Forget Rambo, forget Ethan Hunt, forget even Superman for have we have a new hero for you all rolled up in a character, named Evan Smoek in the book Nowhere Man. This is Gregg Hurwitz's second book featuring Evan and a bevy of bad, really bad people. Having met Evan already in the book Orphan X, and knowing if I was ever in big deep dark trouble, Evan would be the man I would call and have frighting for me.

Those of us who know of Evan's past as a child secreted into a super elite killer force of orphans, know that any adventures he becomes involved in are dangerous, life threatening, and a ride into a world of darkness and depravity.

Evan is constantly being chased. He is wanted by the group he withdrew from years ago. They want Evan and will pull out all the stops to get him and eliminate the threat he has become. Evan has been able to hide all while helping one person who is in extreme danger at a time. However, Evan's time as a free man has come to an end. He is captured, wakes up in a place where his abilities are well known by his cruel guards, and the man who controls them. If that is not bad enough, Evan receives a call for help while being held captive. He believes himself capable of helping, but given his circumstances this seems impossible. However, this is Evan Smoek and as he battles the evil that surrounds him, he learns more about himself as well as the man who not only taught him many of his skills, but also has loved him as a son.

Fraught with action and hold your breath thriller scenes, Mr Hurwitz has once again created a story that rolls along seeped with action, menace and peril. I definitely recommend this book to those of us who so enjoy a book where the suspense pours out on every page and where one will find their ample fill of hair raising events. Can't wait to find out where Evan is headed in the next book of this mind blowing series.

Thank you to Gregg Hurwitz who once again had me turning pages in the middle of the night, Minatour Books, and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this spine tingling book

Like any superhero, Evan Smoak has a nemesis and a secret identity. That identity is anonymity clothed to blend into his surroundings. He lives by the Ten Commandments taught to him by the closest thing he ever had to a father. These are NOT the commandments taught in Sunday school.

This sophomore effort in the series is exciting, well written, and compelling, but somehow it is lacking in an almost intangible something the first book had. Perhaps it is merely my perception derived from immediately jumping into THE NOWHERE MAN without taking time to finish digesting ORPHAN X. Yet, maybe not so intangible. If I had to put my finger on it, I would say this book lacks the human messiness of the first.

As I was reading about items that seemed too good to be true even in the 21st century, I did some Googling. RoamZone? Real. Floating bed? Real. Sub Zero? Real. All those vodkas? Real. So here we have another writer using real world items to solidify the reader's suspension of disbelief. I'm someone who enjoys a good vodka martini every once in a while. I will most certainly be looking to try some of those heretofore unknown to me brands that Evan Smoak enjoys. The vodka references could become as famous as James Bond's gin martinis.

Although I found that little something missing, this is absolutely an exciting page turner. I was most impressed by the imagery Hurwitz's writing conveys. I often found myself admiring the unique perfection of a phrase… not once, but over and over again. Whether he is describing a person, place, or thing, you cannot help but visualize it with your mind's eye the illustration he paints with words.

I am continuing to binge the series by immediately diving into HELLBENT. This is one rollercoaster ride I wouldn't miss for the world.

The Nowhere Man by Gregg Hurwitz is part of a series about Orphan X or Evan Smoak. When quite young he was removed from an orphanage and trained to be an assassin for a secret branch of the government. He breaks away from his role as a government assassin and tried to use his skills to help people in need. He has a special telephone number where he can be reached and he uses his ability to use force to help those it need it. Orphan X is an interesting character with moral values though quite different from most people. He has difficulty establishing close relationships since so much of his life has to be kept a secret from others.

This is book #2 in the series. After the excitement and fast pace of Orphan X, The Nowhere Man felt like it was written by either a different author or with a different goal in mind. What is believed to be the plot or the driver of the storyline and action ends up being secondary if not tertiary in terms of plot line. It wasn't until the final quarter of the book that the story picked up pace, connected the dots a bit more, and created a nice twist at the end that made you want to start book #3.

Overall, a good book for someone who is a fan of these Jason Bourne-type thrillers.

The Nowhere Man is the second installment in author Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X series. When Evan Smoak (not his real name) was young, a man rescued him from a troubled life and he trained Evan how to kill. When he got older he became the Nowhere Man, the last resort for a person in desperate trouble. No one knows who the Nowhere Man is, but they know if they call him, he will help rescue them from a seemingly helpless situation.

A call from a teenage girl in a desperate situation leads him to the existence of a sex trafficking operation, which abducts vulnerable young women and sends them into the hands of nefarious characters. As usual, Smoak works to cut the operation off at its knees, but as he tries to determine just how deep its roots are, he is abducted by an utterly unanticipated nemesis, who wants something from Evan, and will stop at nothing to get it.

Suddenly, Evan finds himself captured in an unknown location, under guard by a number of trigger-happy mercenaries, and at the mercy of a sadistic, opportunistic individual with unlimited resources and a real inferiority complex. René is a paunchy, balding middle-aged man who's desperate to look and feel young so he can enjoy his opulent lifestyle, including a lavish home, expensive furnishings, priceless art, fabulous food, excellent liquor, attractive lovers, fancy cars, and so on.

His captors think they've got the best of Evan, but they don't understand just whom they're dealing with—but outsmarting this clan will push Evan to his very limits, physically and intellectually. When Evan finds himself up offered as the pièce de ré·sis·tance in an auction, he finds himself face to face with some of the villains that he has put in their place over the past 10 years, and would love to have unlimited access to him to pay him back for all of his past deeds. To make matters interesting, Evan's nemesis and the new head of the Orphan Program, Charles Van Sciver has made it his mission to rid the world of Evan once and for all.

It is absolutely fair to say that once should expect to suspend disbelief when reading this story. There are some wild, and extraordinary action scenes in this book that are normally only found in movies. This story also dives into Evan's relationship with Jack, the man who changed his life. There is a whole lot of twists in that storyline since Jack has been something of a mystery with unlimited resources and appears to have some of the same goals as Evan has. I wouldn't necessarily say this book is up to the same awesomeness as the first installment, but I wouldn't devalue the entertainment value that reading this book gives readers.

Evan Smoak has escaped from an assassination program he finds to be morally wrong. As atonement for what he believes is wrongdoing on his part, he has become a last resort for people who are in trouble and need his help. He calls himself "the nowhere man" and remains hidden from the world. The narrative includes much detail in the elements of martial arts he uses, which gives a dense of reality to the almost continuous violence. The style of writing is easy to read and easy to become engrossed in. The plot operates on many levels as Evan deals with his own major issues while working on solutions for the problems of others. At one point he actually calls himself for help without realizing it. The characters are a real menagerie of evil, with a few good folks thrown in. I finished the book with pulse pounding and immediately started on the next in the series. The book is so good I wish there were more!

With the fourth book “Out of the Dark” scheduled for release on January 29, 2019, it will be good to gift this trio of books to the suspense/thriller and action/adventure reader in your list. If he or she is a fan of Jason Bourne, then they won’t be disappointed.

Book 1 – Orphan X introduces Evan Smoak, an orphan recruited by a government-backed, black-ops squad of highly trained assassins. Evan became Orphan X, one of the best in the program. But when his handler and perhaps only friend was killed mysteriously, Evan went Rogue and became the Nowhere Man – a person who could help people out of hopeless situations.

Adrenaline pumping action reminiscent of Jason Bourne with the sentiment of the “The Equalizer,” an old CBS series circa 1985-1989, Orphan X is a great mix of high-octane exploit and heart.

Book 2 – The Nowhere Man is more cerebral than Orphan X as it develops Evan Smoak more. The pacing is slower but readers also see Smoak as a person not a super hero of sorts. The surprise is in the ending and worth the earlier slowness of the storyline.

Book 3 – Hellbent truly marries head and heart in the series. Now, readers see the depth of Evan Smoak’s humanity. He might be a trained assassin, but he still has a heart and that is the crux of this story. It will tug at your heartstrings! And it’s a suspense/thriller at that!

The Nowhere Man by Gregg Hurwitz #2
Evan Smoak is more clearly defined in this book. Book one Orphan X gives details as to who he is and this book more clearly explains how he became who he is. This book details an amazing ordeal that Evan undergoes and defines his tenacity.
A hit man for good sounds contradictory but Evan works at righting wrongs and a personal level as opposed to a government level. People who have nowhere to turn can turn to the Nowhere Man for help. This book shows how Evan impacts another orphan and how his tenacity protects him and those he chooses to help.
A secret government program made Evan Smoak the weapon they had hoped for with results they never anticipated. The story is packed full of action and intrigue. Evan Smoak is right up there with Dewey Andreas and Jack Reacher.
I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

Unfortunately, this book did not come close the level of the first book in the series. It was slugggish and borderline uninteresting until the last quarter of the book where the author regained his footing and the pace of the book became readable. It gave the sense of it being written in haste without much thought to the whether or not readers would be engaged. I have the third book in the series yet to read and I am hoping that it will be more on the level of the first one (Orphan X).

I received a free Kindle copy of The Nowhere Man by Gregg Hurwitz courtesy of Net Galley  and Minotaur Books, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as its sounded interesting and all three books in the series were offered up at the same time. This is the second book by the author that I have read.

Evan Smoak is “The Nowhere Man” who’s has bee kidnapped and being held for ransom. Although the villian has discovered how talented Evan is at killing off his guards, the villain thinks he may get a bigger payday ahead. He plans to auction Evan off to the highest bidder of Evan’s enemies. Will Evan escape or be auction off?

This novel is a high energy thriller. The authot’s work is fluid and smooth even though it can be technical at times. It is action packed and has violence in this novel. It is entertainment well done.

Although this book didn’t hold my attention as well as the first one, Orphan X, it was still a great action story. At around 3/4 of the way through the story intensified and had a brilliant ending. Solid overall story.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the digital version in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great follow up book to Orphan X. I really like the way that the book tied back to his past to give you a little more depth of the characters. I really can't wait to dive into the 3rd book to see what will happen next. I really like this series it has been a long time since I have stayed up late at night to finish a book but this had all the drama to keep me going to the end.

The second in the Orphan-X series - seemed even more James Bond-ish than the first book!
I would recommend reading the first book as this continues from where the first book left off and immediately starts the action and then continues all the way through the book.
There are several occurrences when I wondered just how on earth he was able to get out of a sticky situation, but sure enough there was a slim chance that worked out.
I read this book pretty quickly in a couple of sittings as it kept me hooked.
Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the first book in the series, and this is an excellent follow up. I didn't like it quite as much as the first one, but it is still very strong. The setting is more claustrophobic this time around, which makes the pace in the middle of the book move slower. But it never drags.

More time is spent in Orphan V's head this go around, and low and behold, she's more complex than I thought she was in the first book. Can't wait to see where the author goes with this.

And again, Evan's struggles when interacting with his neighbors, especially little Peter and his mom, are hilarious.

I received an ecopy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Nowhere Man was an interesting sequel after Orphan X. I actually waffled over whether I was enjoying it more or less because there seemed to be a bit of a pacing issue. Certain parts really seemed to click, and others I really had to trudge to get through. It could have been just me though. Our main character, Evan, is still a bit of vigilante enigma... aren't they always? This book seemed more violent to me too... which, whatever, that doesn't bother me, but some people aren't hip to that... so I figured I'd throw that warning in. For the most part, I was entertained and I'll read book 3... because I have to know how this all ends up. 3 stars.

Although this book didn’t hold my attention as well as the first one, Orphan X, it was still a great action story. I had a hard time seeing the villain... that almost felt like a detour to the real story and I kept looking for that part to end. When it finally did, at around 80%, the story intensified and had a brilliant ending. Solid overall, just not my favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the digital version in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second in a series featuring Evan, a highly trained black ops assassin. He decided to get out of the work in the first novel, Orphan X. I liked that novel because it had several of Evan's experiences of helping people who were in desperate situations without any resources.

This novel is different and pits Evan against a single foe, a very wealthy man. While there are many exciting and suspenseful scenes in this novel, the overall plot was not very interesting. Evan is held captive and tries to escape...several times. That seemed repetitive to me. There were also a number of odd characters, almost too much so.

The whole plot did not seem to go along with the course set in Orphan X. I liked Evan as a helper of the helpless. In this novel, it is Evan who must be helped. The situation just did not seem to move Evan forward as a character. There is one more novel in this series. Because I liked Orphan X so much, I'll give the next one a try. If this had been the first novel I had read in the series I am not sure I would have read another.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Evan Smoak is back. I liked how the book zigs when you think it's going to zag. Dex and Rene were unique, creepy characters. Hurwitz comes up with some interesting situations to put the Nowhere Man in that I hadn't seen before. I would have been fine without the Orphan program tie ins this time around though. I have to say there were some elements towards the end I didn't care for. [Having Jack come back from the dead just in the nick of time and the stuff ultimately with the kid, I didn't care for. All in all though, another intense thriller from Hurwitz.

Following the debut novel in this series, Hurwitz has delivered another fast paced thriller starting Evan Smoak. This book is filled with plenty of action and violence, plus more character development and background from Evan's life. It took me a while to get around to reading this series, but I'm very happy I did!

I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers and suspense. I received this as a free ARC from St. Martin's Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This series has become one of my favorites to read! I am so involved with the characters now. (side note i accidentally read book 3 first but whatcha gonna do lol). You really see Evan's resourcefulness shine through in these novels. I'm amazed at how well he can put it back together mentally and emotionally to get his sh** done. I've always been a fan of Jason Bourne-esq novels and this series of novels has quickly become my absolute new favorite,.This book has lots of depth and the thrill of it will keep you hanging on to every word.