This is book 2 in the Orphan X Series. In this one, Evan is taken captive, but how will he use his skills to turn the tables on his captors and free himself?

Book 2 of the Orphan X series finds our hero being held prisoner by a psychopath. Gregg Hurwitz absolutely knocks this one out of the park too. I love this series because of the fast pace and intriguing character Evan Smoak. Where some found his Sass annoying I connected to it.

Introduced in Orphan X, noble avenger of the downtrodden and persecuted Evan Smoak returns in The Nowhere Man. This time, he’s forced to employ all of his skills and wits to escape from the grips of a psychopathic thief. A gripping action/thriller, I enjoyed this.

It’s been quite some time since I read the first novel in the series — no idea why I forgot to keep up. Regardless, it was easy to drop back into Smoak’s world of spies, assassins, and psychopathic millionaire thieves. After finishing this novel, I am really going to have to get caught up soon.

The novel starts with Smoak handling one of his Nowhere Man cases: a gang of human traffickers has selected a young girl for their next victim, tricking her into sharing photos of herself that have been used for the scumbags’ “catalogue”. After confronting the young man who was used to entrap her, she fears for her family. Enter the Nowhere Man. Smoak accepts her request for help, and sets about bringing the culprits down. Permanently. However, as he works through the organization, cleaning up as he goes, two things happen: he realizes he missed a victim, and someone else has been stalking him. Ergo, his capture and challenge to break free — not only to save his own life, but that of the remaining victim of the traffickers.

Over the course of handful of days, Smoak escalates his attempts to escape from the clutches of his captors. He’s an incredibly resourceful and clever fellow. And yes, he is an action hero, too, so while he does get injured and make some mistakes, he’s also pretty damn badass and virtuous. Not quite too-good-to-be-true, but he’s on the edge of that.

So, he tries something, they counter, he tries something else, they counter, and so on. We learn a fair bit about his, as he thinks about the event that triggered his departure from the Orphan program and inspired his work as the Nowhere Man. We also learn a lot about his captors (not going to give any more details). The ringleader is a monster, his sidekick is somewhat reminiscent of Jaws from James Bond. And, to make Smoak’s life even more interesting (i.e., dangerous), his long-time nemesis is also on his trail.

The Nowhere Man is perhaps a little drawn out — Smoak’s time at the chateau sometimes felt like it was about to end, only to be reset. It makes sense, sure, but given how like an action movie the novel feels, it was a bit strange, and there was maybe one more reset than there needed to be. Although, each time one of these resets happens, the stakes are upped and Smoak if forced to come up with an even more ingenious (and dangerous) solution. It’s a minor quibble.

Hurwitz has a real gift for writing cinematic action. Whether Smoak is brawling with a single antagonist, or orchestrating a tremendously destructive and violent escape (it happens), Hurwitz’s writing is evocative and gripping. Packed with interesting details, the novel is well-written and plotted. The characters are appropriately heroic or repugnant. It was interesting seeing Smoak grapple not only with the situation he finds himself in, but also his acceptance of the role he’s picked for himself. Is the apparent nobility of his cause more important than allowing himself to have a life of his own?

It’s a very good second instalment in the series, and one that left me eager to read the next one (Hellbent). Recommended for all fans of action thrillers.

The second book in Hurwitz's Orphan X series - one of the best thriller series out there - this is another five star installment. The hero, Evan Smoak, is an eminently capable black ops operative, distinguished by his resourcefulness and humanity. The action is just about non-stop and exhilarating, but the glimpses into Smoak's efforts to fit into normal life give the books depth and appeal.

Love these books, so happy I stumbled upon them her on Netgalley. Evan Smoak has easily become one of my favorite hero/undercover characters.

This is the second book in this series. This book, I'm not sure how that it picks up and goes even faster and farther than book one. It might leave you breathless. Evan Smoak, he is the "Orphan X", he is now... The Nowhere Man. What a name! What is this man up to? So while we go through some twists and turns, a girl in trouble, and a whole lot more; I'm wondering if I'm going to turn into a fan.

Net Galley is the reason I have this copy of this book. This review is left freely, and it is my own.

I enjoyed this book more than the first in this series. Non-stop mystery and suspense. The only criticism is that if you had not read the first book in this series there would be parts that you would not fully understand.

Another great book to add to this series. It's full of suspense and I love the "Macgyver" ways of Evan Smoak. My only caution to other readers is that if you read the first book in this series you may want to skip over portions of the second book as the refreshers are almost identical to the first book. I understand this needs to be done for those who may not have read the first book or for those who may take a large break between books but, for me, it was very disappointing. That said, once you get to the main story it is like a ride on a torpedo. I couldn't put it down. And didn't. Can you see my dark circles?

Gregg Hurwitz' Orphan X is one of my favorite "action hero" characters. The pace of these of these novels is super fast, but also full of human details that build a bond between the reader and the characters. Not just Evan, but all of the people in his world. The over-the-top mandatory thriller elements are all there, and Mr Hurwitz makes them all seem plausible. I am really looking forward to the next installment!

I am really enjoying this series, I love Scott Brick and he makes Orphan X alive to me!

In this story Evan is the one that needs saving, we learn more about his past.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. I actually read this book as an audiobook, because I love the narrator so much.

"The Nowhere Man" is almost as good as "Orphan X" was. This book is a fast paced thriller that's a pretty good addition to the series.

Book 2 in the Orphan X series is just a good as the first book. Evan has been captured and locked up in a room in a big house in the mountains. Where is he, who kidnapped him, and what do they want? Another great, fast-paced thriller.

I can’t believe this series was in my pile for so long without being read. Now that I started, I can’t stop. If you like the Jack Reacher series you will love the Orphan X.

Bruce Willis on Steroids

You know how, in the movies, the hero is beaten up and shot up and struggles along, taking out bad guys, and then he's beaten up again and hurt more, and takes out more bad guys, and then he's smashed down and beaten up yet again, but he keeps on coming like the Energizer Bunny? Yeah, it's just like that. And the adrenaline rush of the story keeps you reading. It's dark, it's grim, it is dystopia magnified, but it's a lot of fun as a thriller despite all the blood, and gore, and nastiness. Certainly if you were reading just this book, it is a good stand-alone story. However it depends heavily on the first book for the deeper background and explanation of how things got to be where they are. (Pertinent data is, of course, reiterated as needed.) In many ways, that one is kinder and gentler than this volume despite themes of abuse and terrorism; book two ramps things up but concludes all active business with no cliffhangers within its own plot. However, there are more volumes to come in the larger story arc. Go, good guys!

Evan Smoak is becoming one of my favorite characters. An ex-assassin who has kept his humanity. And he's also funny. Damn that's sexy! The 2nd book in the Orphan X series was a high octane, white knuckle thriller. It was so intense it kept me on the edge-of-my-seat with my pulse racing the whole time. I couldn't put the book down. This book has everything a thriller story needs. Fast-paced, action-packed, fascinating characters, suspense. Love this series so far. Can't wait to read the next book. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of Gregg Hurwitz's "The Nowhere Man" in exchange of an honest review.

NOWHERE MAN (Orphan X #2)

NOWHERE MAN

Another book in the "Orphan" series, these stories are just plain fun to read. Formerly part of a clandestine government program consisting of highly trained orphans, Evan Smoak is now working on his own. He helps desperate people. He takes care of the their problem.

In Nowhere Man, Evan gets himself caught and trapped in a palatial chalet... somewhere. His captor has some very odd proclivities and doesn't enjoy Smoak interfering with his business. In the meantime, there's a young lady involved in human trafficking who desperately needs his help. Also, a child is trying to reach out to him.

Evan's past revisits him in this book in a way that really shakes up his beliefs. Soul-searching, but patterns are hard to break.

I really liked Orphan X and I liked Nowhere Man even more. I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Gregg Hurwitz, and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was another "not good, not bad" read. I felt like things were a bit slow in the middle at the Chalet though. I did like that Evan is a bit less robotic, less one track savior to all mind. It's nice to see that he is a bit more human, especially after all the emphasis about Jack trying to keep him human during his training.

Candy continues to be the most ridiculous character in a book ever, though. I really wish we were done with her, but somehow I just don't think I'm that lucky.

He was once called Orphan X.

As a boy, Evan Smoak was taken from a children's home, raised and trained as part of a secret government initiative buried so deep that virtually no one knows it exists. But he broke with the programme, choosing instead to vanish off grid and use his formidable skill set to help those unable to protect themselves.

One day, though, Evan's luck ran out . . .

Ambushed, drugged, and spirited away, Evan wakes up in a locked room with no idea where he is or who has captured him. As he tries to piece together what's happened, testing his gilded prison and its highly trained guards for weaknesses, he receives a desperate call for help.

With time running out, he will need to out-think, out-manoeuvre, and out-fight an opponent the likes of whom he's never encountered to have any chance of escape. He's got to save himself to protect those whose lives depend on him. Or die trying . . .



My thoughts

rating: 5 stars

This series gets better with each book , and with each book you get to see the character grew as well, its one of those series that once I started reading it I get pulled into the story and just want to keep reading until the very end. It also reminds me of an old tv show : Have Gun Will Travel , to find out why ,you need to read the series , with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

Evan Smoak was Orphan X--a boy trained in a top-secret government program, groomed to become a lethal weapon, an assassin. After being asked to kill another operative, Evan decides to leave that life behind and disappear. He becomes the Nowhere Man, the helper of people in trouble.

In book 2, Evan is called upon to help a high school girl being entrapped in a sex trafficking scheme against her will. After taking care of her problem, he decides to follow through further and find the local house where the girls were kept before being sent off to buyers. There he himself is attacked and he awakens to find himself a captive in a plush room in a chateau in the mountains with bars on the balcony window and armed guards at his door. Who has done this and why?

The major portion of this book is spent watching Evan carry out a plan of escape, eliminating his captor's hired muscle one by one. Remarkable, edge-of-your-seat action with a truly intelligent hero who is flawed and all too human.

The touch of humor was missing from this second book. Instead, Evan begins to face an existential crisis. Is this all his life will ever be? Can he possibly live a normal life with a wife, children?

I like this character very much and thought this thriller was one of the best I've read with its host of evil villains salivating at the chance to get revenge against Evan. Excellent ending with the punishment fitting the crime! I look forward to reading the next two books in the series. Highly recommend for lovers of the genre.

I wish to thank the publisher for providing me with an ebook copy of this book and the others in the series via NetGalley for my honest review.

I loved the first three books in this series. I flew through them and enjoyed the suspense, characterization and plot.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.