WOW!! Just when you thought the series couldn’t get any better Gregg knocks one out of the park. This 6th book of the series doubles back somewhat and gives us a look into Evan Smoak’s early life and how he became Orphan X. Full of twists and turns, will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page, trying to anticipate where this story will go. A surprising twist at the end to give the story a very satisfying end. Bring on book number 7!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

**might contain spoilers**
In true Hurwitz fashion this was an amazing read from the get go! The dynamic between the characters as usual is spot on. The continued growth of the characters, from the start of the series, especially the favorite repeats is heartwarming and relatable. The cliffhanger ending had me jumping off my chair screaming no!!! Seriously can't wait for the next installment to see where we go from here.

Another great book in the Orphan X series. As much as Evan wants to retire from being The Nowhere Man, he's reluctantly pulled back in after receiving a call from someone claiming to be his mother. She wants him to protect someone he knew from his days before going into the Orphan program, but there is more to this man than Evan realizes. From there everything spirals out of control as Evan finds himself against a tech mogul with miniature drones that don't stop once they acquire their target.

Hurwitz knocked this one out of the park. Between the action and Evan trying to figure out his feelings about family, I could not stop reading. And that ending! I need book seven now!


I received an ARC copy from #NetGalley.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy Prodigal Son in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited for this book and now I don't know how to feel. I had a feeling I'd know how this series ends, but now that it's over, I feel a little deflated. There is still so much that needs to be done and so many questions to answer and now that we are saying goodbye to Evan Smoak, I feel like I need my questions answered. Just when we started seeing the real human and emotional side of Evan, just when we started to think his life could change, everything ends! I have a lot of respect for Hurwitz and understand how and why he ended this series in the way that he did, but I still don't feel satisfied.

The technology talk in this book was a little over my head - it was extremely interesting (and totally horrifying, reminded me of a Black Mirror episode) but it also felt a little technical for my liking. It was hard to keep up.

My secret hope is that Hurwitz does a spin off and focuses more on Joey - she's one of my all time favorite characters.

Overall, I loved this book and this series, but I feel a little empty with the ending.

I am a huge fan of the Orphan X series. This without a doubt is the best book in an already phenomenal series. Gregg Hurwitz has done an outstanding job creating not only an interesting and action packed plot, but the character development is top notch. I also appreciate the comic relief that occurs occasionally within the dialogue. I truly believe I have read the best thriller of 2021 in 2020. It will certainly be in the conversation as a top book of mine at the end of 2021. This book is officially released on January 26, 2021, but you can preorder now wherever books are sold. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy for an honest review.

Mr Hurwitz created and writes about one of my favorite characters. It is always a great experience to read about his adventures.

Another action-packed adventure with Orphan X. I was worried about whether he would resume his role as the Nowhere Man after excepting a pardon from the president. As circumstances unfold in the latest book, the call for help to the Nowhere Man comes from a most unexpected source: a woman claiming to be his mother.

She wants him to help a man called Andrew Duran, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and now has a dedicated brother and sister team out to assassinate him.

I'm not at all as sure about the mother/son business, but I'm very happy to see Evan Smoak take up his mantle as the Nowhere Man again!

Read in August; blog review: Jan. 11, 2021

Keep 'em coming, Mr. Hurwitz!

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Mystery/Thriller. Jan. 26, 2021. Print length: 432 pages.

He's back - but, reluctantly! Reading an Evan Smoak tale is truly a guilty pleasure ... like eating desert before dinner. A glimpse back into his childhood and the origin of Orphan X set the stage. Evan is not a superhero, but a kind-of Batman ... a highly skilled assassin who just wants to help people. Evan was a 12 year-old boy rescued out of the projects of East Baltimore ... only then to undergo a 7 year grueling training course under the tutelage of his handler, Jack Johns... who was the closest thing to father and family he would ever know. He was part of a clandestine black ops "Orphan Program" created by the Department of Defense. ... creating a cadre of assassins of unparalleled abilities that were both deniable and expendable. Each sent on on a mission to destroy a high-value target without a backup. As his trainer, Jack knew it was easy to train him to kill, but hard to have him retain his humanity. Eventually Evan wanted out after a decade of covert killing ... no longer wanting to be a lethal weapon of the government. He was one of the few Orphans with an actual conscience. He found himself with a lot of time on his hands and a unique skill set and embarked on his own program as a pro bono freelancer, helping those innocents who find themselves in impossible situations. ... known by his enemies as The Nowhere Man. He remained on call 24/7 for the unfortunates ... awaiting a 1-855-2-NOWHERE call on his high tech , almost indestructible RoamZone phone. The government felt is was too sensitive to allow Evan's operational capabilities to remain on display for the world ... coupled with their inability to neutralize him. No less than the President of the United States offered him an unofficial pardon if he would refrain from conducting his extracurricular activities as the Nowhere Man.
Evan Smoak thought he was ready to lead an ordinary life ... whatever that was ... without the prospect of death lurking around the corner. The RoamZone was perpetually quiet until suddenly his phone repeatedly chirped with the same unknown number ... which he tried to ignore. Finally he picked up to a call that would explode his life into chaos. An unfamiliar sophisticated voice of woman claimed she was his mother .... and "I know someone who needs your help." Would he help Andrew Duran? He was wanted for questioning in connection with the death of Jake Hargreaves and was hunted by a cabal of killers to eliminate him. Critical to Duran's predicament was witnessing the kamikaze assassination of Hargreaves by a microdrone that was both relentless and efficient. It could have easily been mistaken for an actual dragonfly.
Gregg Hurwitz proves to be a master storyteller as he uncouples this riveting barn burner of a thriller ... exquisitely plotted with unexpected twists and deceptions. Making a reprise appearance is the beloved 16 year-old Joey Morales ... the last recruit of the black operations who washed out, but was then rescued by Evan. She continues to remain under the watchful guidance of Evan and serves as his off-the-books supreme hacker ... living independently in her own apartment with "Dog" the do and attending college. As an aside ... Hurwitz explores the themes of the heartbreak of alcoholism and the difficulties of parenting.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Like chocolate ... you can never get enough of the exploits of Evan Smoak!

I've loved the Orphan X series since the first book.. Some of the stories I have enjoyed more than others, but have never been disappointed. The Prodigal Son is definitely one of my new favorites. I love that Evan seems a little bit more human in this one and the ending is great. Prepare yourself for a great read an adventure with this new novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for my advanced copy to read and review.

I love this series. While this is book 6, you can start anywhere. All you really need to know is that Ethan is sort of an Equalizer character who helps people in trouble. That’s enough to jump in anywhere.

However, if you’ve read the rest of it, you’re going to especially love this one. Ethan’s past and present come crashing together in this one and It’s a race to a violent and possibly heartbreaking finish. This is one of those pulse pounding adventures and you won’t want to look away.

As usual, the action (and things going boom) are interspersed with characters you love and a few feels here and there.

Bring on book 7! I’m here for it!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

The Prodigal Son is another great read by Gregg Hurwitz! Evan Smoak is trying to fit into society as a normal citizen instead of his Orphan X/Nowwhere Man status, an assassin/vigilante. Along the way he is contacted by a woman who gave him up for adoption and wants him to help protect Andrew Duran, a man whose life is in danger. Evan knows Andrew from the group home that he lived in before he entered the Orphan Program. Thus the action begins with a twin assassination team in pursuit of Andrew. With the story progressing, I felt Evan was tying up “loose ends” along the way., I began feeling melancholy about Orphan X because this was the last book of the series. The book continued to hit high points of action until the threats were finally removed. Greg Hurwitz once again amazes me as an author with his climactic ending of Prodigal Son which caught me off guard and blew me away! Way to go, Gregg👍

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! I love this author's style of writing and his characters kept be engaged and entertained until the end of the book! In this novel, you get a glimpse of Evan's troubled childhood and how that has shaped him to be the man he is today! Evan's antics were a little far fetched (I mean, the prison scene ...getting into a secured government facility??!!)...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!!! The ending was one of the biggest shocks, so I will be interested to see how this plays out!

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! (less)

I realize I am reviewing this book early, but I just couldn't hold back from reading it.

Once again Gregg Hurwitz has managed to create a page turning story featuring the infamous Evan Smoak. Evan is supposedly retired but alas he is once again called into play by a most unusual source, his mother Veronica. He is tempted to give up the retired life, one he is ill equipped to deal with, and accomplish one more rescue, one more time being the Nowhere Man, one more time employing the skills he learned as Orphan X.

As always with Evan there are thrills and chills up the wazoo and each time the intrepid intriguing Evan takes on the baddies of the world, it's a battle of wits, brawn, and death defying feats. This time a nanotechnology company and it ruthless leader, is the target. In this dangerous bold pursuit to save the man his mother has asked him to, Evan is aided by the indomitable Joey and as the story proceeds we learn more about their budding relationship and the concept that both Evan and Joey are learning to care for each other even though they never knew how to express or understand their feelings. It's a wonderful relationship and adds a sense of both happiness and fun as these two have such an amusing repartee between them.

We also learn a bit more about Evan's early life and how he eventually became Orphan X. All in all, this is a engaging and engrossing read and the legacy of this series continues to be one that grips and seduces the reader into wanting more. Considering this is the sixth book in this series, it is both brilliant and fantastic that Mr Hurwitz has been able to keep Evan's momentum going and makes those who are fans of this series wait with baited breath for book number seven.

Thank you to Gregg Hurwitz, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for a copy of this book due out January 26,2021.

I just reviewed Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz. #ProdigalSon #NetGalley Super impressed 5/5 and the story of Evan Smoak continues. I am a huge fan of the Orphan X series. This one did not disappoint. I love how action in his life continues and does not slow down. I will be sure to purchase the physical copy when it comes out!

The nowhere man continues to surprise and delight the reader with fast paced action and a story line that grabs you and keeps you rapidly turning pages as quickly as you can read. A book to enjoy which ends and leaves you looking forward to the next adventure.

I loved this book. There were aspects of the near future, with connected weapons, nano machines, big data enabled probes, and believable explanations of how they worked.
There were also backstories of Evan's origins, his family, and how he was shaped into becoming Orphan X......adding yet another layer to a complex protagonist we have all come to love.
The ending was...shall we say..ambigious.
I'm looking forward to the next novel in the series!!!!

Prodigal Son is a true action thriller with loads of heart. Not only do we get to experience Evan Smoak as a child, but also in relation to his mother and a sibling. Replete with high-tech excitement, Hurwitz again pens a best-seller that doesn't disappoint.

Evan Smoak or X has retired or has he? Essentially forced into retirement by the President his Roamzone phone rings with a new person needing his help. After making the decision to look into the case, he learns it has ties to his childhood. The book has several twists and turns to keep it interesting but seems to want to provide Evan's origin story more than it wants to provide a compelling thriller. In learning about his past Evan's internal walls begin to break down and he starts seeing "normal" life and the ordinary as something that could be in his future after all. This series and the characters have alway been exciting and it will be interesting to see how and if there's a change in the tone of the series as Evan becomes more self-aware and enlightened. Will this make him more deadly to his enemies or less? That remains to be seen in the eagerly awaited next installment in this series.

Well, let me start by saying that I really love this series. Part of the reason that it resonates with me so much is due to the main character Evan Smoak. Here is a character who by all traditional ideas should be a lost cause. He was in the foster care system, taken in by a government program who tailor made him into a weapon, became an assassin and has dealt with some of the most horrible beings on the planet. But, what we see in Evan is not a horrible person. He is a person who is trying to find redemption. He became the Nowhere Man to give back. To try to atone for some of his prior actions. Then, as that phase is coming to an end, he is searching for who he is and who he wants to be. He knows that he is never going to have what is traditionally considered a "normal life" but he is slowly realizing that he just might have a couple of relationships that might prove that he has value.

There is Mia, who he sees with Peter and knows that they are "good". Unfortunately, every time he takes a few steps forward in that relationship, something from his other life pops up and interferes. Then, the most important relationship that Evan has at this moment is the relationship with Joey. They are two peas in a pod, neither of them growing up understanding love or trust yet wanting both so much. Evan is beginning to realize the impact that she is having on his life and doesn't know what to name some of the emotions that he feels.

So, that is where we begin with this book. Evan receives several phone calls from someone claiming to be his mother and decides to investigate. This starts a domino falling process that leads to a huge mess all around. I think that where this book shines is with showing the journey that Evan is on to find out who he is. Not who he decided he was and made himself out to be to survive, but who that little boy who kept picking himself up and throwing himself in front of danger can now be. The relationship with Joey is hilarious. I mean, she is such a typical teenager. She is only 16, but Evan isn't sure how to protect her because she's smarter than people twice her age and we all know she's tough, but, she is only 16. His spying and listening on her date with binoculars and then calling her to let her know what his GPA is and his credit rating....there are no words:)

Where I had a small issue was with the actual "investigation" that Evan sets out on. Normally, these books are so fast moving and I am hooked from beginning to end. I was still hooked, but for some reason, the flow wasn't as easy as I'm used to with an Orphan X book. Without spoilers, I do not want to go into too much detail. I ended up being pulled out of the story a few times near the end. There were lots of ends...some of them loose and some of them felt like they were tied in a knot. I just didn't feel like the story arc was completely finished, and that had nothing to do with the cliffhanger ending that happens at the end of this book. I have made it clear that I am willing to stretch reality for this series, I have no problem with that. This one though, was a bit hard for me.

Regardless, I am looking forward to the next book. With the ending that was given....it is guaranteed to start with a bang!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. In this book you learn what Ethan's life was as an orphan and how be became the man he is today. This book was action packed. I cant wait for the next book in the orphan series.