A great continuation in the Orphan X series. The action began on page 1 and almost never let up. I liked the evolution of Evan and Joey’s friendship - their banter and tender moments were great breaks between all the shooting scenes. And oh holy sh*t - that ending!!!! It’s a twist I almost didn’t see coming and I can’t wait to read the next book!

Gregg Hurwitz does it again. Another great Orphan X sequel. This book has everything! Thank you for the opportunity to read and rate this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advance copy of “Into the Fire” by Gregg Hurwitz – for my honest review


This is the 5th book in the Orphan X Series. I have read all of the previous books in this series, and am a fan.

For those who have not read one yet, They really do no require reading in order as they are a good stand alone read as well.

“Into the Fire” – WOW, what a roller coaster – fast paste and exciting. I am giving this book all 5 starts. It was a fun read from start to finish!

I was a little let down by the previous book - Out of the Dark, but this one was the best so far for me

This was an exciting read, with the main character Evan Smoak “Orphan X”, who is an ex- black-ops government asset.

The storyline will not let you down!

Evan Smoak, a former black ops operator for the government, takes what he decides is his last job of protecting someone who needs help. Max, a day construction laborer who is not exactly appreciated by his family, was given something by his wildly successful forensic accountant cousin to keep in case something happened to him. When he heard his cousin was killed he took it to an investigative reporter as his cousin had directed. Only she was also killed.

This was an excellent book. It had some of the great characters from previous books, like of Tommy, a quirky gun manufacturing expert, Melinda, a spunky forger and, my favorite, Joey, a teenager who flunked out of the same black ops program that Evan was in and who happens to be a computer whiz. Trevor, an autistic man with a strong ability to judge distances also added to the book. I somehow missed the previous book in this series where he was introduced but his depiction in this one was welcome.

The series is best read in order, but it is not a deal-breaker. I am reading the overlooked book now and because of this one I know who survives and dies, but it is not ruining the book.

This is a really great series and I highly recommend it.

Reviewed on Amazon 10-6-19 (Amazon Vine reviewer)

I would rate this book a solid 4-1/2 stars! Even though it is part of a series, you are not lost with a back story ....this could be read as a stand a lone novel! This was my first outing with this author and I thoroughly enjoyed him! I loved his style of writing and his characters kept be engaged and entertained until the end of the book! I felt empathy for Max and all that he went through ...you could feel his pain! Evan's antics were a little far fetched (I mean, the prison scene??!!)...but, I overlooked them, as I was so engrossed in the book ...and, basically, who cares ...I was enjoying this book too much!! There were so many twists in this book that when I thought the story line was coming to an end, I checked how many pages were left and - bang - another turn!!! I will look forward to reading more and more from this author.

I would like to thank Mr. Hurwitz, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest and unbiased review!

Oh my god, I so love this series! Imagine my excitement when I was able to get an advanced copy of book V in the Orphan X series? I jumped at the chance and much to my amazement was once again mesmerized by the exploits of Evan, who manages such death defying actions, that he is able to save the day each and every time. Who needs Superman when you've got Evan? Seriously, there's not a better bad guy with a wonderful heart than this character. He generates lots of enjoyment and just plain fun!

Our man of derring do is again helping another person who is in deep guano. This time it's Max Merriweather, a man who has gotten caught up in a scenario definitely designed to get him killed. So, Max makes that call and Even answers with his standard "Do you need help?" and the race is one to make sure Max survives. Danger, cunning, and downright peril, meet Evan and Max on every level. Evan though this endeavor was going to be easy, but it turns out to be everything but. After all, this was going to be his last outing as The Nowhere Man, and his thought is one last time into the fire so to speak, and rescue Max who is so in need of help and understanding. Max has always felt worthless while others in his family are so successful. When his cousin is murdered, an envelope that his cousin gave to him becomes the focus of an international monetary laundering scheme worth a whole lot of money and there are many who are out to make sure that Max and Evan does not see the light of day.

If you haven't read this series, what are you waiting for? It's so fun, so full of adventure, so at times tongue in cheek that it's a wonderful way to while away a few hours being highly entertained and mesmerized. I sure hope that this series does continue and as this book closes, we are given a glimmer of hope that Evan will be back.

Thank you to Gregg Hurwitz who provided me with lots of two am reads, to Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this dynamite book.

A new Orphan X book is always a stop everything and read it now scenario for me. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley, that was this week and not January 2020!

This is really fast off the mark, the usual returning cast of characters and some new ones, of course. It’s the usual oz of action, suspense and development of Ethan Smoak’s human side. I felt the tension and suspense was a bit higher than usual on this one - with the events of the last couple of books closed, this is a transition book and you never know how a transition is going to go which puts more tension into the already twisty turns story!

All in all another fantastic adventure and I’m very curious where the story goes after the final pages!

I really enjoyed this book! There were so many dangerous, scary, situations, one after another. Just when you thought X had solved the problem, something even worse came along. Granted, this is all pretty improbable - that SO many bad things would happen, AND be survivable, but I was rapt the whole time. I just love it when the bad guys get their due!!!! What a super hero X is and what a strange life. I was anxious to read this after having enjoyed The Nowhere Man, and it didn't disappoint! The surprise ending leaves us with a lot of questions about what is coming in the next book! I never would have imagined who was on the phone! Now I'm going to have to find and read all of the other 20 + books by Gregg Hurwitz! Many thanks to Net Galley, Gregg Hurwitz and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced readers' copy.

The Nowhere Man is an intriguing character that kept me turning the page to see what was going to happen next. This is the fifth book in the Orphan X series, but the first that I read. The author does a great job weaving the backstory into the plot so you don't need to have read the earlier books (although after reading this one, I want to go back to the first one!) .Just when you think everything is resolved in this story, Hurwitz throws in a more complicated plot twist. All of the characters (even secondary characters) are very well developed and make the reader want to get to know them better. Hurwitz does an amazing job of tying up loose ends -- even with respect to some of the minor characters. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

The latest in the Orphan X series! I've reviewed previous entries here. I've thoroughly enjoyed The Nowhere Man who gives his help to those who need it.

Poor Evan, his training did little to help him adjust to an ordinary life, but it has given him the skills to help others against overwhelming odds. When he accepts the call to the Nowhere Man from Max Merriweather, he intends for it to be his last mission.

But...each time he thinks he has completed his assignment, he discovers there is another angle, a higher-up that must be taken care of before Max is safe. While the books are not realistic, the reader roots for Evan Smoak as he dedicates himself to saving others, one innocent at a time, and Coleridge's term "suspension of disbelief" is eagerly accepted.

I have no idea where Hurwitz will take Evan next, but please don't leave the Nowhere Man behind.

Read in September; blog review scheduled for Jan.

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books
Thriller. Jan. 28, 2018. Print length: 400 pages.

Another fantastic book in the Orphan X series. A really great read that continues the story of Evan Smoak and his alter ego, the Nowhere Man. This time he finds his way towards helping a relative of someone who had a copy of something he shouldn't. As Evan tries to unravel the mystery and eliminate the threat, he keeps finding the conspiracy is deeper than he ever imagined. It takes all his strength and intelligence and a lot of help from his sort of daughter and her computer skills to get his charge away from all threats. I live how his on again/off again girlfriend and child were still involved as it adds a touch of humanity to Oprhan X. A fun read that you should not miss.
Thank you Netgalley, Gregg Hurwitz, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books

The Nowhere Man is at his finest as he sets out to help a man who becomes the intended victim of a series of gangsters, including government officials, master criminals and street thugs. His client is in need of personal salvation as well as protection, and Evan and his friends do much to grow his self esteem as successive layers of the criminal conspiracy are revealed. The story is full of twists and surprises, and the suspense makes it hard to put down. Sadly, the end sets the stage for the Nowhere Man to vanish. I will miss him and his adventures.

In Hurwitz's latest in the Nowhere Man series, Into the Fire (Macmillon 2020),  Max Merriweather engages Evan Smoak, aka the Nowhere Man, aka Orphan X, when Max's cousin is brutally murdered after giving Max an envelope to turn over to the press should said cousin be killed. Max resolves to fulfill his promise but the reporter has also been murdered. He tries to figure out what to do next but has no idea where to even start.  To say he is desperate is like saying the Mona Lisa is a nice painting. So, he turns to a stranger recommended by another stranger he serendipitously met in a coffee shop.

When Evan Smoak gets Max's call, he wants to complete one last case before retiring his Nowhere Man persona, the hat he wears to solve unsolvable problems for ordinary people. Unfortunately, every time Evan thinks he's secured Max's safety, another threat arises until the final one is far too personal for even the Nowhere Man.

If you like brilliant crime solvers that have no quit in them, if you like clever stories that make you think, if you like smart people not afraid to use their brains,  if you are a fan of Hurwitz's Nowhere Man series, this is the novel for you.

--reviewed on my blog, WordDreams, 1/20

Gregg Hurwitz has found the right formula for his series about Evan Smoak aka Orphan X - government assassin turned avenger of the ordinary man against bullies in all shapes and sizes. In this fifth volume in the series, Hurwitz is at his best, balancing our hero's inner struggle about his future with the obligation to his latest "project" that turns out to be much bigger than he first expected.
Smoak's interaction with the other cast members of the series works better in this book than in any of the past four books, which makes it a more pleasant read as Smoak's character becomes more multi-faceted.
Parts of the book are nail-bitingly exciting, and fans of the series will not be disappointed. I have a feeling that the book won't be the last of the series (no spoilers here!)...
A chronological approach to the series is highly recommended, so new readers should not be tempted to start reading the series with this book!

Thank God I finished this book so I can finally get some sleep instead of reading well past my bedtime because I just have to read one more chapter ... and then another and oh, just one more! I have read all the Orphan X novels and just when I think they can't get any better, along comes Into the Fire. Once again, Evan Smoke is a fascinating character who manages to extricate himself time and again and again and again from situations that have no escape. I love the excitement and the action, but also I love seeing Evan be that perfect balance of human as well as assassin. Gregg Hurwitz has created a masterpiece ... yet again.
Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an Advance Reader Copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Into The Fire by Gregg Hurwitz is the fifth novel featuring Evan Smoak, the Orphan X character, along with the usual supporting characters previously introduced. Hurwitz's Orphan X novels and short stories are very well assembled and are certainly among the top tier of this type of thriller genre, with Into the Fire continuing that consistency.

Readers may wonder how Hurwitz could follow with a compelling tale after the explosive ending in the previous Orphan X novel, Out of the Dark, and somehow finds a way to do just that with Into The Fire.

Again, Orphan X answers a cellular telephone call from a person needing help. Max Merriweather is a young man spurned by his family and is put in danger when a relative hands him a sealed envelope to pass along to a woman in case something happens to him. Two months later the relative is murdered and when Max realizes he is in mortal danger, he comes into contact with Orphan X's previous case who passes along The Nowhere Man's telephone number Max.

As Orphan X slowly finds out, helping Max is like peeling an onion - one layer dealt with only reveals another deeper layer of trouble more dangerous than the previous layer.

Hurwitz keeps the story moving forward while keeping his series fresh without growing boring or stagnant.

Hurwitz's Orphan X's series is highly recommended to those that enjoy novels by Lee Child featuring the Jack Reacher character.

Review of ‘Into the Fire’ by Gregg Hurwitz

Where have I been? I just read my first Orphan X, aka Nowhere Man, novel.
I had heard of Orphan X but had never read any of the first four books in the series. My bad.
The plot has the hero on a quest to retire yet events continue to arise with each one more dire than the last, leaving his goal in constant doubt. The cast of supporting characters adds dimension to the story.
Next time I need a quick read with lots of life-or-death action, I know which author to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book, which RELEASES JANUARY 28, 2020.

Evan Smoak, Orphan X, is back in a terrific new novel. He seems to be ready to get out of the business of saving the downtrodden, but gets sucked in one last time (or is it). Just when he thinks he has solved it and can quit, more layers start to unfold, and one of the more fascinating conspiracies is revealed step by violence ridden step. And his neighbors and friends play their role as well. This is another can’t put it down book with this new type of hero. You can’t help but admire and pity him at the same time. Lots of interesting new technical detail as well, and always great reading for vodka lovers. A real triumph.

An ARC from NET GALLEY was provided for this review

Boom, Boom, Boom, and I am a guy that hates series work in general but Hurwitz still pouts the HURT down thru Orphan X aka Evan Smoak.

This installment continues the "smoke-down" as Smoak tries to help Max who opened Pandora's box by doing a little favor for a friend (relative). The action never stops and there is even a puppy in the second half. Great work as usual

Another winner by one of my favorite authors! If you have never read a single book of the great Gregg Hurwitz then don't bother reading this review because it won't mean a thing to you. LOL I love the story of Evan and Mia! They are a super couple and I want them to get together so badly!! I don't want him to retire but yet I do so they can be a couple. Her son Peter is the smartest little fella. Please try this author if you want some action and adventure! plus a great story. I love you Netgalley!! Thanks so much!!