Orphan X will find a way and so does GH. Book three in the Orphan X series is my favorite thus far. It is a thrilling, non stop adventure where X is always playing the game and finding a way to do the impossible. GH brought all the emotions with this story and I loved every second of it. While I am not the biggest fan of cliffhangers, this one is a beauty and I can’t wait to see how X takes it on.

The series brings a beautiful play on lessons, rules/commandments, bettering oneself and always trying to do what is right. The idea of balancing the killer with remaining human follows this story across all Books and plays strongly into the disparity between Orphans X and Y. I find this series utterly captivating and I am enjoying the action and emotions that this new world fosters.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read the book and share my opinions.

Evan Smoak is the real deal! Gregg Hurwitz series is fantastic!! His mentor Jack is in trouble and Evan answers the call. Good characters, plotting and a great story! Enjoy!

Evan, there is nothing that can stop you. He has become my favorite characters. Reading the book is like watching a movie or revisiting a friend that I haven't seen in so long. I can't wait to read the upcoming book next year. Netgalley thank you so much for allowing me to read these great books.

Recently my 4* reviews have really been more 3 1/2* reviews, but this one is a solid 4.

I am a fan of Gregg Hurwitz's other standalone books (as well as the Tim Rackley books). I am typically leery of jumping into a series without starting at the beginning, but I felt I was able to get caught up quickly in this novel while also having my curiosity piqued enough to quickly go back and read the first two Orphan X books.

Plenty of other reviews have given plot summaries, so I will not dwell there. This is a fun thriller full of technology, a dare I say spunky sidekick, background/character development, and vodka.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Third and best of the Orphan X series. It continues the excellent writing and plot structuring, and brings in a few new characters as well. Biggest challenge yet for Evan, as he's being hunted. However, he's acquired some help.... Great action sequences, and Evan gets just a little bit more human.

Review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery (see link)

Published by St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books on January 30, 2018

Hellbent is the second Orphan X novel. To appreciate it fully, you need to read the first book in this series, The Nowhere Man. I enjoyed The Nowhere Man, but I was a bit frustrated by it. Hellbent is better.

In addition to being Orphan X, Evan Smoak is the Nowhere Man. He helps people in need, as did Paladin in Have Gun, Will Travel. But Paladin sometimes charged for his services and Smoak gives his killing skills gratis to those in need. He’s more like the Equalizer, the hero of an old television show (although not as old as Have Gun, Will Travel) who has recently been reincarnated in an undistinguished novel by the show’s creator. I didn’t like the Nowhere Man angle in the first Orphan X novel, and was pleased to see that the Nowhere Man subplot in Hellbent occupies a relatively small role.

Early events in Hellbent send Evan on a mission of personal vengeance. The mission is sidetracked when Evan finds himself looking after another government experiment gone awry — a part of the Orphan project, like himself, except this one is a teenage girl. They aren’t the easiest creatures to look after even when they aren’t trained to kill.

The girl, Joey, is sassy. She treats Evan like he’s an old man, which by comparison, he is. That makes her a fun character.

Evan is a more interesting character than most tough guys because he meditates and actually seems capable of learning. Lots of tough guy characters pretend to follow some sort of Zen philosophy that involves meditation before they start killing people (the Steven Segal school of being a tough guy), but unlike those characters, Evan is bright enough to integrate an actual philosophy of life (the one he learned from Jack) into his daily routine. Imparting that philosophy to a 16-year-old girl gives him the kind of challenge that most fictional tough guys never face. That’s one of the reasons I like the second Orphan X novel more than the first.

The other reason is that I bought into the action, which I couldn’t do in the first novel. Yes, there are a couple of moments when credulity is strained (shooting a bad guy through the scope of his rifle with a handgun from a distance), but for the most part, the over-the-top nature of Evan’s antics are dialed back sufficiently to make the story almost credible. Almost is good enough in an action novel.

Parts of Hellbent are midway between sappy and moving, but not so close to sappy that I felt manipulated. The character of Evan takes on greater substance in the second novel, and Gregg Hurwitz sets up an interesting premise for the next book(s) in the series. I’m looking forward to the next one more than I looked forward to this one.

RECOMMENDED

Evan Smoak (Orphan X) is shocked to get a phone call from his supposedly late mentor and father figure Jack Johns. But their reunion is short lived as Evan's nemesis Van Sciver (Orphan Y) kills Jack but not before he makes a last request of Evan to pick up a package. Evan is surprised that the package is a feisty 16 year-old girl named Joey who washed out of the orphan program. Together, they form an uneasy alliance to track down another wayward young boy and to stop Van Sciver from carrying out his mission to kill Evan.

This is another exciting entry in the Orphan X thriller series.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and St. Martin's Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Agent X is back again doing what he does best plus learning to be more emotional and personable. Another great story plus Evan gets more of the bad guys. It’s a fun read and certainly keeps you entertained with what’s coming next. I’m looking forward to the next one.

The best in the Evan Smoak series so far, a non stop thrill ride with superb suspense and great character development. Although provides some closure about the Orphan Program, it also leaves Evan in a interesting point for the next chapter... Can't wait for the next novel,!

I was given the opportunity, via NetGalley, to read an electronic copy of Hellbent by author Gregg Hurwitz. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Hellbent strikes the perfect balance between the character development and the plot, giving readers another thrilling read featuring Evan Smoak. Just when you think you know everything about Orphan X, author Gregg Hurwitz spins the character off into a new direction. With familiar foes and a new ally, the nowhere man has challenges that test him to the ultimate limit.

Although Hellbent does seem like a logical end to the series, I would be lying if I did not say that it is my sincerest hope that Evan Smoak has not seen his final sunset. Perhaps a prequel is in order?

Readers who are new to the series may not have an issue with reading Hellbent without the other novels, but the character is so excellently written that I would highly recommend reading the books in order. I have been a fan of Gregg Hurwitz's writing since long before Orphan X, and I probably will continue to be long after, so I will wait in anticipation to see what thrilling possibilities are next for this veteran author.

“If you’ve got nothing worth dying for, you’ve got nothing worth living for.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

STOP - If you have not read the first two books in this series ORPHAN X and THE NOWHERE MAN, you really need to. This is an excellent series and you should read all the parts of it.

Evan Smoak was spirited away from a foster home when he was 12 years old to become part of the deep undercover Orphan program funded secretly by the U.S. government. His trainer and mentor was Jack Johns, a man who took it upon himself to instill some humanity into Evan even while he was being trained to be an assassin.

Evan ended up leaving the Orphan program (something not sanctioned by the government) and is now the Nowhere Man, helping people who are desperate and unable to help themselves.

In this third book of the series Evan is on a mission of vengeance plus he ends up with a "package" that he has no idea what to do with.

This was another exciting story, with all kinds of twists, turns, technology, and tension.

My only slight complaint that would have had me rating this 4 1/2 stars rather than 5 if I could have was that when author Hurwitz tells Evan's backstory, in this book and THE NOWHERE MAN, he tends to cut and paste details from book one rather than changing wording a bit. It was a bit distracting but not enough to keep me from enjoying the story.

I highly recommend this whole series.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read the book and leave an unbiased review.

Gregg Hurwitz is one of my all-time favourite authors and a go to author if I need little sleep as a result of not being able to put his book down. Hellbent is the third book in his "Orphan X" series and it is definitely one of those books. Tons of fun and a page-turning, exciting thriller!
In Hellbent we learn more about Evan Smoak (Orphan X) and what makes him tick. We see a side of him that is vulnerable and uncertain.
This novel picks up after "The Nowhere Man" left off with Van Sciver still on the hunt for X. His next move is to kidnap and kill X's mentor, Jack Jones. Jack leaves a cryptic note for X instructing him to pick up a package which happens to be a teenage girl named Joey who was discharged from Orphan training and is now in danger of being eliminated by Van Sciver as well.
Gregg Hurwitz has created a masterful and memorable character in Evan Smoak. I enjoyed his interaction with Joey and the other fascinating characters he came in contact with.
An exceptional ending that leaves us wanting more.
The author fails to disappoint and I can hardly wait to read his next thriller starring Evan Smoak.
I truly loved this novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

HELLBENT: An Orphan X Novel
Gregg Hurwitz
Minotaur Books
ISBN 978-1250-11917-9
Hardcover
Thriller

It’s not like Gregg Hurwitz is even capable of writing badly. I say that after reading his sixteen previously published adult novels and his star turns on such comic books as Batman, Punisher, and Wolverine. It is Hurwitz’s newly published HELLBENT, however, which surpasses all of his previous work, and alas, sets a new standard for thriller novels to meet or surpass, if that is possible. Seriously.

HELLBENT provided me with several much-needed reminders of why I read. It has (almost) everything. There are strong, unforgettable characters, both good and bad, some of whom don’t make it to the end of the book. There is a cat-and-mouse plot where the roles keep changing unexpectedly. There is action, violence, explosions, information (if you like vodka, you will love Hellbent), pathos, and poignancy. There is no sex, but it is certainly hinted at. You don’t read thrillers for sex, anyway, do you?

So what is HELLBENT about? HELLBENT is the third book in Hurwitz’s Orphan X series. If you have yet to read the first two installments (ORPHAN X and NOWHERE MAN) never fear. Hurwitz does a superlative job of bringing new readers into the mix within just the first few opening pages. Just as you’ll want to read HELLBENT after perusing the first couple of paragraphs, you will want to read the first two books after reading HELLBENT. All feature Evan Smoak, who was trained as an off the books government assassin in what was called the Orphan program starting at the tender age of twelve. Smoak, designated as Orphan X, went truant if you will and set himself up as a deep cover helper known as the Nowhere Man. Reachable only by a special number known to a relative few, Smoak answers calls with the question, “Do you need my help?” In HELLBENT, Smoak receives the one call which he never expected to receive, that being from Jack Johns, the man who recruited him to the Orphan program and who taught him everything he knows. Jack is on the verge of being captured by a team led by Charles Van Sciver, another Orphan who has been tasked by the highest levels of government to eradicate all remaining assets and traces of the Orphan program. Jack isn’t seeking rescue, however, at least for himself. He wants Smoak to find and protect the Jack’s last recruit to the Orphan program. That recruit is indeed a surprise to Smoak, but not to Van Sciver, who is less than a step behind Smoak as he attempts protect the recruit against seemingly overwhelming odds. In the midst of a mad chase which moves back and forth across the country, Smoak receives another call on his Nowhere Man line, this one being from a stranger whose son needs to be rescued from the clutches of a nefarious gang which is on the verge of recruiting him. It’s not the type of request that Smoak ordinarily answers, and he already has his plate full, but...but...you’ve got to read HELLBENT to see how Smoak breaks eggs and makes an explosive omelet or three while fulfilling all of his promises and staying true to himself.

HELLBENT is one of those rare books that moves much more quickly than its page count would suggest. There is no waste here --- no sign that Hurwitz needed to grow the book, if you will --- and Hurwitz’s prose style will keep your attention firmly rooted from beginning to end in the plot and those intriguing characters who populate it. It doesn’t get any better than this. Very strongly recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2018, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

HELLBENT by Gregg Hurwitz
Orphan X #3

About 1/10th of the way into this book I felt the need to tell my siblings about a new-to-me author that I thought they would like. I was that engaged and impressed by what I had read…as for the book…

Evan Smoak aka Orphan X aka The Nowhere Man is a trained assassin that has elements of many alpha heroes in series I have read but is still quintessentially and uniquely himself. He is a killer that lives by a set of “commandments”; he has trouble with emotions or at least reading his own; he helps others through a system he has devised that pays it forward and he is a man that in this book seeks justice and revenge for the death of a man that was closer to him than a father.

As I read I found out more about Evan and the more I learned the more I wanted to get to know him better. Not having read the first two books did not hinder me but I do want to find the books in the future and read them, too. As Evan sought more information about the death of his mentor he finds a clue from the deceased that sends him to pick up a package. Evan soon realizes that the package is really a teenage girl that has also been plucked from a foster home to become an operative…but she ran away, is being chased for elimination, damaged, lethal and wary. Watching Evan deal with Joey and actually beginning to care for her - almost as his trainer cared for him - was an intriguing and engaging.

This book is one that I could not put down. I cared about the characters and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next and just how Evan would manage to get revenge, take care of Joey, deal with a request that comes in to right a wrong as part of his pay it forward sideline, where the story would end and what might be suggested as a theme for the next book.

This book has graphic violence that includes torture and murder. It is excellently plotted and the writing style is a joy to read. I am eager to read whatever book by this author that happens to come my way.

So what did I hear back from that email I sent to my siblings? Well, this morning when I got up there was an email from my sister who told me she has read the first two books in the series, truly enjoyed them and is happy I found this series to read, too. And, I am happy I found this book to read because it provided me with a name to keep an eye out when looking for books to read.

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

5 Stars

3.5 stars

In this addition to the "Orphan X" series, Evan Smoak - also known as Orphan X - is out to avenge the death of his mentor Jack Johns. When Evan was twelve, Jack took him from an orphanage and put him in a super-secret Department of Defense black-ops program - a scheme designed to turn orphans into highly skilled assassins. The children were stripped of their names and designated alphabetically: Orphan A, Orphan B, Orphan C....and so on.

Jack was like a father to Evan, and made sure the boy kept his humanity while he learned to kill. Orphan X got his first mission at nineteen, and eliminated many targets after that. Finally, burnt out, Evan left the program and set himself up as 'The Nowhere Man' - a good samaritan who helps people in desperate trouble.

However, no one is allowed to leave the Orphan Program. If a member opts out, the program director - Charles Van Sciver, also known as Orphan Y - sends a hitman (or hitteam) after the deserter. Thus, killers have been after Evan for years, but his secret apartment is a fortress and he's taken elaborate measures to protect himself. (These measures are fully described in the first book, Orphan X.)

Van Sciver, who's been continually frustrated by Evan, has even more incentive to murder him now - reasons that extend high in government circles. So Orphan Y decides to get to Evan through Jack Johns. Van Sciver, who has phenomenal data-mining capabilities, locates Jack and kidnaps him. This leads to Jack's death - and the terrible scene is shown to Evan via phone. Of course Orphan X now has to go after the director, which will (presumably) bring Evan out into the open.

As events unfold Evan becomes the reluctant guardian of a feisty sixteen-year-old girl named Joey. Joey flunked out of the Orphan Program and is in Van Sciver's sights. So Evan has to protect the girl while he goes after the director.

Van Sciver and his team take a two-pronged approach to finding Orphan X: they locate and torture people who might have information about Evan; and they kidnap a youngster that left the Orphan Program - hoping Evan will try to rescue him. Orphan X is a very resourceful guy though, and Van Sciver's crew suffers loss after loss. Moreover, Joey is a talented computer hacker and programmer, and she sets up a sophisticated data mining system of her own.....one that helps Evan trace his enemies.

Joey is an interesting character. She's a lonely, troubled girl with fierce fighting skills, but no idea what to do outside the Orphan Program. Evan tries to be supportive, but he doesn't know how to deal with teenage girls. Still - as long as Joey has her special shoebox, a case of Red Bull, and plenty of Twizzlers - she's willing to help Evan.

As the story proceeds, Van Sciver pursues his mission to kill Evan and all other fugitive Orphans; Evan goes after Van Sciver; there's plenty of death and destruction. You get the idea.

As all this is happening, Orphan X gets a call on the RoamZone phone used to contact 'The Nowhere Man.' A Los Angeles resident named Benito Orellana needs help. His son Xavier is about to be initiated into the Mara Salvatrucha gang and Benito begs Evan to get the young man out of the gang's clutches. Evan agrees to help, and engages with the gang's vicious thugs.

All this frenetic activity leads to a violent and dramatic climax; a satisfying finale; and (I think) a lead-in to book four.

Additional characters that add interest to the story include: Prosecutor Mia Hall - Evan's downstairs neighbor who'd probably like to be more than friends; Peter Hall - Mia's young son, who sends messages to Evan via kite; Candy McClure - an Orphan who uses her sex appeal for deadly purposes; David Smith - an Orphan boy who's being hidden; Freeway - leader of the Mara Salavatrucha who's had his eyeballs tattooed black; Tommy - a fantastic gunsmith; Jonathan Bennett - a powerful government official; and more.

Hellbent is a good book, full of action and excitement. It can be read as a standalone but I'd strongly advise reading Orphan X first.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Gregg Hurwitz), and the publisher (Minotaur Books) for a copy of the book.

Evan Smoak, an unstoppable government assassin gone rogue returns in Gregg Hurwitz #1 international bestselling Orphan X series, HELLBENT – from revenge, bullets, and vodka his most emotional and personal yet; a riveting non-stop action thriller.

Picking up from The Nowhere Man #2.0 Smoak is more than a legend. He is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn.

A dangerous past. Well-equipped and trained. Taken from a group home at twelve, Evan was raised and prepared as part of the Orphan Program. Evan was Orphan X. An expendable assassin who went where the U.S. Government would not and did what they could not.

Jack had fought for Evan to stay human even while teaching him to be a killer. He broke with the program, using everything he learned to disappear and reinvent himself as the Nowhere Man. Eight years ago he had gone rogue.

He helped the desperate with no place to turn. People suffering at the hands of unrepentant and vicious abusers. Now every incoming call comes to 1.855.2-Nowhere. Then it emerged through the receiver of the RoamZone.

He always answers: “Do you need my help?”

This time, the voice on the other end was familiar. Jack Johns. Jack was the one who had plucked Evan from foster home to the inside the Department of Defense. He was the only father he had ever know. If he was calling this line, he must be in mortal danger. Indicating he must be up against what other might consider world-destroying trouble. An emotional call.

Hurwitz cranks up the intensity, with Van Sciver, using all the assets to take out both Evan (Orphan X) and the target he is trying to protect.

His top priority is to stamp out wayward Orphans. Anyone who has retired. Anyone who had not made the cut. Anyone who had tested questionable for compliance. The only Orphan who had ever gone rogue. The best way is to go after his handler.

Jack gives Evan a final mission.

Would a long-buried secret from Jack’s past lead him to Van Sciver? Hurting Jack Johns would hurt Orphan X. The Commandments. A girl. Joey. The package. Can she help? A sixteen- year-old?

Evan is determined to put a bullet through Van Sciver’s skull after his beloved father figure dies. Their history stretched back to three decades to a boys’ home in East Baltimore. Van Sciver held the keys to the kingdom and Evan was the fugitive.

“Jack had taught Evan that the hard part wasn’t being a killer. It was staying human. He was superb at the former. And growing proficient at the latter. “

A superbly created series. Highly entertaining! Fans will delight. Will there be another upcoming book in the series? We can only hope.

Read My Reviews:
Orphan X #1
Buy a Bullet #1.5
Nowhere Man #2.0

A special thank you to St. Martins Press and #NetGalley for an early reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks

“Hellbent” by Gregg Hurwitz is the third in his Orphan X series. I enjoyed the previous books, and this is the best book yet. Not to worry, those who have not read the previous books can jump right into “Hellbent” without any problem. Contextual references throughout the book fill in relevant background without wasting pages rehashing old events.
Hurwitz shaped assassin Orphan X, into likeable character Evan, who has gone rogue from the government program. Evan vanished from society, but then “vanishing was easier when you already didn’t exist.” Evan transformed himself into “The Nowhere Man,” and now uses the skills he learned in the “black program” to help those who desperately need help and have no other options. This time when Evan answers the 1-855-2-NOWHERE phone and asks “”Do you need my help?” he recognizes the familiar voice on the other end of the phone; it is Jack, Jack Johns. Jack, who turned him into an assassin, and the only father he had ever known. And, Jack answered the question with a single word, “yes.” So it begins, and this time the mission is personal.

The story unfolds layer after layer as Evan untangles the mess surrounding Jack, the Orphan program, and the last orphan Jack took under his wing, a young girl named Joey. While page after page is filled with suspense and action, threads of sacrifice, redemption, and compassion run through the story as well.

This is not a “formula” book with continuing characters dropped into a random plot to save the world and rescue the underprivileged. Hurwitz tells a specific and compelling story that advances and develops persona that is Evan.

I received a copy of “Hellbent” from Gregg Hurwitz, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley. It is well written and engaging. The pacing is quick and relentless, and it is a book readers will find hard to put down.

I enjoyed the original Orphan X novel, and while this one is not quite as good, it does keep one interested. Evan has been sent a "package" by his mentor and friend Jack. The package turns out to be a young woman who needs to learn how to survive and becomes Evan's protege. While this is happening the head of the Orphan Program, the former Orphan Y, is trying to track down and kill Evan. There is lots of action and even some human interest in this story.

Hellbent
Gregg Hurwitz

Outstanding. One of the best thrillers I have read in a long time.
Hurwitz certainly knows how to hook a reader and keep them till the last page. His characters are well fleshed out and not without flaws. Hellbent is thrillig,fast paced, and wonderfully twisted.
I really loved it and highly recommend it.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So glad I did.