HE”S BAAACCCKKK!!!!! Yep, Evan Smoak is back on the hunt! I was so excited to get this eARC for the newest installment of Orphan X. The gangs all back too, Joey, Dog, Tommy, Mia, Peter, Orphan V as well as Agent Templeton, who is STILL trying to capture Evan. This time she does capture her man, briefly😊

The book summary pretty much lays out the first part of the story, that picks up shortly after the last one. Mia is in Cedar Sinai and has just come out of her coma, and Agent Templeton had several military commando teams waiting for Evan at the hospital as he tries to go and visit Mia. In a moment rarely ever seen by X fans, Evan makes a mistake, a mistake that he is dumbfounded that he made, one that led him to be captured. However, in typical Evan manner, the containment, at the Beverly Hills Hotel, is brief, and Evan is rescued by none other than Orphan V, a woman that Evan once tried to kill, but now they’re allies (a whole other story).

During his brief containment, Templeton and the President pretty much order Evan to get rid of a problem of theirs. While Evan agreed to help them, he told them he would do it in his own way without their interference. Shortly, thereafter he escapes and proceeds to do what he promised he would do. The rest of the story revolves around Evan and his crew proceeding with the new assignment, in their typical covert, quasi black ops manner: Joey, hacking any site they need info from, Tommy, supplying anything and everything that requires any kind of weaponization for the job, and Aragón Urrea (a whole other story), taking care of all the air travel. None of this is a spoiler since it’s all revealed pretty early in the story.

However, there is a secondary storyline that comes up in the second half of the story that allows Evan to step back into his Nowhere Man role: Evan helping someone who needs his brand of help. This is something that Evan agreed to stop doing in the last book when the President gave him a conditional pardon (a whole other story). So, while Evan is working his assignment for the President, he is also working on a new Nowhere Man assignment. These two assignments provide all kinds of trouble for the “bad guys” and for them to come after Evan and for Evan to utilize his bad@$$ Orphan X training and skills to put them down. For anyone who hasn’t read the previous series installments, when Evan is in Orphan X/Nowhere Man mode, he’s like Dirty Harry/Die Hard/Superman dangerous. Eventually, the two storylines begin to merge, which puts Evan in a position that he wasn’t trained to do, something that he has only learned recently to do, and it troubles him. I loved the very end, made my eyes feel a little watery😊

One of the things that I love about this series is the way that Evan’s emotional growth has evolved over time. Evan is a VERY complicated and deeply flawed man. However, throughout the series, Evan has allowed people into his life and over time, he has allowed them to get to know him and it has irrevocably changed him and his life – and he’s ok with that (I think).

Personally, I don’t think any of the series books should be read as a standalone. In just this one review, there are so many things that a reader, who had not read the previous books, would not know, or understand about Evan, his crew or any of the previous events in his life to make him the character that he is. At this point in the series, it's not even about the action-packed, fast-paced missions anymore (at least for me). Don't get me wrong, I still love all the crazy $#!^ that Hurwitz puts Evan through in every mission/book - LOVE THAT STUFF!!! However, I also love all the personal and emotional stuff that Hurwitz has put Evan through. I look forward to hopefully more of that. Hurwitz is an incredible writer and an amazing storyteller, and while he does provide some additional background in every book, it simply isn’t enough to understand “who” Evan is and why he does what he does. JMHO😊

I want to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

@NetGalley @St Martin’sPress @MacmillanAudio @TheLastOrphan

This is easily the best book in the Orphan X series!

Evan Smoak is one of the biggest badasses in all of the adventure/suspense genre. And this novel is no exception. Smoak (as the Nowhere Man) takes on the baddest of bad guys to help those in desperate need of his assistance. This time he has to balance helping a family avenge a murder versus fulfilling the demands of the President of the United States.

To help Smoak in his quest, many of his wonderful supporting cast members make an appearance. First is Joey, his ward and hacker extraordinaire. She always has the best lines in the books. She is accompanied by her canine companion, Dog. Next are Mia and Peter, his neighbors in his condo building and the family that is just out of his reach. I love the dialogue that Hurwitz writes for Peter ("bologna playdoh"). We can't forget Candy (Orphan V) with her sultry and seductive looks and lethal skills. And the story wouldn't be complete without a visit to Tommy, his provider of specialized weapons, vehicles, and other necessities and wisdom for his jobs and his life.

And as an added benefit, I was provided an ARC audiobook which was narrated by Scott Brick, the contracted voice of Evan Smoak. Brick's narration is always top notch and adds so much life to a novel. And if you haven't done so, make sure to call the Nowhere Man phone number that is used to reach him. It actually works! 855-2NOWHERE (855-266-9437)

A huge thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

THIS WAS THE BEST YET IN THE SERIES!!!!

Thank you so much for my ARC! I loved this and could not put it down. I stayed up too late reading it. I especially enjoyed the return of Candy and Joey. I am so glad GO introduced more characters to this series and brings them in. What I also appreciated was the fresh new take on this story (e.g. someone didn't call the number) and the emotional character progression of X.

The interview at the end was such a treat too! I have always thought Scott Brick IS Orphan X and it was incredible to hear GO had thought of Brick before writing this series. He really is one of the BEST narrators!

OMG I might have to read that again. I can't say enough good things about this story. It's making me want to reread the ENIRE series!