I enjoyed this book. A lot of twists and turns. I never knew where it would take me. It held my interest from start to finish.

Prodigal Son is the Sixth installment in author Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X series. Evan Smoak is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. He’s also a man with a dangerous past. Taken from a group home at twelve, Evan was raised and trained as part of the Orphan Program, an off-the-books operation designed to create deniable intelligence assets—i.e. assassins. Evan was Orphan X. He broke with the Program, using everything he learned to disappear and reinvent himself as the Nowhere Man.

Evan has to be careful. He's been advised by the President that in order to receive a pardon for his previous actions, he needs to stay out of the public eye. Failure to do so could lead to severe consequences. For Evan, retirement isn't something he can put a finger on. The Nowhere Man can't just pick up and retire when there's people who desperately need his help. He has his 16-year old protege Joey to watch over who is growing up quickly. He has friends like Mia and Peter Hall who are in his life whether he likes it or not. While he can't tell Mia what exactly he does for a living, she knows that he saved her life.

When a woman claiming to be Evan’s mother calls him up on his RoamZone, he finds himself yanked into a mission that will drag him back to the most intimate memories of his past and propel him forward into a threat that reaches the highest levels of power. Evan's first point of business is to uncover who the woman is that claims she's his mother with a trip to Venezuela. After a quick trip to Venezuela, Evan's world is broken to learn that Veronica LeGrande really is his mother. But questions need to be answered.

Veronica tells Evan that she has a job for him. His name is Andrew Duran, and he is in serious trouble. Andrew is a down on his luck man with an ex-wife and daughter who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up at the top of the list for a pair of assassins. When he witnesses a man being assassinated, the assassins want to make sure he doesn't talk to the wrong person. A person like Evan. Andrew isn’t someone new to Evan. He’s Evan’s orphan brother. Andrew had high hopes of getting out of the Group home as desperately as Evan and Charles Van Shiver.

This book is steep in Military, political, technological action thriller. Add in a pair of assassins who just happened to be brother and sister, and you have all sorts of danger for Evan to deal with. Add in a mentally unstable rocket scientist, literally, and you have drones that are as small as bees targeting specific targets. In one way, Evan has been able to escape just about anything the author and his enemies have thrown at him. Can he escape his own past?

I like that Evan has moved beyond his hatred for Candy McClure. I think that along with Joey, they make a brilliant team. Joey, I think, needs her own series sometime soon. I think that there is enough interesting in seeing what this 16-year-old brilliant hacker and Orphan drop out can do without Evan around. The ending of this story is straight up shocking. It might be the first actual real cliffhanger ending of this entire series. Could this be the ending to Evan's journey? Unfortunately for me, I've been reading these books after they've already been released so I know that there's another book in the workings. In this case, I am biting the side of my mouth hoping that the author comes back and fixes what he broke.

Best selling author Gregg Hurwitz’s newest installment in his compelling Orphan X series has just been released.
Prodigal Son, (Minotaur, $27.99, 416 pages, ISBN 978-1-250-25228-9) begins when Evan Smoak—the legendary government assassin known as X, the tenth orphan, who was recruited in his pre-teen years and trained to kill—is lured out of retirement by the unlikeliest of sources: the birth mother who gave him up for adoption.
Disbelieving at first, and skeptical of the woman’s motives, it takes some convincing from her before Smoak agrees to help a man named Andre, who was the only witness to an eerie murder that took place at an auto impound lot. Andre, who has disappeared and is hiding in fear of the killers, is coincidentally a kid Evan knew from the group home, back when he was in the system.
The more the retired assassin digs however, the deadlier the situation becomes. He finds himself up against a brother and sister hit team, as well as a sociopathic scientist who’s also a genius, with access to an incredible assortment of futuristic, and leading-edge technology that’s as lethal as it is mind-boggling.
And the hits just keep on coming throughout this edge-of-the-seat thriller that’s impossible to put down. It is one of the best-plotted, action-filled and relentlessly propulsive novels of the new year!

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4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

I enjoyed this latest mission for Evan. I loved the way the story pushed him to reconsider his childhood (with some fascinating flashbacks and nice twists) as well as looking at his relationship with Joey in a new way. It was the personal story that really grabbed me in this one. And, as always, Evan's scenes with Joey were my favorites.

The plot Evan is trying to foil is scary as all get out for the future of the world, and includes the usual level of violence. The ending was STUNNING. Series fans will be frantically hitting the pre-order button for book 7 after that. This is a series that should be read in order. (Language, violence, alcohol addiction, vaping, TW: rape and sexual assault, child abuse)

This is book #6 in the Orphan X series. It’s an action packed thriller from the first to last page. There are twists and turns throughout and the storyline is intense. This is a very entertaining series. Highly recommended

Evan Smoak, "The Nowhere Man", is supposed to be retired. He's received his pardon and his walking papers with a warning to never pick up his hat again. If he goes back into the business the United States will send the weight of all its power after him and will not relent until he has been neutralized. At the conclusion of Into the Fire we thought he had retired; that he was trying to live a normal life. So what brings him back? Mysterious calls from someone claiming to be his mother. But who is this person really and can he trust them? Will Evan be able to think clearly and make the right decisions or will his emotions get him killed?

Prodigal Son is a fast paced, action thriller with lots of cool weaponry and high tech gadgets. Beyond the suspense though, it humanizes Orphan X and gives you more of his backstory. Newcomers to the series - don't worry. You will feel as if you were with Evan from Day One. Hurwitz writes a spectacular novel that keeps us on the edge of our seat, then leaves us hanging begging for more.

I would have never believed I would become so hooked on this series. Sci-fi is not a genre I usually read. But hooked I am!! Hurwitz's brilliant writing and great characters made me a fan from the first book and I eagerly await each new installment. The story is frightening in it's possibilities - - sci-fi like this could easily become real!! There's nonstop action as usual in this book but we also get to see a different side of Evan. A softer side. I liked that we now know a more rounded version of Evan. Of course the book ended with the usual breath-stopping cliffhanger.

And now I have to wait for the next book. Oh the agony!!!

This was another great installment to the series. I won't discuss the writing again except to say that I love the way Hurwitz draws you in and develops his characters.

I enjoyed watching Evan grow as a person and work on his relationship skills in this one. I have to admit that as much as I love Joey, she can grate on my nerves at times with her teenager attitude. Underneath that harsh exterior you know she has a soft core and is just protecting herself, but that doesn't stop her presentation from being annoying at times. I still love her, but I'm hoping she can be a little less abrasive in future installments.

There were a few twists in this book, however if you're paying attention you will likely see them coming. I liked where the twists took us in the story and I hope that part of the story is included in the future. I'm assuming it will be built upon and I think it will be interesting to go deeper into these new aspects of Evan's life.

I will give everyone a heads up that this book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm not a fan of cliffhangers, but this one didn't really bother me. However, it did make me want to read the next one right away.

Previous books:
Orphan X ★★★★
Buy a Bullet (1.5) ★★★★
The Nowhere Man ★★★★★
Hellbent ★★★★★
The Intern (3.5) ★★★
Out of the Dark ★★★★
Into the Fire ★★★★
The List (5.5) ★★★★★

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz
Orphan X #6

Intense, gripping, action-packed, and thrilling – this series always grabs me, draws me in, and keeps me engrossed from beginning to end.

What I liked:
* Evan Smoak/The Nowhere Man/Orphan X: an orphan that was molded into a lethal weapon but who still has a moral code. He fascinates me. This story gave more of his backstory and introduced potential for future stories in the series. Evan is conflicted between doing what he does well and was trained to do OR staying in retirement. I am hoping that he will eventually find a way to have a bit more “normal” life in the future.
* Andre Duran: the man that Evan is asked to help by a woman who claims to be Evan’s mother. Andre and Evan have more in common than they realize when they first meet in this story. I kept hoping that Andre would make it through to the end of the book and have potential for a future.
* Joey: young woman, hacker extraordinaire, taken under Evan’s wing and coming into her own…with Dog the dog. I look forward to hearing more about her in the future.
* Mia and Peter: Neighbors of Evan. Mia could be a love interest and in some ways Peter reminds Evan of himself but with a the stability that Evan did not have.
* The writing, plot, intensity, and sci-fi aspects of the story though some of the computer jargon was a bit over my head.
* Candy McClure/p V: I remember her from a previous book and wouldn’t mind seeing more of her in the future.
* Tommy: a good friend with interesting helpful gadgets that Evan often needs in his work
* The mysterious woman, who she ended up being, and the information she had to share about Evan’s origins.
* The bad guys…so easy to dislike! There were a couple that had a rough childhood but that did not condone their adult choices.
* Thinking about how this could be made into a movie and who I might like to see playing the various characters.
* Knowing that there will be a book seven…

What I didn’t like:
* The bad guys…I really wanted them erased!
* Thinking about the what-ifs of having the sci-fi aspects of this story becoming a reality.
* Knowing how rough Evan had it as a child
* Having to wait till book seven is finished to find out what will happen next.

Did I enjoy this book? Definitely!
Would I read more by this author? Without a doubt!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

This book was definitely out of my wheelhouse, but it turned out to be an impressive piece of writing! I fell in love with the Evan and the fact that he was this small boy looking for someone to notice him and maybe love him? Instead he became Orphan X, a killing machine for a non-existant government and nobody to claim him for their child. Then he is forced to retire, but he is reactivated by someone claiming to be his mother.

However, part of his forced retirement is that he would do no more secretive missions under the radar so to speak. So, what does he do, go see this woman and jeopardize his new found freedom from being an executioner for a government that will not recognize his existence or meet a woman he has wondered about all his life and wants to ask, why give me away?

The author has delivered a completely believable plot with strong characters and the twists are so poignant and intriguing that I was glued to the pages! I definitely can’t wait to see what the second book is going to bring! I plan to look up this authors other books as well!

I definitely would recommend this book to anyone looking for a stupendous read!

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Evan Smoak went from being the abandoned baby with no past, to living in a group home and becoming a boy with no future; to becoming a government trained assassin known as Orphan X and removing the future of others. Finally realizing his life as an assassin leads nowhere and to nothing, he left the program and became the Nowhere Man in truth. He became the man of last resort at the end of a phone number for those in desperate need of help. Until the President of the United States made him a deal: quit being the Nowhere Man and he would receive an unofficial Presidential pardon, giving Evan his life back and an opportunity to start over.
In Prodigal Son Orphan X #6, Evan quickly realizes that no longer being the Nowhere Man also means being the grey man. The almost nothing man. The extremely wealthy Evan has no idea how to relate to other people, so he lives in his 7000 sq ft Los Angeles aerie indulging his OCD tendencies and his hobby of collecting and drinking very high end vodka.
A blast from the past catches Evan by surprise, mom, who gave him up at one week, has contacted him and needs his help in saving the life of a very down and out guy, Andre. In small world fashion, Andre lived in the same Baltimore group home as did Evan.
Prodigal Son has the usual entertaining and imaginative showdowns, incursions and hacking scenes. There is an especially funny fight scene involving Teslas. (Okay, I might have a sick sense of humor)
Smoak is torn “between what he needs and what he wants” (approximate quote). As Evan sees his need and talents for violence come back to him, he also starts to understand his need to stop shielding his heart and start to build the family of that heart.
It’s amusing to see how Smoak has gone from 0 to 60 in his feelings of responsibility and love for his young ward, Joey. Those feeling have always have always been there, it just seem to take a slightly older college boy to bring them to the fore. Who knew an Orphan X book could be a tearjerker; a real one, not one mining cheap emotions?
The science and the weapons information are almost more than up to date, and make for fascinating games of real or not real for readers. Just the other day I saw an article about dragonfly drones-but not ones with ethical decision making capabilities. Here is my petty little question. With all that great information available wouldn’t someone catch that poinsettia’s don’t have a scent? Maybe that booboo didn’t make it to the final version of the book.
In Prodigal Son you will find a continuation of one of the best action packed series, one with a growing heart.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC. The opinion of this review are my own.

Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X saga shows no signs of running out of steam in this stellar sixth installment.

To atone for his work as an assassin, Evan Smoak became the No Where Man, a vigilante who developed a pay it forward system to help innocents. Now, he’s promised to retire or face becoming a target for elimination by the US Government. Seems like a good deal, until Evan finds himself with long days to contemplate his life with only expensive vodka and Vera II, his aloe vera plant, to fill the void. Sure, he has loved ones, but for various reasons, he keeps his distance. Then, someone with a personal connection asks for his aid, and this new mission keeps digging up his own past. If that weren’t bad enough, the man he’s trying to help is caught up in a high level military matter. Word of Evan’s involvement will likely leak and nullify the bargain that keeps Evan safe.

This installment is Evan’s most personal mission yet. As the series progressed, he has accumulated more and more people in his life. People who frustrate him. People he has come to care for. People must protect.

Even his annoying neighbors have become dear to him. But Hurwitz doesn’t stop there. Evan has a teenaged computer prodigy ward (another former Orphan), her rescued dog, and a widowed District Attorney love interest with an adorable nine-year old son. As the series progresses, Hurwitz layers more and more heart into each new book. Evan isn’t a static character, rather he continues to grow.

I could go on and on about the beautiful writing and Hurwitz’s storytelling mastery. How he knows to pump emotion from every scene while keeping the pacing perfect. Reading Prodigal Son was a joy both as a book lover and as a writer.

One other great thing that Hurwitz does in Prodigal Son is to show a couple of the baddie’s backstories, which creates sympathy for the devil. All that emotion and character development in no way takes away from the awesome thriller aspects. There’s plenty of weapons, cool tech, and violent encounters to balance out the tender bits.

The only teeny tiny criticism that I can muster is that Evan has a couple of encounters with two different female characters, and I wanted to see both of them turn up again later. Now, this is really all on me because Hurwitz made me care by creating such great characters who were tertiary to the story. He also tied the scenes up well, with nothing left hanging. I guess my point rattling on about this minor point is that if he can bring to life such small players and get me to care that much about them, imagine what he does with story people key to the book and series. That being said, several series favorites make appearances which is a treat.

I highly recommend Prodigal Son and the Orphan X series. Everything I’ve read by Hurwitz has been a winner.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group, for providing an Advance Reader Copy.

*Please note that my review is based on uncorrected text.

Gregg Hurwitz must be a bookworm too. He knows exactly what a reader is looking for in a thriller and gives us the Orphan X series to fill that addiction. This is book #6 in the series. You could read it as a stand alone but you'd miss out on 5 awesome books that set up the back story for this one. And what a story it is......

When Evan Smoak is contacted by a woman claiming to be his mother, it is a definite blow to his life plans. He's trying to reform, but it's a dull life without his Nowhere Man activities. Her calls will bring back all of his memories of the group home, none of them pleasant, and fills in some of our knowledge of his childhood and how he joined the Orphan program. His past will push him into his future, giving us a painful look at what he could have been. WOW! You have to wonder how Gregg Hurwitz continues to find these adventures for Evan but we are certainly glad he does. Spoiler alert.....this one's a cliff hanger. But a great one!

This is the 6th book in the Orphan X series that is always fast-paced, non-stop action and adventure. I am always thinking what great movies these books would be! In this book, more about Evan’s background is learned and although he tries to retire and lead a normal life, it doesn’t work out as planned. Quite a cliffhanger, so I hope Mr. Hurwitz is writing the next book now!

Gregg Hurwitz's Evan Smoak is Jason Bourne meets James Bond meets Batman. The Orphan X series is a fast paced, action packed, spy novel thrill ride starring a vigilante with a moral code. Prodigal Son is no exception. I found myself pulled back into the world of Evan Smoak and the Nowhere Man from the first pages. Hurwitz has a talent for making his characters relatable and sympathetic and ensuring the reader is heavily investigated in the outcome of Evan's exploits.

Potential spoilers for previous books - Prodigal Son probably could be read as a standalone novel as Hurwitz does an excellent job weaving information revealed in previous entries of the series back into the storyline, however, the entire series is outstanding and continues to improve with each entry so I highly encourage any interested potential reader to read the full series from the beginning for full enjoyment.

Evan Smoak, former black ops assassin Orphan X and formerly known as vigilante hero The Nowhere Man, is retired. Having been granted a presidential pardon for his off the books operations, the condition was that he end his vigilante work as the Nowhere Man. Of course, Evan is having issues settling into retirement. What is a former assassin with OCD and a penchant for ensuring justice to do with endless time on his hands? When Evan receives a call from a woman claiming to be his mother and asking him to help someone, Evan wants to know more - is the woman really his mother? Why has she reached out now? Who does she want him to help and why? These questions and Evan's search for the answers to them set him down a dangerous path where technological advances in warfare collide with Evan's past.

Prodigal Son is a fast paced, action packed thrill ride that brings Evan's past full circle. It's the best of the Orphan X series so far and I am excited to read the next in the series. Five well deserved stars.

"Are you as terrible as you say you are?"
"I can be," he said...
"Good," she said. "Kill every last one of them."

This conversation happens after an emotional moment between our hero Evan and the mother who gave him up when he was a week old. Not a typical family for the Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz.

This book is the 6th in the Orphan X series but is easily a stand alone novel. I have not read the previous books but I am saving up to get them ASAP after reading this intense thrilling drama.

We get a lot of background information about Evan Smoak and how he was recruited as a young boy from a foster home then trained as an assassin for a secret government organization. He is known to a select few as Orphan X and very good at his job. After turning against the program and becoming the Nowhere Man that helps desperate people with nowhere to turn he is given a pardon for abandoning the government on the condition he retires.

But how can he stay retired after a call from someone claiming to be the mother he never knew and begging for help. Her "friend" has witnessed a murder and now has a target on him. There are many engaging characters along the way including a very evil villain with an "endgame" weapon.

A mix of Batman, The Equalizer and Jason Bourne makes this novel a non stop action thriller with heart. Be warned there is a huge cliffhanger but once you enter Evan's story you will want to keep reading it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

*4-4.5 stars! This is the sixth book in the Orphan X series and it's a very exciting thriller with assassins and an evil mastermind. Evan Smoak had agreed to retire but someone from his past calls on him to handle one more problem. He breaks one of the cardinal rules of his training: Don't make it personal.

Evan's OCD and his developing relationships with friends and neighbors are often amusing and, at times, heartbreaking as he tries to figure out how to be a 'normal human being' in the world.

This thriller has lots of action, cutting edge modern technology and an explosive cliff hanger ending that leaves the reader wanting more. I certainly hope Gregg Hurwitz is busy writing book seven!!

I received an arc of this new thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

Not a book I would typically read. Well developed characters that make you root for a happy ending for all involved.

Left shortly after his birth, Evan Smoak was left at a home for unwanted children. Now his past is coming to haunt his future. He is known as the Nowhere Man but has been asked to help a childhood friend so he will also have a future. Little did he know that friend had more of a connection.

Not having read the other books, I was able to enjoy the story that was being told.

Evan, or Orphan X, or Nowhere Man, has been in retirement. Now, out of the blue, he receives a call for help. This call came from someone he had no idea existed…his mother. This stirs up more feelings than he expected but he has to reel them in to save Andrew Duran.

Andrew has gotten himself in a mess and he has no idea how he got there. My heart went out to Andrew from the first paragraph. He is a guy with a heart and just pure bad karma. And the mystery surrounding Andrew and Evan kept me fascinated. And how does Evan’s real mother fit in…must read this to find out.

I love the Orphan X series. No, I have not read them all and I need to fix this soon, especially after reading this novel. I love Evan. There is not a better strong, silent type than this character. Plus….he is smart and he can fight! The fight scenes in a book are usually ones I kind of skim. But not when it involves, Evan. He truly takes no prisoners.

Need a quick, fast paced thriller…oh boy! You do not want to miss this one.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This book was my first in the Orphan X series, and oh boy – this one is quite a wild roller-coaster ride! I highly recommend this book to all fans who enjoy reading titles in the Thriller / Action genre.
Spoiler Alert – The book end with…
C’mon, you didn’t think I was just going to spoil the ending – where’s the fun in that…
Trust me, you need to experience this book yourself, it does not disappoint.
Personally, after this fantastic read, I cannot wait to begin reading the Orphan X series from the very beginning. Thanks very much to NetGalley / St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Prodigal Son in exchange for an honest review.