As I read, I think of the rating that the book deserves,and this rating changes throughout my reading experience. Prodigal son deserves five stars, and this rating was captured numerous times as I proceeded to read it. In fact, if I could give this book 8 or nine stars it would have earned them,based on creativity alone.I also deduct stars if I do not feel that the author gave the ending the time and thought it deserved.In this case, I was delighted by the ending, and would have given it a high rating,even if the book had not captivated me completely at that point.To the author,great job!

PRODIGAL SON is the latest entry in the Orphan X series. Disclaimer: I love this series. I love Evan Smoak.

Evan Smoak spent time in a group home. He left the group home by making sure he was chosen for the Orphan Program. The program taught Evan a set of skills that made him the best at what he was assigned to accomplish. While Evan no longer utilized those skills in an official capacity, he did use them to help people who needed his help for no fee. He only asked that his contact information be given to someone who might also need his help. Evan was asked to retire, but he receives a call from the mother he never knew asking that he assist someone. So Evan sets about helping and action follows.

In Prodigal Son we learn details about Evan's time in the group home and some of the people who were there with him. We see some familiar faces and some new ones. Evan's dedication to helping the less powerful is on full display. We also get to see how he cares for the people he has allowed to become like family. And family; the family we're born into, the family we make, and/or leave, play a key role here for so many characters.

Evan's prowess as an assassin was never in doubt. Here, we get to see his skill as well as his humanity. We get to experience a range of emotions with Evan as he deals with new situations. And as always, we are left wanting more because this is what author Gregg Hurwitz does best. He writes these incredible stories that take us along for the journey with his characters. This was a fantastic outing for Evan Smoak. I am patiently waiting to see what's next.

When you’re a big fan of a series, there’s always a little fear that maybe the books will start declining in quality. No such concern here; this was my favorite Evan Smoak novel so far. The plot blends the classic “just one more job” and “this time, it’s personal” storylines, with Evan Smoak having to come out of his enforced retirement to help a woman claiming to be his biological mother. Along the way he navigates his increasingly complicated relationship with his love interest/neighbor and his protegée the prodigy. There’s so much danger, suspense, and juicy personal conflict, but at the same time the familiar silliness of the crazy vodkas and quirky living setup. It’s like having funny little moments of “shaken, not stirred” to punctuate the episodes of violence and drama. As with the Bond films, we’re left eager for the next installment.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to review a digital advance copy.

This book is about a foster home orphan trained into the orphan training program, its an off the books operation that turned him into a government assassin. His name was orphan x until he broke free and got a new name, the nowhere man. He was helping people instead of hurting them until he got a offer from the highest powers of the government to stop being the nowhere man, live a normal life and he would get a full pardon. Off the record. Until he gets a phone call that threatens everything. I found this book to be very entertaining. Right up my alley. I love the action and the choices he has to make. Very well written and has a good ending.

Gregg Hurwitz is a prolific writer of several series. Prodigal Son is the latest book in the thriller series on Orphan X, the Nowhere Man. I have not read others in the series, but I surely will now! I found the Prodigal Son could stand alone based on descriptions of who Orphan X, Evan Smoak was - and is now, an orphan who was trained secretly to be a deadly assassin, but who has pulled away from the black ops program to use his skills to help people.
The book was fast-paced, starting with scenes of Evan’s early years in group homes, toughened up by fending for himself since childhood. Barely a teen, he was groomed and educated in a secret program that made him into one of the most effective operatives the program had ever trained. Now retired from black ops, and pardoned by the President of the US as long as he stays retired, Evan received an anonymous phone call about someone needing help. Originally ignored, the call was eventually answered, and where it leads is the subject of Prodigal Son.
There are multiple stories woven together of dysfunctional families, some related by blood, some by marriage, some only by shared experience. The character development was outstanding, colorful and descriptive. The author delved into the emotions of broken people, and how they strive for normalcy, despite not knowing what normal is.
The high tech aspect of security, weaponry, and artificial intelligence was fascinating, and frightening. No average citizen is aware of the rapid progression of the projects of Silicon Valley, but this book demonstrates samples of what has previously been conceptual but which are now likely close to reality. Great in the right hands, horrific in the wrong ones! I particularly found fascinating the set of rules the ops live by - and quote frequently - like “the way you do anything is the way you do everything.” The camaraderie of those in the program, their contacts, and the military, I found very interesting because it’s all about a code of honor.
It’s difficult to discuss much about the plot without spoilers, so leave it that each chapter takes the reader places he/she doesn’t expect. And it’s a thriller that will keep you guessing. The characters are real and relatable. The situations are life - on steroids.
So if you are looking for a thriller that takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, this is it. I felt the loneliness of so many of the characters who had led lives of anxiety and abuse, the fear of those who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the struggles of those hoping to take back lives out of control.
I received an ARC of Prodigal Son for an unbiased review. I highly recommend it, and now plan to start the whole Orphan X series from Book 1.

Jumping to the last book in a series usually would be a problem, but
Prodigal Son does stand on its own.

Evan Smoak is a retired assassin turned do-gooder. Slowly and reluctantly,
he gets dragged into in an operation to rescue a man who doesn't seem to
want to be saved.

The book kept me engaged, and had a number of twists that talking about
would become spoilers. There was a fair amount of action and a fair amount
of moralizing. The analysis of next-generation drone swarms is chilling, and
brings to mind the Terminator films. The life lessons that Evan learned from
his trainer get passed on to Evan's protege. There's also a fair amount of
weapons porn and detailed descriptions of hacks in techspeak. They seem
plausible, but are also skimmable.

Overall I enjoyed it, but it didn't grab me moment to moment

I really enjoyed this book. Character development was good. The plot was very interesting. Not a lot of typos.

I really like Evan Smoak, I like his attitude, his cool apartment and his uncomplicated stance on right and wrong. This latest offering takes us into the past, the time when Evan is in an orphanage, where he is spotted by Jack, although the way he ends up being Jack's protege is not straightforward, and we wouldn't want it to be.

Evan gets a message from someone who appears to be his long lost mother, but how could that be, he has never met her, she has never been in touch with him. This woman sets him a task which of course will be dangerous and life threatening, I mean it has to be, thats how these books work. So, despite Evan's compulsory retirement, by order of no less than the President, he is back on task, investigating and protecting and being shot at and beaten to a pulp as per usual.

Another great addition to the series, best of all I love that you can dip in and out of the series and still get the gist. Evan is a machine with a heart. The boys and staff at my high school love these books. We all hang out for a new one. I'll be recommending this one very highly.

This was my first orphan x book and with that you could totally start here. This book was the action-packed thriller it claimed to be and I can't wait to start at the beginning of the series.
Evan was the small bullied kid in the boys home who made sure he had a different future. He becomes the man you call when danger has found you. In this book he comes across some people from his past and has to figure out how to deal with that. I love Joey and can't wait to get to know her better..
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review.

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwtiz is another superb installment in the Orphan X series. Hope Hurwitz continues

Evan Smoak. Orphan X. The Nowhere Man. Three entities, but all one man. Fleshed out in five prior novels and three novellas by Gregg Hurwitz, Prodigal Son is the latest of the novels and continues to offer the consistent quality and imagination as found in the previous stories detailing the progression of Smoak to Orphan X to The Nowhere Man and now back to Evan Smoak.

As readers of the previous stories know, first there was orphan Evan Smoak, raised in a state home until selected at the age of twelve to become a trained assassin by Jack Johns for the highly classified Orphan Program. Through inhumanely rigorous training, Evan Smoak then bloomed into Orphan X, becoming not only the most highly skilled of the Orphan assassins, but also specifically trained by Johns to maintain his humanity while carrying out the coldest and most lethal of directives.

After Orphan X reached his fill of assassinations, choosing to leave the program, he then became The Nowhere Man. The Nowhere Man, with a creed of helping the innocent when no other help could be found, established a type of pay-it-forward practice as penance for his past assassinations. In these newer missions, Smoak would engage the same set of assassin commandments taught to him by Johns, instead now, rather than primarily for mission success, these rules are employed to ensure his own continued survival.

Prodigal Son picks up a short time after the previous novel. After receiving a presidential pardon for past killings, Smoak is attempting to live a normal life under an agreement dictating that, so long as The Nowhere Man remains retired, the government he once killed for will not pursue him.

In alternating past and present chapters, flashbacks offer new details of Smoak’s selection and entry into the Orphan Program, while present chapters introduce Andrew Duran, an alcoholic, down on his luck, tow yard attendant. Duran, while working the tow yard kiosk (and for the misfortune of encountering a mysterious, murderous duo) has been forced to flee for his life. Of the duo, one is a well-dressed, highly polished man, who appears to be able to kill at will. The other is his beautiful, movie star-like, female companion.

While Duran is fleeing for his life, Smoak has been receiving calls on his encrypted cellular network from a mysterious woman claiming to possess shocking information pertaining to Smoak. Smoak meets with this woman of apparent great wealth, who persuades him to protect Andrew Duran. In protecting Duran, Smoak enters a world where his enemies are not only more dangerous than ever but also armed with the strangest and deadliest capabilities he has ever encountered.

Prodigal Son includes characters previously introduced in past novels. Notable among them is sixteen-year-old computer whiz, Josephine, an Orphan Program washout Smoak took under his wing to mold as Jack Johns once did for him.

Hurwitz continues to create enjoyable, high-tech thriller stories with interesting plots and characters. Oddly, while often these tales include what seems to be a far-fetched, high tech impossibilities, Hurwitz provides enough background and detailing information to make one believe such advanced technology is already available and presently being used. Hurwitz also tells his stories in a way that provides the inner rationales and psychology used by his characters to explain and define their behavior in believable ways.

The Tales within the world of Orphan X are always well crafted and as consistently excellent as those by Ace Atkins, Michael Connelly, and Lee Child.

Prodigal Son was provided by Netgalley for the promise of a fair review and this review was originally published at MysteryandSuspense.com

I read this book in 2 days. I read a lot, but 5hats unusual even for me.. the characters are real and you care about them, hurt with them and cheer for their success and growth. Also things I find in books fairly often but not so much in this genre. There’s action, plots, twists and empathy. All in all a very good read. I look forward to the next

I got hooked on reading about Orphan X/The Nowhere Man in late 2018 and look forward to each and every new story. I’m so happy I get to read an advance copy and review it before it hits the shelves.

Getting to know Evan Smoak is a treat as he’s always caught up in some sort of turmoil no matter how hard he tries to stay on the straight and narrow. I can’t wait for his next adventure!

Prodigal Son is the first book I've read from the author Gregg Hurwitz and the first book I've read from the Orphan X series. I did some research and found out this is the 6th volume. Nevertheless, the book can be read as a standalone. In this book, Evan Smoak, known as Nowhere Man, has retired. His decision to retire would be timely because a company, called Mimeticom, which specializes in creating an animal design to build weapons (particularly microdrones) and founded by a biomimeticist, Dr. Brendan Molleken. In today's development in technology, people lost jobs replaced by robots. Same as with the Orphan Program, with the development of technology that can be used for military weapons and espionage by the DoD, the program has dwindled its recruitment. I think is a good time for Evan Smoak to finally get out of the game.

Unexpectedly, he got a call from his long-lost mother, Veronica, asking his help for a friend. Evan didn't know that the friend is more than a business transaction. It is someone who will bring him to his past and make him remember who he was. A past that will always be a part of him no matter how much he tried to become another person.

The plot has a lot of twists. As I read, several revelations were completely unexpected. In most action-adventure thriller novels I read I can predict the plot right away. Maybe because this is the first book I've read from the Orphan X series? Or I chalk it up to the amazing mystery and thriller writing of the author.

It not as suspenseful as I felt anxious about what is being revealed. It has a double effect on me, either I did not put the book down because I wanted to find out what it is or I ended up putting the book down because it will take a couple of chapters before I find out. There are times I cannot put the book down and there are times I have to motivate myself to continue.

The pace of the story is slow but steady. The author is remarkable at making each chapter as impactful and relevant in the next scene. This is what I look for in character and story development. There are times I get lost on what they are talking about because it is too technical, just goes to show the author is well researched on the subject like the RoamZone phones. I must say with the way he describes the gadgets Evan Smoak is using, the author has a knack for writing persuading customer reviews and marketing products.

Evan's character is high and flawless. He is a white knight but also a thing that goes bump in the dark. I primarily admire his chivalry with women because growing up I read stories about princesses needing saving from a castle from a monster or dragon by a knight in shining armor. While I do not like women being objectified and portrayed as fragile, the author introduced other female characters that have spunk, vulnerability, resilience, and strength in them. The author was able to put together complex characters that have dynamic, functional, and emotional interactions. Though Evan is high and flawless, the author also made him human and imperfect.

What I liked about this book is that I learned so much about biomimetics, the Orphan X program, the laugh-out-loud moments, the individual thoughts and feelings of Evan and Andre, their feelings towards each other, and the many aphorisms by Evan Smoak and on this book that I can use as quotable quotes.

If you are into biomimetics, operatives, action-adventure, thriller, hacking, and high-tech weaponry, then you will enjoy reading this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, publisher St. Martin's Press, and author Gregg Hurwitz for providing an advanced digital copy of this book. All reviews are honest and my own.

This is not a paid review and thank you to NetGalley for the advance look.

There is not much more to say. I believe that Gregg Hurwitz has taken over the mantle of best thriller writer out there. His Orphan X series is a study in excellence and growth. Excellence because the quality and consistency is on display from the start of the series though what is now book #6. Growth because, Evan Smoak, Orphan X is nowhere near the man he was in book one. It takes an author of skill to mature and grow a character as convoluted as X. Hurwitz succeeds masterfully.

at the end of book 5, Into the Fire, Evan had just made a deal with the President of the United States to stop his activities as the Nowhere Man. That is until his Roamzone rings and on the other end is a voice of a woman that tell him that she is his mother. Which brings us to Prodigal Son, unsettled by the phone call and trying his best to ignore it, Evan tries his newfound retirement and is frankly, bored. So, when the phone rings again with the same caller, he decides to take the plunge.
Meanwhile, a impound lot worker witnesses a murder and is no on the run. The problem is that the murder wasn't done with just any ordinary weapon, but a miniature drone that looks like a wasp. Tying the two together, Evan's mother asks him to help Andre, the impound worker. What transpires from these two very different story arcs is what will be the best thriller of 2021.
We also learn a lot more about Evan Smoak and the where's and why's of how he came to be left at the orphanage as a baby as well as a deeper look into his time there and eventual recruitment to be part of the Orphan program.
No spoilers here but if you are in the mood for evil scientists, hellfire missiles, super smart tiny drones and one heck of a cliffhanger ending. Look no further. Pick up Orphan X and get reading. That way you will be ready for Prodigal Son when it hits the shelves.

Greg Hurwitz's Orphan X series is incomparable. Throw-away kids are saved from a life of poverty and misery by a stranger who then trains them to serve the government by killing bad guys. Evan Smoak was one of the chosen boys, became the best at his job, and then couldn't live with what he was doing so quit, vowing to use his prodigious skills to save people in impossible circumstances. In Book 6 of the series, Prodigal Son (Minotaur Books 2021), the case involves Andrew Duran, a young man working minimum wage jobs to pay child support for a daughter he loves more than anything. When he's blamed for a murder, he must run for his life but he's no match for the forces arrayed against him. Enter Evan Smoak--Orphan X. He is slow to commit to help this desperate man until he finds out pieces of Duran's backstory that make Evan understand he must help, and for all the right reasons. The fact that he's made a deal with the government to retire from what he calls his 'Nowhere Man' business, this situation transcends even their threat to prosecute him and toss him in a prison he'll never escape.

The story, like all in this series, is fast paced with lots of nuance and clever characters you’ll like spending time with. It's highly recommended to those who love thrillers. In fact I have three more of the books on my table waiting anxiously to be read

Hurwitz continues the saga of Orphan X aka Evan Smoak in Prodigal Son. Seemingly retired as both an assassin and as the Nowhere Man in exchange for a secret presidential pardon, he is drawn back into action by a woman who purports to be the mother he has never known. She asks him to look after a ne'er-do-well semi-recovering alcoholic who is working as a security guard at a police impound lot.

The action takes off from there as does Evan's voyage of discovery of his self and his past. He runs into mercenaries, a mad scientist who has created autonomous killer microdrones based upon insects, and a pair of psychopaths killers that are brother and sister.

I won't go into what Evan finds about himself, his purported mother, and the ne'er do well as I don't want to spoil the story for the reader. Needless to say, it draws you in.

After the story is seemingly settled, Hurwitz leaves the reader with a cliffhanger thus promising that there will be more in the Orphan X series.

As the book is not yet eligible to be reviewed on Amazon.com, I will just leave this here until then.

In the bool Prodigal Son, you learn of Evan’s backstory, and some of the people in his life before he entered the program. To be honest, it took me a bit to start the book. But kept reading and was glad I did.
I enjoyed of the book, but I think it would have been better if I had read the past books in the series.
Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC for an honest review.

I have not read any of the previous Orphan X books by Gregg Hurwitz but I will now. Let me say it did not impact this reading experience but I’m sure readers in the know are a step ahead of newbies understanding all the inter-connections. The characters are intriguing. The plot-lines are non-stop. It was a page turner.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press and Gregg Hurwitz for this enjoyable read.

I have read alI have read all the books written about Evan Smoak. This one delved into his past. We see Evan’s backstory, and some of the people in his life before he was taken to the ‘program’. It took me a bit to start the book. But kept reading and was glad I did. The writing as usual was particularly good. The author fleshed out a few of the recurring characters which I enjoyed.
Your enjoyment of the book will be better if you have read the past books in the series. Now I want a book based on Orphan V!
Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy for an honest review