This is one of the best mistakes I've ever made! When invited by NetGalley to listen to this, I thought it sounded so good I clicked through right away. I didn't realize it was the 7th of a series. I decided to listen anyway and I'm so glad I did!

"Do you need my help?" Is how Evan answers the phone. The people who call him do need his help, but he doesn't jump in for just anyone. People who are deserving and worthy of help get it. Those who are not? Who knows? When a drug dealer calls him because his daughter has been kidnapped, Evan is skeptical, but in the end, he does decide to help. Does he get the dealer's daughter back safely? Will he and the girl survive? You'll have to read this to find out!

I realize I probably missed a lot by not having read the previous novels, but even so, this worked perfectly well as a stand alone. I grew to like Evan, but I must admit that his computer expert Joey, got on my nerves a little bit. (Joey is the equivalent of Penelope on Criminal Minds, but only a teenager.) I think their banter would have bothered me less if I were more familiar with her character.

With a fast pace, a kick-ass narrator, (Scott Brick), and a story that just won't quit, I loved this book! And now I'm forced to track down the previous 6 audios!

Highly recommended!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this audio in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

Thanks to NetGalley & MacMillan audio for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Orphan X series has been recommended to me, but I hadn't gotten around to reading any of the books yet. Fortunately, this is a series where you can pick it up anywhere (it seems) and get a little bit of backstory here and there, and still enjoy the story. Ultimately, it's the story of a "man with a particular set of skills," so you've read/seen a variation on the theme before.

Evan Smoak (hah, I see what you did there, Gregg Hurwitz) is that man, the Nowhere Man, Orphan X, former government assassin, raised up to be a badass for Uncle Sam, Black-Widow style. But now he's out, and he's trying to help people who have nowhere else to turn. Assisting him is Joey, a teenage girl who's also a former Orphan Program operative, and sort of Evan's unrelated niece/ward/daughter-figure. She's a computer whiz (of course) and a phenomenal help to Evan when he takes on the rescue of the daughter of the strangely gentlemanly drug kingpin, Aragon Urrea (sigh - can we not with the whole "good drug dealer" trope already?).

Aragon's daughter has been kidnapped from her own birthday party by a rival cartel, the kind of cartel that kills innocents in horrible, unimaginable ways, but somehow, Angelina Urrea remains alive. Evan's (unpaid) job is to gain entrance to the compound where she's being kept and liberate her from her prison. Of course, there are complications.

The B-plot is Evan's relationship with a neighbor in his co-op building, Mia. Mia's a single mom widow with a young son who is trying to take her relationship with Evan to the "meet my extended family" level, which he seems surprisingly OK with given that they seem not to do much together except occasional boot-knocking, and Evan is, at best, kind of a robot. *That* situation becomes complicated when Mia suffers a medical event that throws their future into question. Whatever, it was not compelling to me, maybe because I have nothing invested here and it kinda seems like the characters don't either. I smell an editor who thinks readers need some romance to go with their action plot, to get the ladies onside. But guess what: they don't. The romance is too shallow to be at all compelling, especially in comparison to the crackerjack action stuff. If they need Evan to be more human and relatable, just double down on the quirky stuff Evan does that shows his peculiar human qualities (OCD, clean clothing weirdness, etc.).

Then be prepared to suspend your disbelief, cos this shit gets unreal. Naturally, there are some plot twists which I will not reveal, and then there is the BIG denouement where Evan has to get Angelina OUT in one piece and it's a damn bloodbath. If you've read a Jack Reacher novel, you know what time it is. It's go time, and only the heroes are gonna make it out alive (and maybe not all of them). This is where stuff gets intense, if you're squeamish (although it's not as bad as when they run a floor stripper over a guy; that was gnarly).

Scott Brick brings an appropriate level of movie trailer awesomeness to the narration, and does a good job on the dialogue. He even does a decent teenage girl assassin, and does a passable Hispanic accent. Bravo Scott (and I don't say that often).

Dark Horse is the 7th book in the Orphan X series by Gregg Andrew Hurwitz. Evan Smoak is the main character, a vigilante of sorts, who helps those in need. After tumultuous recent events, he’s not looking for another complicated mission, but one finds him anyway.

This book is a part of an ongoing series that is best read in order due to its many characters and its over-arching story that links one book to the next. It’s action packed, fast-paced and full of danger and adventure. Its definitely graphic, and not for the faint of heart. It’s wrought with tension and centers around a drug cartel, and a kidnapping with a host of unsavory characters.

I listened to the audio version of the story, which was narrated by Scott Brick. He has experience in other crime fiction series and has the perfect tough, gritty tone for this type of work. The audio format sets you right in the middle of the action and brings the plot to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really can't get into this book. The narrator is reading this book like it's a bad nature documentary on community TV and I just can't listen to it. I will try with the book eventually but this audio book is definitely not for me and if I continue, it will ruin the story completely. Thank you NetGalley for the audio book though.

This is a series that never disappoints. Evan smoak is at it again, and just as cool as ever. He is starting to show a soft side … he’s evolving and that is what makes this series so great. There’s a story running in the background that is always changing. Keep “em coming …. Orphan X is great!

This audio has high reviews, so check other reviews on Goodreads because they are awesome! I requested it not realizing it was a series so I could catch on. I would read the others before diving into this one. It is not a standalone. I’m judging by the other reviewers that read this it is an outstanding series! I know the author is fantastic!
Needless to say, I never do this but I DNF 😣 Thank you NetGalley for sending me this audiobook

In this seventh book in the Orphan X series, Evan Smoak, "The Nowhere Man", is called on to use the skills he developed as a government assassin to find the kidnapped daughter of drug lord, Aragon Urrea. Evan wrestles with his conscience before agreeing to help Urrea with conditions that the drug kingpin will not find agreeable.

Urrea is repeated described by various characters as an "unconventional businessman" rather than a drug lord because of his high-tech operation and mix of illegal and legitimate businesses. He also garners some sympathy for being devoted to his wife and daughter and a patron of the Texas town he lives in. By comparison, Urrea's archnemesis, the suspected kidnapper, visits multiple prostitutes a day, constantly berates his son, and organizes books by color! Oh, the horror!

This is a great "guy" series. Evan is a tough guy protagonist who can beat up dozens of muscle-bound thugs in the blink of an eye and will describe in detail his plan on how to do so before the first punch is thrown. Our husbands will love it.

It even has some strong female characters. I really enjoyed Joey Morales, Evan's teenage tech genius sidekick.

I can appreciate the writing and the non-stop action, but it would not be my normal read. I may catch up on a few earlier books in the series. It was a fun read, even if it was not my usual type of book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a book that reads like a Vin Diesel movie. All in all, it was quite entertaining.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Dark Horse literally starts with a bang. I had no idea what it was about as I went in blind and boy did I enjoy the ride. This book feels as if it crosses many genres. There's action and suspense like a thriller and depth and character study like literary fiction. It was really a unique listening experience.

It's the characters of this book that make it so fascinating. The protagonist Evan is a man "with a particular set of skills" who uses them to help people who are in trouble - the kind of trouble that they can't go to the police for. But they have to be good people or at the very least not bad in order for Evan to offer his services.

Which brings us to his latest client. A man out to save his innocent daughter who has been kidnapped by a drug lord. But is he himself a good man or as bad as the cartel leader who took his daughter? There is no easy answer to that question but Evan helps him find his daughter conditionally.

Seeing Evan in action to save his client's daughter confirms his action hero status but its the side characters of this book that reveal his true humanity and emotional vulnerability. His lady love is facing a terrible diagnosis, her young son is in need of Evan's emotional support and his teenage surrogate niece and employee wants to go on long road trip by herself. All of these people show us even with Evan's "particular set of skills" he is as human and emotionally fallible as the rest of us.

I really enjoyed listening to this story and the narrator did a really good job with most of the voices - though his deep voice did make the female characters voices sound suspiciously male.

Overall, Dark Horse was an engaging slowburn listen that had some really good twists, interesting characters and an intriguing plot.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for giving me an advance listening copy.

This book was a super good audio listen, the narrator captivated me early on. I loved the cover too and don’t typically read many male written books. The pov style was also done really well. I would read more by this author in the future.

This is one of the best books I've listened to in quite a. while. If it could be rated higher than 5 stars I definitely would.! Loved the character development and the storyline. I am going to go back and read all of the other Orphan X series now. I became familiar with the narrator Scott Brick when listening to some other audio books and he does a fantastic job as he did here. Gregg Hurwitz thank you for sharing your creativity with us!

My sincere appreciation to MacMillan publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and give an honest review of this book.

Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz is the seventh book in his Orphan X series. I listened to the audiobook version which was narrated by Scott Brick. Being who I am, this is my first foray into this series. It definitely won't be my last! Though there is much more that I would like to learn about the main character's past, this particular story stood alone and I was not the least bit lost. I cannot recommend the audiobook version enough! It's like listening to a thrill ride of a movie without the main character being played by the wrong actor.

Evan Smoak was formerly Orphan X, a government assassin for the off-the-books Orphan Program. After he broke with the Program he became The Nowhere Man, and now he helps the most desperate among us in their time of need. Having recently survived an attack on his life and the destruction of his home base, plus spending time with his neighbor Mia Hall and her young son Peter, Evan isn't ready to take on a new case, but sometimes you just can't say no. Aragon Urrea is a kingpin of a drug-dealing operation in South Texas. He's ruthless, but he is also very good to the locals, helping them with jobs, medical care, and justice...so he does bad things, but sometimes for good reasons. Despite his power, Aragon desperately needs help from The Nowhere Man when his beloved 18 year old daughter is kidnapped by the most vicious of cartels and brought to their compound in Mexico. Can Evan help a man who does bad things? Well, he does help the desperate!

I don't care for my job, but I sure did enjoy my ride to and from work while I was listening to this book! How have I missed this series?! This book was brutal and bloody; we were, after all, dealing with drug cartels. If you have a weak stomach, you may not care for some of the violence. It was important to the story, however, showing the danger that Evan will go through to protect and save the innocent daughter of a hard man. There were some didn't-see-them-coming moments in the story that made the whole thing even more exciting. Evan was an absolutely enthralling character. He was trained to kill as a government assassin; however, he now uses his vast skill set to help those in desperate need of assistance. I was surprised when I found out the extent of his OCD. I thought I was bad! He put me to shame. Out-of-order bookshelves really disturbed him. (Me too!). He had a number of the same outfits for missions; when a set was destroyed and he had an uneven number, he burned the offending set. His OCD made him seem more human and relatable. Evan was a hard man with a good heart. He did struggle with emotions, though, trying to hide his true self. I enjoyed his deepening relationship with Mia Hall and her son Peter. You could see how much he cared for them, but often didn't know how to react to them. The bad guys were truly bad, and I was on pins and needles, waiting for them to get their comeuppance. Aragon was a compelling character, straddling the line between good and evil. My favorite supporting character, however, was Joey, a 16 year old dropout from the same Program Evan had been in. She was a total technical genius and had a dog named, well, Dog. She was Evan's "niece-like person". Joey could be hysterical, but at times my heart broke for her. My only problem I had with the story is that Mia had a health issue... that ended in a cliffhanger! Nooooooooooo!

Scott Brick was the perfect narrator for this book. First it threw me for a loop because he didn't use a feminine voice for female characters. However, after a while it became quite refreshing from many other male narrators who attempt to do female characters, and end up doing them badly. He had enough inflection in his voice and attitude that you could tell characters apart. He was perfect for Evan's character, and I hope he continues to narrate the series.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Wow! An amazing, action packed story. I've read other books by Gregg Hurwitz, but I hadn't experienced any of the Orphan X series. This story does a good job catching new readers up without taking away from the main story line.
Evan (Orphan X), has parted ways from the government agency that trained him as an assassin. His own personal morals got in the way of being a "no questions asked" killer. Now that he has gone rogue he takes on jobs for individuals in need of his skills. When he receives a call from a new perspective client, he has to grapple first with the decision to take the job or not. The new client isn't exactly innocent, he is an illegal drugs king pin. The drug king pins daughter has been kidnapped by a drug cartel. The daughter is an innocent though and in the end Evan does take on the job. The action sequences are awesomely written and I like the small details too. Evan is almost crippled with OCD at times and things like a book on a shelf, out of order, is enough to freeze him.
Scott Brick has been a favorite narrator, since I first started listening to audiobooks 4 years ago. He does a great job as always.
All the already established Ophan X fans will have to wait for book 8 after they finish with this, I will be catching up with the previous 6.
Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan audio for the opportunity to experience this thrilling action audio-ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed, just like the books in this series. It is amazing how X thinks and figures out a way to get out of sticky situations. And I love what transpires between X and Joey.

Anxiously waiting for the next one now.

A well written book, just not my style. The blend of styles and sarcasm just didn’t work for me. With that said, this is my first novel by this author so maybe I need to let it grow on me a bit more. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

This is book 7 of the “Orphan X” series. If you’ve been tracking along with this series, you’ll be happy to learn the title character continues to grow. The usual supporting characters are here. Brick did well narrating, bringing the protagonist to life.
Hurwitz does a great job with his fight scenes in that X does not stay unscathed during and by them. He is no Superman, which is a good thing. What is not a good thing, in my view, is the high moral road this assassin takes. He is a self-proclaimed “not good” guy; “but at least he’s better than the really bad guys” is an argument I just can’t swallow. I do root for him to succeed; I simply can’t see him as the hero.
Three and a half stars is my rating. The tale was fun and laugh out loud funny at times. The plot was not a stretch, though my ability to like the protagonist was. My thanks to #MacmillanAudio via #NetGalley.

This is a first for me. I've read the first six main books in this series - but this time, I'm listening to an audiobook. It's my first, so be gentle!

I'm actually a great fan of this series, so I couldn't resist when I got the chance to listen to the seventh installment. I was very curious what happened after the boom that ended the last book.

Hint: Blowing up your apartment is a fast way to start a renovation. It's a little extrem, though, and maybe expensive. Also the cleanup is rather laborious.

During his last adventure, Evan started to explore an unknown side of him, his feelings. That was great, and I hoped it would remain true in this newest installment. So imagine my grief when at first I thought he returned to his pathological neat and tidy, former self. But Evan is about to learn a lesson or two about life and family values, and he's going to learn them from a drug lord, no less.

That drug lord ended up being my favourite character in the book, a great example for ambiguity. Is he a bad man? Well, not entirely. Is he a good man, then? Well, not entirely. That pretty much sums up Evan, too.

Like every good thriller author, Gregg has a way of weaving in plot twists. Usually, they are complicating the subject at hand further more, and you would expect them at around the 80 percent mark of the novel.

This time, though, he hit me very hard at the 60 percent mark with something I did not expect in the least. Not one bit. Does it make things more complicated for Evan? Hell yeah. But it's not simply rule altering, as usual. No, this time it changes the whole game. It's like watching a game of soccer, and at some point the referee blows his whistle and everyone starts unpacking their tennis rackets.

As you've probably noticed, I suck at sports metaphors. Lucky for all of us, Gregg is way better at handling his plot twists than I am at those metaphors. I'm not going to spoil you, but I had to rewind the audiobook at a certain point to make sure I heard the word right.

Before the final verdict, let me tell you something I discovered about audiobooks: they're not for me. The narrator was actually great and did an outstanding job, great to listen to. My problem lies somewhere else: the time frame. The audiobook runs at little more than 16 hours, with me listening at 1,25 speed (that's the maximum I can handle in English, sorry), so I'm down to 13 hours. Which is approximately double the time I would need for reading it myself.

*****

So ... The seventh installment. Great thriller, great twist (what a twist!), Great character development. Sucking ending. But because it's bad, but because it leaves too much open. I would hate Gregg's guts right now if the book wasn't so great. And now I have to wait for the next book. Damn you, Gregg! And damn you, my serious series addiction.

Disclaimer: I've received a free Advanced Listener's Copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was brilliant, absolutely brilliant!
I haven't read a Gregg Hurwitz book in some time.
And reading book five in the Orphan X Novel made me realize I need more of this in my life.

This book is on a whole new level of action. Like wow!
The plot is also fully engaging. There are enough twists to keep the reader interested without being predictable. The ending is satisfying but leaves enough mystery to allow for an addition to the series.
The non stop action, explosive tension throughout it all was freaking amazing.
The characterisation and plot are fabulous and as a fan of thriller action.
I honestly thought I had the ending worked out ....so the final twist had my jaw hitting the floor....a fabulous thriller.
A riveting and well plotted narrative with unexpected twists and deceptions of plot.
It was a well-paced action thriller that also projected the main character's inner world, and I enjoyed this combination because I felt the story was told in different levels.
But this novel stepped it up a notch with a more compelling narrative. Terrific and suspenseful action. 
Dark Horse is a super fun and fast-paced. The descriptions of fight scenes are incredibly well done. 
One of the best counterintelligence thrillers I've read all year!
A fun, highly-entertaining read, and I look forward to reading more!
Gregg Hurwitz fails to disappoint.... Ever!
And do yourself a favor now and get the Audio version!
The narrator was fire and I couldn't take my ear buds out!
That's how phenomenal this narrator is!

Macmillan Audio
Thank you for this advance audio book!
I will post and tag closer to pub date!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an Advanced Reader’s audiobook.

WOW- just WOW! For those of you like me who’ve read the Gray Man series since its inception, this latest from Hurwitz proves the best in the series to date. But be forewarned: this unbelievably FANTASTIC new book in the Gray Man series ends on an almost unbearable cliff hanger ending- and the Book 12 simply can’t come fast enough!

For those new to the series, there’s no book like the present to jump into the dangerous world of Evan Smoak (known by his code name the Gray Man). Each book offers a cascading and twisty series of thrilling plots while layering new insights into the characters’ back stories. There’s Evan who got rescued from an orphanage to become one of the U.S.’s most deadly assassins. Evan has since retired and dedicated himself to personal redemption as “The Nowhere Man,” taking on humanitarian missions to save innocents who find themselves in situations of desperate need. Evan’s just come off a mission in which he narrowly escaped with his life and that blew up his carefully guarded penthouse apartment base. There’s his nurturing, sexy neighbor and district attorney Mia Hall, and her adorable, smart son Peter, both of whom are smitten with Evan and have no real idea of his true identity. And then there’s rebellious, needy, touching teenager Joey Maroles, the youngest and last recruit of the Orphan X program, who Evan has rescued and reluctantly taken on as his ward.

In Dark Horse, the lines of who deserves to be saved by the Nowhere Man start to blur, as Evan finds himself taking on the big drug cartels. Evan gets a call on his Nowhere Man phone from Aragon Urrea, a Texas drug kingpin, begging Evan’s help to get back his kidnapped innocent daughter, Angelina, who’s been taken by a rival cartel. Can Evan help a corrupt man to get back his beloved daughter – and what will Evan demand in return from Aragon when it comes to stopping the drug trade? Along the way that takes us deep into the heart of a Mexican cartel, and as Mia falls into a sudden health crisis, Evan is forced to truly do some soul-searching about his vow not to have a personal life, and what it means to be there for the people you love and who depend on you. There’s one deeply moving scene where Evan explodes at Joey in anger, and we see him have to wrestle with his own dark past, his OCD tendencies as a way to create control over his world, and his struggle to make himself empathic and vulnerable to those with whom he’s closest.

This series just shimmers with excellence and keeps deepening with resonance as the characters grow and Evan starts taking on huge problems beyond the life of one person such as the opioid drug trade by cartels as well as greedy pharmaceuticals.

Lastly, the narration of the audio by Scott Brick is once again simply superb, as his resonant voice draws you deeply into the characters.

This one caught me by surprise. I didn't know what to expect since I am new to this series but never fear I quickly caught on to who and what Evan Smoak is. When his phone rings and he answers, when he answers he is The Nowhere Man and if you can him you are desperate for help. Little does he know when he answers this call it is a man who is desperate to get his daughter back, though he will have to dismantle his "business" if Evan is going to get her back. She is in the hands of a rival cartel. What will happen when everyone finds out the daughter ran away instead of being kidnapped? This was a fast paced and high impact read/listen and I enjoyed every minute. It was long audio but I binged it over two days because I could not stop! Definitely will be watching for the next installment of this wonderful series!

Thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC of this title.

I particularly enjoyed the ending of this book, but I'm now really struggling with the wait for book #8. As the series has progresses, Evan Smoak's character continues to evolve. This book does that and more. I enjoy the "Orphan X" action of the book, but am also enjoying Eva Smoak's transformation far more than I expected I would. It's a pleasure to see Joey back in this book, and to see her relationship with Evan evolve.