization of each and every move of Evan Smoak in tactical combat whether it is him breaking a guy’s spinal cord with a flashlight or shooting his opponents while taking a hostile as human shield.

There is also a focus on technological tidbits in this thriller, given that the book pertains to drones, and the technology described in the book is done so in layman terms, which if familiar to readers will jar their memories immediately, and if not familiar to readers, will explain promptly enough to take away any feelings of disarray with the narrative.

The relationship between Evan and Joey, a teenage former member of the Orphan program, is explored further beautifully, as Joey tries to become used to the life of a normal teenage girl, with Evan trying to work through his feelings of protectiveness for Joey. Their banters are warm and hilarious and it adds another level of emotional depth to the story.

Prodigal Son features enigmatic adversaries, both as brains and brawns, with brutal and unforgiving natures that make this arguably the most dangerous outing for Orphan X. Tech guru, murderous siblings, and microdrones capable of locking onto targets and not relenting until the target is destroyed. With a heart-pounding cliffhanger just when things start to seem happy again rocks the entire reading experience to the level of sheer excitement. A must read for action thriller fans for what will be one of the best reads of 2021 without any misgivings about this statement.

Orphan X is still fighting the good fight and I'm SO glad. Evan is such a paradox. Such an interesting and intriguing character. It's impossible not to love this series. As we find out more about Evan's personal life and back history than ever before, the story just becomes more exciting and captivating than should be possible. I don't know how Gregg Hurwitz does it. The level of storytelling just keeps getting better and better.

Wow! What an incredible blend of action, suspense, and technology mixed with interpersonal relationships that add so much depth to Evan Smoak. When The Nowhere Man gets a phone call, his whole life changes. The man we know by still another name, Orphan X, is reunited with his past in ways that force him to examine many of his long-held, long-suppressed feelings. The villains are, as usual, super evil and determined to eliminate our protagonist. But with a little help from his friends, Evan continues the good fight.

Hurwitz' Orphan X series is always there for when you want a quick-reading action-packed thriller. Evan Smoak was whisked away from his orphanage (or really nasty group home) to be trained as a virtuoso assassin. Having quit that profession, Smoak has remade himself as the Nowhere Man, a sort of caped crusader without the costume and with a high rise condo instead of a bat cave. He's the legendary nowhere man who offers help to the desperate who have nowhere else to turn to. Put aside any concerns for where his endless monies come from, his surveillance gadgets, his James Bond like weapons, and enjoy the thrill ride. In the sixth episode in this series, our superhero finds out things about his origins that perhaps he didn't want to know. And, tackles a James Bond type mad scientist super villain with a doomsday weapon.

That moment you spend your whole life trying to be different only to learn you're the same.
"We're not the only hunters in the game anymore."
Truth be told we wore never alone. Wore we?
Folks, this was an absolute killer in the thriller realm of technology, action, suspense, and mystery.
Chilling wouldn't describe the depth of this one because it was also quite moving and heartfelt which is often excluded in this genre.
My word Gregg Andrew Hurwitz has really outdone himself on this one because he has covered every base with glaring precision, immense thought provoking action, and suspenseful military accuracy with nothing more left unsaid.
Which brings me to my point...so many things might be left unsaid in terms of one's connections to others.
That idea that you belong, you're a part of something bigger, your life -successes and or failures-matter.
Life lessons isn't that what's all about but think for a second what would you do if you could focus more attention on helping those in need?

I really enjoyed this series and I loved the characters. There is a lot of information about his early life There was a lot of technical info that was above my head. I am looking forward to the next book in this series

I enjoyed this book. It's different from the previous book it that it's has a lot of personal emotional scenes, but also plenty of action. I really like Evan and hopefully there's a next book. #ProdigalSon #NetGalley