I love Evan's character and I love the way author pulls him out of really sticky situations. And this has not changed over this series. I thoroughly enjoy the Nowhere Man series. Anxiously waiting for the next one. Please keep them coming.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

I have greatly enjoyed this series. Evan Smoak, a now retired Orphan X, is yanked out of retirement to save his orphanage childhood friend.

Loved the bantering relationship between Evan and Joey. But, I found this to be a much less compelling story than previous books which is disappointing. Lots and lots of conversation dedicated to fancy high-tech gadget stuff, which is okay, but didn't seem to move the story forward. I think the Mollenken character could have been introduced some other way than by hosting an extremely descriptive X-rated sex party.

2.5☆

Prodigal Son
A Book by Gregg Hurwitz
St. Martin's Press

After the tension and turmoil of the last few weeks because of the US election and the world-wide pandemic, many people are seeking to curl up in a comfy chair and relax as they escape into a good book. If you are one of those people, stay as far away from Gregg Hurwitz's Prodigal Son (St, Martin's Press) as you possibly can. However, if your idea of a good time is to read something even more terrifying than the latest news, this is the book for you.

Orphan X is back with a vengeance.

In Prodigal Son which I read courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, we learn how Evan Smoak became a highly effective assassin with a secret operation known as the Orphan Program. Ultimately disillusioned, he leaves the program and (as The Nowhere Man), takes on a new mission - helping the most desperate in their times of trouble. Penance for his former life.

It is a great set up for Prodigal Son, and Hurwitz makes the most of it,

A phone call from a mysterious woman sends Smoak to find and then protect a man he never met from something similar to the 'Deep State.'

'Cry havoc, and let loose the dogs of war,' cries Caesar and that is precisely what happens. A military-industrial complex out of control. Evil twins with a wickedly deadly style and equally deadly weapons. Murderous drones that can slice and dice a target within seconds. Drones that are virtually invisible, have built-in facial recognition software, and operate with a collective awareness.

I couldn't stop reading the fast-paced book with its complex and interlinking plots. The long-buried past catches up with The Nowhere Man in this terrific and highly recommended novel

This is a procedural thriller about Orphan X, an assassin. who was pulled from an orphanage and trained by the government. Now he gets a call from a woman claiming to have given him up for adoption asking him to help a man whose life is in danger escape.

A fast-paced thrill ride, Prodigal Son is sure to please.

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz was my first Orphan X novel. Although this is not the first in the series, I don't think it hurt me any to jump in here as this begins with young Evan Smoak, an orphan and an unlikely candidate to be drafted into the role of a trained government assassin.

The author does a great job of mixing flashbacks with current events and tells the story with lightning-fast action and lots of twists and exciting technology.

Evan receives a call from the mother that abandoned him, with a request to do one more job. That request could put his life on the line or end him up in prison for the rest of his life. Is this woman his mother, or isn’t she? It sounds like she knows a lot about him, and it sounds too good to be true. Will he risk it all to carry out one last Nowhere Man assignment, for her?
I found this book full of fast-paced action but also sensitivity. The pages read faster the farther in I got.

Recommended!

Gregg Hurwitz’ Prodigal Son will be published on 26 January 2021!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books, #NetGalley, and the author of #ProdigalSon An Orphan X Novel for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback, this is it!

So good! I didn't even know this series existed and requested on the description but man am I glad I did. I'd never read any of this series but that didn't stop me from loving this book. Excellent all the way through and I'm sure long time fans and new ones will love it too.

Another great addition to the Orphan X series! Gregg Hurwitz never disappoints and his latest, Prodigal Son, is another great thriller of a read. I definitely recommend reading the entire series, but if you don't, you can still totally understand what is happening in this book. Definitely a must add to your reading collection!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have been hooked on the Orphan X series ever since I read the first book a few years ago. Evan Smoak Is such an interesting character and each of the books, including "Prodigal Son", is a thrilling read.

One of the things that really takes "Prodigal Son" to the next level is the inclusion of more of Evan's childhood history, and the introduction of his birth mother. Evan started the series alone , maintaining the avoidance of relationships and emotional entanglements because of who he was trained to be and what he does. The addition of his birth mother brings out emotions in him that we haven't seen before. HIs evolution as a person in this book makes Evan more interesting as he battles the conflicts his feelings bring out with him and attempts to reconcile them with the detachment he needs to perform.

And of course there's action - plenty of physical altercations, fire fights, explosions and high tech subterfuge. All the stuff that makes Orphan X books fun to read!

I can only hope this isn't the end of the Orphan X books - I'm sincerely hoping for book #7.

Forced into retirement, Evan Smoak gets an urgent request for help from someone he didn't even suspect existed...

This is my first read in the Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz, which I assumed would make this book fairly confusing. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that not the case here.

Without Evan Smoak's backstory, I still enjoyed the adventure of this semi-retired agent/mercenary. He's a complicated guy, with a difficult past – but he's also coming to terms with his own humanity and capacity to be more than a killing machine. I rooted for him not just in his mission, but also personally.

His relationships with his "family," both real and chosen, evolve in such a genuine way. What could have been an eye-roller in the wrong writer's hands was the opposite here. You don't have to know Smoak's entire life bio to see a lone wolf finding some much needed grounding and emotional growth.

For readers who still want a killing machine, they won't be disappointed. Evan dispatches the bad guys with quite a bit of iffy tech and a whole lot of coincidence. Sure, it's unlikely that he was going to walk a 250lb man's body forward to use as a shield, or get a person to step exactly on a spot on a desert floor that is going to prove useful. That is part of the fun in action thrillers: Suspend a little disbelief and carry on.

I thought it rather amusing that Evan loves expensive vodka. Of all the spirits he could have chosen, vodka is the one that is the most empty of differentiation. For the most part, vodka is just Neutral Grain Spirit and filtered water. (Occasionally vodka is potato or grape-based) What makes unflavored vodka taste different is usually the water source and filtration, not the liquor itself.

I'm not sure Evan's belief in the difference of ultra-premium vodka is intentional. But if it was, I find it rather reflective of a guy who clearly believes he too is a premium man in a world of Smirnoff-bros. As the story progresses on, he seems to realize he isn't, at heart, all that different. Sometimes vodka is vodka, even if it has a fancy origin story and a bigger price tag. He wants love and connection, even if he's not always great at knowing how to access those desires.

The only thing I didn't love about this book is when the prose gets a bit too purple. I felt the same way reading another book by this author, The Crime Writer. I enjoy waxing rhapsodic about a city, or a car, or an apartment as much as the next gal. But there is a point where $10 words about a $.50 thing drags the story down a bit.

Reader's Note on the ARC: Call it a nitpicky piece of trivia, but Kate Chopin is not the woman writer who stuffed her pockets with rocks to drown herself. Chopin died of an aneurysm. Virginia Woolf is the woman who ended her life that way.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. Prodigal Son (Orphan X, #6) will be available on Jan. 26th, 2021.

I received an advanced edition of this book via NetGalley for my honest review. Thank you. This is the first book I've read in the Orphan X series. And, of course, not the last. The story is a page turner because it is loaded with action while showing the emotional side with the main character's mother. A must read I highly recommend.

Well. Well. Weeeellllllll. Now I'm sad. I'm all caught up on this series. I binge read most of it so I could read this one. And now, I will have to wait until 2022 for book seven. That is, if there is for sure going to be a book seven. I think there will be one? I sure hope there will be one.

I am all about Evan Smoak. He is such a bad mama jammer! I can't get enough of his adventures. This one is no different. Man, I had no idea where the author could possibly take us after book five. This adventure was definitely one I wasn't prepared for!

As in the previous books, technology plays a big part of the book. This one more so than in the previous books. Once you read this one, you will see. Holy moly. The isht in this book blew my mind. My heart was in my throat when the biggest scene came about. I just kept praying this book wouldn't end Evan's story, not after everything that was revealed in this book.

Speaking of the things revealed in this one. I wasn't expecting THAT, until I was. I did put some pieces together before they were revealed, but I think the reader is supposed to at least suspect, so I don't feel ripped off. The confirmation was like an extra cherry for me.

In this book, we get to see more of Evan's transformation. I am loving seeing him warm up into "humanity" slowly from book to book. This one really packs a punch or ten in that aspect. Be prepared to be hit in the gut with a softer side to Evan while him still being the savage beast he's always been.

The Orphan X series is one of my very favorites.

Unlike many other series this one never gets stale. Gregg Hurwitz is an exceptional writer who brings new twists while keeping the stories fresh as well as our protagonist.

I have been a fan of Gregg Hurwitz long before this series. He continues to get better and better.

Bravo Gregg!

I loved this book! The Orphan X series is well written and Prodigal Son did not disappoint. Evan Smoak was trained to do the unimaginable and do it well. In this book Evan's past and present collided in an action packed but emotionally heartfelt manner that kept me turning the page long past bedtime. Gregg Hurwitz writes characters that come off the page and you almost expect to meet them in the street. His secondary characters are fully developed and contribute to the story in meaningful ways that help you understand the true depth of Evan Smoak. I loved the plot and how the action just kept getting more and more complicated with a very modern-day theme. Definitely want to read more of Gregg Hurwitz's work.

This book didn't disappoint. I love this series and how the stories flow from one book to the next. There were a few areas of the book where it wasn't much of a surprise as to where it was going to go but for the most part things went well with a couple of twist. I love that Evan is trying to learn emotions and how to live in the normal world.

I'm a huge Orphan X fan and was thrilled to receive a copy of Prodigal Son via Netgalley. Evan Smoak has evolved over the last few books so was curious to see what Gregg Hurwitz had in store for this sixth installment of the series. In short, this book delivers big time and might be the best Orphan X book yet.

Prodigal Son continues to show Evan's development as a character while he grapples with several things - where he came from, his current relationships and trying to stop the bad guy. It goes way beyond just saving the day. Evan is learning more about himself and that he can possibly let people into his life to become more than just being Orphan X, as evident by his relationship with Joey continuing to evolve. But this book isn't all about getting in touch with feelings. The plot includes a genius tech mogul who's using his talents for evil and Evan has to dig deep to find a way to come out on top.

This book has it all - sarcasm, character development, twists and turns, strong action sequences, new technology, suspense and much more. Oh, one more thing...the ending will leave you breathless and dying to find out what happens next.

Pick up a copy of Prodigal Son when it's released on January 26, 2021. You will not be disappointed. And if you haven't ready any of the other books in the series, I highly recommend you start now because you're missing out on one of the premier series in the thriller genre.

Prodigal Son is the 6th book in the Orphan X series and if you’re like me and haven’t read any of the previous installments, fear not! This could be a stand alone novel.
Evan Smoak is initially passed over as a member of the elite Orphan Program but sheer stubbornness and desperation to escape the foster home he is currently stranded in win him a spot. The result is he becomes an unrivaled government assassin until his retirement for what he hopes is a simpler life. An unexpected phone call from a woman claiming to be his mother lead Evan on a dangerous mission to save Andrew Duran who has lead a bad luck life most of which is self inflicted through his own poor life choices. Helping Evan is Joey, a teenage tech whiz who is almost too brilliant at what she does.
One slight drawback to the book is all the high tech gadgets throughout the story. They are at times are the star of the show and tend to overwhelm the plot. Either the author has a very vivid imagination or the gadgets are real and mind boggling. After awhile you just go with the flow and accept that high tech is going to over take us.
Special thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for an early ebook of #ProdigalSon for an honest opinion.

This book is so so good! Besides the usual baddassery, we get to find out more about Evan’s beginnings! Probably my favorite Orphan X novel so far! I recommend starting the series from the beginning if you’re new to the series, but definitely read the series!

I am one of the people who requested this book without realizing that it was part of a series with 5 previous books. That didn't stop me from getting total!y pulled into this story, and really enjoying this book. II connected to Evan, much to my surprise, and will now go back and start at the beginning of the series, as it was that good.. I received a an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.. 4-1/2 stars.

I am a huge fan of the Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz, so imagine my delight at having the opportunity to read an advance copy of Prodigal Son from NetGalley. It certainly lives up to the high standards set by the previous 5 books in the series and goes one better. For edge of your seat excitement and suspense, this is right there. “What’s the worst that could happen?”, asks Andre Duran early on. And he’s soon to find out thereby requiring help from The Nowhere Man. Joey, his teenage protege, returns bringing her humor and attitude.

Prodigal Son features much more emotion by filling in Evan Smoak’s background and introducing before-unknown characters including his mother. He continues to opine on the possibility of a “normal” life that includes his neighbor Mia and her 9 year-old son Peter. Summed up by his thoughts, “He’d certainly expended himself in the service of others, fo Andre and those he helped, but now all those missions lay revealed to him for what they were—proxies for actual intimacy, surrogates for real connections that could pierce through his defenses and touch him at the tender core.” Couldn’t read it fast enough but, at the same time, didn’t want it to end. Thanks again to NetGalley for this treat.

I am so glad there are still people in the world with imaginations and the talent to write about those imaginings like Gregg Hurwitz. From the minute I picked up the first Orphan book, I was hooked and this one was no exception. Evan Smoak, aka Orphan X, comes alive in this book and the facade is exposed. We watch as the street-wise kid who escaped from the orphanage to become a paid assassin, now in forced retirement, faces the collision of his past with the present. True to form, Hurwitz finds ways to get Evan out of the most harrowing situations with plot twist and turns as equally surprising as the ending. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book, one which I highly recommend and enjoyed immensely.