This is the third book in the Orphan X series that I have listened to. Scott Brick’s narration was okay in the first book, but this being the most recent book in the series, I think, over time, he has gotten WAY over dramatic in his reading. Fortunately Netgalley provided me with the written version as well and I switched to that. I have binged three of these books in rapid succession. So my weariness for the usual tropes the author employs is probably due to that. I like that our hero now has some go to associates. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review

"As a child, Evan Smoak was plucked out of a group home, raised and trained as an off-the-books assassin for the government as part of the Orphan program. When he broke with the program and went deep underground, he left with a lot of secrets in his head that the government would do anything to make sure never got out.

When he remade himself as The Nowhere Man, dedicated to helping the most desperate in their times of trouble, Evan found himself slowly back on the government's radar. Having eliminated most of the Orphans in the program, the government will stop at nothing to eliminate the threat they see in Evan. But Orphan X has always been several steps ahead of his pursuers.

Until he makes one little mistake...

Now the President has him in her control and offers Evan a deal - eliminate a rich, powerful man she says is too dangerous to live and, in turn, she'll let Evan survive. But when Evan left the Program he swore to only use his skills against those who really deserve it. Now he has to decide what's more important - his principles or his life."

This thriller is instantly intriguing. Now I will be going back and reading all books in the series. So good!

Greg Hurwitz and Evan Smoak never dissapoint. I extended my gym time to 90 minutes just so I could listen to Scott Brick bring the Orphan Character to life a little longer each day. This is a perfect next chapter in the Orphan anthology and Evan becomes a little more human with his errors and adjustments. I hope the Last Orphan is not the Last Orphan!

This is the second book I have read with Orphan X. I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend. The characters, in my opinion, are well developed and complex. I really enjoyed the narrator of this audio book.

I tried to push through but I got to the halfway point and gave up. I did not realize this book was part of a series so maybe that is part of the problem but I’m not connected to any of the characters. I liked the beginning but I got lost after his friend woke up from her coma and got her kid back. Maybe it just isn’t for me

Evan, aka Orphan X. An assassin who is actually the good guy and wants to be on the side if what is right, decent and humor and take down those opposed to his mission. His life was usurped at twelve, when as an orphan he was plucked out of a group home and trained to be an off the books assassin by the Government. They taught him how to kill, live under the radar and lose all of his humanity. Sadly for those who started the program, they failed and he did in fact escape. He recreated himself as the Nowhere man and after eliminating most of the other “Orphans in the program became available to help those most in need of his covert services. He was silent until the Government who created him found him and forced him back into service. The President believes she knows him lock stock and barrel. He has very different ideas. And so begins well crafted tale of a cat and mouse game of The X Man getting revenge on some of the most despicable people while still trying to hang on to just a bit of who he really is. A good, but very creepy addition to the series. Scott Brick is a great narrator, but I find that he is always set at a 10 for intensity. I found it exhausting listening to him..

Colleen Chi-Girl
February 10, 2023
Bookshelves/Categories: 2023, audio, crime-mysteries, netgalley, read, sci-fi-dystop-utopian

"Evan Smoak returns in The Last Orphan, the latest New York Times bestselling Orphan X thriller--when everything changes and everything is at risk. As a child, Evan Smoak was plucked out of a group home, raised and trained as an off-the-books assassin for the government as part of the Orphan program. When he broke with the program and went deep underground, he left with a lot of secrets in his head that the government would do anything to make sure never got out."

I'd like to thank Net Galley, author Gregg Andrew Hurwitz, and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC. I hadn't read anything by this author before this audio and have to admit it was tricky to get into it and hard to understand the plot for some time. It's set in L.A. with a friend named Mia in a local hospital recovering from a coma/incident, while a commando team is waiting to capture the lead protagonist, Evan, at the hospital, led by an Agent Templeton.... Templeton has been after him for some time (apparently). Had this not been an ARC, I would have put this aside and rushed to pick up the first book in the series so I could get the characters and history of this novel.

Evan is commanded to complete an assignment for our female president. I liked that we had a female president even in fake life, and Evan agrees to carry out their plan once he has been captured. However, he is very soon rescued by another Orphan (female) but still agrees to continue with his Black Ops assignment. Evan has his usual team to help him with his assignment, but they were all new to me and unclear backgrounds. Evan also has his own assignment that he works on simultaneously. This book continues on in a super fast-pace, highly spy-like and dangerous way, with completely over the top action sequences. This will appeal to sci-fi, super hero, and possibly comic hero fans.

I will probably add the first book in the series and read it without audio, so I can get into it without the hype of the very over-the-top narration.

We received a digital copy from Netgalley and then were contacted through the marketing campaign to get a hard copy in the mail for our review.

To say my husband and I are Orphan X fans is an understatement. We have enjoyed every single book and have loved talking about the adventures as they have happened. In turn this has led us to asking ourselves a ton of questions about what we would do in this situation.

We have enjoyed watching Evan grow as a character. His moral values and the way he sees himself, grows through every book. He challenges himself against the situations or missions that he is in while keeping up with the commandments and being able to keep his sh@t together. (Very impressive )

While every book has a mission to complete, each character becomes more familiar and interesting and unique with each volume.

And fill disclaimer- I totally have a crush on Orphan X.

A thriller that's actually thrilling!

This is my kind of book, engaging from the first page to the last. I long for thrillers that don’t have a slow start or a sagging middle. I also long for writers and/or characters with unique voices. This book gives me everything I want. Gregg's writing sizzles. Evan is a larger-than-life character that faces some pretty tough villains without batting an eye, and of course, he's not only made for it, he's trained for it.

Thank you Netgalley. Thank you St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books.
Most of all, thank you Gregg Hurwitz for presenting such a wonderful gift to the world.

Gregg Hurwitz returns from Dark House #7 with his popular series (Orphan X) Evan Smoak with #8 THE LAST ORPHAN. A huge fan and have read them all!

I love this series, and in particular, I LOVE Scott Brick, the narrator for this extraordinary audiobook! It would not be an Orphan X story without Scott Brick. Greg, Scott, and Evan are quite the team! I highly recommend the audiobook. I read the e-book and listened to the audio.

Audiobook listeners, you get a huge BONUS!!! At the end of the audio, there is a fascinating conversation with Authors Gregg Hurwitz and Lisa Gardner (which is my favorite).

A great conversation about audiobook narrators and the author's books (Evan Smoaks-Scott Brick-Gregg) and (Frankie Elkin-Hillary Huber-Lisa) and what is coming next, and fascinating insights into the making and background of the series.

In this installment, Evan is found and kidnapped by the government—the U.S. president demands Orphan X help to take down a billionaire, Luke Devine. He has accumulated much power and is threatening her administration’s key environmental legislative initiative and her re-election.

If you have read the other books in the series, you know Evan Smoak has helped those in need while, for the most part, staying off the government’s radar. Now, he must outsmart the government and escape to decide what to do with the billionaire.

Evan must decide once and for all whether he’ll abandon his values to once again become an operative for the federal government or risk putting a target on his back. After all his sacrifices, can Evan finally win his freedom? As always, he balances putting his morals and skills to the test.

Loaded with action and suspense, Evan has traveled an exciting journey from an orphan, then in hiding, then the Nowhere Man helping others that call in, and now back to running an operation for the government.

With cameo appearances from characters from previous books, fans of the series will be delighted! Evan is a fascinating character, and we will be anxiously awaiting the next in the series! Will there be a next one or a spin-off series? We can only wait and see.

This series would make for a killer blockbuster TV series.

Thank you to #MinotaurBooks, #St.MartinsPress #MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for a gifted ALC and e-ARC. #SMPInfluencers #MinotaurInfluencers

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 14, 2023
Feb 2023 Must-Read Books

Series:
Orphan X #1
Buy a Bullet #1.5
The Nowhere Man #2
Hellbent #3
The Intern #3.5
Out of the Dark #4
Into the Fire #5
The List #5.5
Prodigal Son #6
Dark Horse #7
The Last Orphan #8

Another great story by Gregg Hurwitz about Orphan X. I so enjoyed seeing some of the other characters from previous books, in particular Joey, and Candy, Orphan V. I have listened to all of the Orphan X books with Scott Brick as the narrator, and cannot imagine anyone else reading these books. Scott’s voice is Evan, the Nowhere Man, Orphan X. All these books can be read as standalone, but the richness of the characters is much deeper when you know the back stories. Loved this book, love these characters

In The Last Orphan Evan’s pardon has come into question, because as we know, he hasn’t exactly lived up to his end of the bargain he made with the President. If someone calls and asks for help, he’s not the type just to ignore it. Things get dicey for Evan, and I was on the edge of my seat!

I’m always amazed by Evan’s abilities and his talent to prevail even when it looks like he’s up against a no-win situation! Love it when this line comes out: “Look at me closely. And ask yourself: Do I look scared?” I know some much deserved smackdown is about to be served and it puts a smile on my face every time!

I think one of the reasons I love this series so much because justice usually wins out in some form eventually. The baddies get their comeuppance, something I long to see in real life, but don’t always get.

In the past Evan has been mostly on his own, but gradually he’s collected a sort of family, people he cares about and who he can count on. Joey, Tommy, Mia and even (gasp!) Candy! Going from a mostly lonely existence to inadvertently and reluctantly adding these people to his life has been heartwarming!

As usual this “case” wraps up, but I wonder over a new character and how they might play into future stories.

The Last Orphan was full of danger and action, but also laughs and emotional moments! Orphan X has quickly become a favorite series and I eagerly await the next installment!

I listened to the audio version of The Last Orphan, which I highly recommend! Scott Brick’s voice is Evan Smoak to me. His performance of Evan is perfection! I enjoy his other characters voices, as well, and his comedic timing is spot on. I listened at my usual 1.5x-1.75x normal speed.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is the first Gregg Hurwitz book that I’ve read and it was not a disappointment! It is apparently the 8th book in this series, but I was able to read it as a standalone and pretty much understood what was going on! The publisher did send me the first book in the series to help but I didn’t end up having a chance to read that before reading this one! But I definitely plan on going back and reading it!

This book definitely kept me on my toes throughout the entire time! I loved the narrator of the book and I feel like he really provided a voice for Evan. It is definitely an action packed book and keeps you wanting to turn the page the entire time. Overall, a good action story that you will definitely want to read!

The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz is the adult culmination of a miserable youth. Evan is a government-trained assassin. He got to that place by being plucked out of foster care at age twelve and being taught everything he needed to know and more. He is lethal. He has few friends but more than he used to. This is only the second of the Orphan X books I have read but I see him heading toward humanity. He has people in his life, now, unlike before. It makes him vulnerable, but he is careful. The government agency had captured him this time, because he stopped being careful, but his friends got him out of their clutches. Then he went to investigate for himself the man they wanted him to eliminate. He found, not a good man, but not as bad as many. He is a truly amazing killer. I both read and listened to The Last Orphan and I prefer the audio. It suits me better and makes more sense to my brain. I normally do not involve myself in a book with this much violence, but I love these books.

Evan’s antics are those of action films. He is able to terrorize and neutralize any foe. He has his own set of rules and morals. Hurwitz has defined these in a well-written character who has developed over a period of time. He is murder-for-hire, but he judges his target independently of whomever has hired him. He didn’t like the president’s reasons and so refused to work for her, even if she did rescind his informal pardon. They thought they had him, but it turns out they didn’t. With the help of another orphan, Candy (Orphan V), he was out in almost no time, hardly any the worse for wear. The he went to work, breaking only for Joey’s 17th birthday. His arsenal was huge; his talents many. He took care of the guilty person, guilty in his eyes anyway.

The narrator is Scott Brick, a man who keeps an even keel and reads every word as if it were important. He doesn’t make the violence any different than the fun moments, and yet he does. He does a fabulous job in this book. Couldn’t be better.

I received a free e-ARC and a free e-AUDIO of The Last Orphan from St Martin’s Press and MacMillan Audio, respectively, both through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #MacMillanAudio #GreggHurwitz #ScottBrick #TheLastOrphan

Government trained assassin Evan Smoak is back as Orphan X, aka The Nowhere Man, and it was perfect timing for a long road trip with the husband. This would definitely work as a stand alone, but if you’re listening on audio, do yourself a favor and slow down the speed in Chapter 2 to catch up with the juicy details of the backstory. Also trigger warnings for multiple violent fight scenes and a disturbing initial setup for one of the 20 something characters.

This installment features a plot with some new allies and enemies, a few who blur the lines of distinction. The sitting U.S. President is still yielding her leverage and threats against Evan, with some ambiguous and ill-advised directives. But what I enjoyed most about this latest in the series is the interspersed glimpses into the humanity of Evan, which are uncharacteristic and fill in the development of this mysterious man.
Fans of the series will be grateful to have some of the very best characters back, and written better than ever. Curmudgeon armorer Tommy, teenage hacker extraordinaire Joey and a few brief appearances by legendary orphan Candy highlight the cast! Joey without a doubt has the very best one liners, and her acerbic dialog provides both comic relief and view into the tender aspects of the storyline. Narrator since the very first book, Scott Brick, again has a critical role in this sublime storytelling.

The author divulges zero clues as to whether this will be in fact the “Last Orphan” - this reader is certainly ready for more X!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Evan has slipped up, made a mistake and he has been captured. He is now back in government custody. And it comes with a price. He is offered an ultimatum. He must take out a powerful, dangerous man. The president does not care what it costs Evan. This man must go!

Evan is a conundrum. He has been from the beginning of this series. He is freaking tough and will kill at a drop of a hat. But, he has one of the softest hearts! Heck…I am more than halfway in love with him!

This story has everything you would expect from an orphan X novel….intensity, fear and definitely drama. I do not see how this has not been picked up for television or a movie!

This is one of my all time favorite series. I have read every one! But, I do prefer to listen to them. Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators of all time. And he IS ABSOLUTELY Orphan X!

Need a fabulous thriller…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Gregg Hurwitz has done it again. I absolutely love the Orphan X series and The Last Orphan is no different. Evan Smoak is saving the world one innocent bystander at a time but finds himself a bit off his game.

The Last Orphan starts off shortly after Dark Horse (Book 7). Evan is trying to live a "normal" life. He helps Peter who is living with his aunt and uncle while Mia is in the hospital. But things are definitely not normal because the President wants his help. The President will do whatever it takes to get him on their side. Will Evan work for the government after being out for so long? Will the new mission meet the requirements of "The No Where Man's" commandments?

This book packs a punch. It was so much fun listening to the narrator Scott Brick. There is no one else that can be Evan Smoak. I loved the pace of the book. As with all Gregg Hurwitz books it was an adrenaline rush, loads of action and a great plot. But most importantly I loved seeing his developing relationship with his "niece like daughter" Joey and the lovable furry side kick Dog. And of course, there is no Orphan X book without his gun's supplier Stojack or a cameo from Orphan V - Candy. The main reason I keep coming back to these books is that Gregg Hurwitz was able to humanize Evan Smoak despite all of the traumas he has been through. But now we are seeing an aging Evan. How will this change the trajectory of the books now? And I am so excited to see where this series is headed.

What did not work out as well for this book was, I missed the banter between Joey and Evan. Yes, there was some, but it still seemed like it was something not quite there. And maybe that was on purpose because Orphan X is changing. I also wanted more of Peter and Mia. It also felt like Evan was trying to find a purpose and that was a different feel to the book. And again, maybe this was done to show the changes that Orphan X is experiencing.

Overall, this was another great installment to the Orphan X series. Action packed, great character development, great humor and thrills! I cannot wait for the next book. I will always recommend these books.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gregg Hurwitz and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC and give my honest review.

Updated 2.11.23 to include notes on the audiobook edition.

Even though I received a digital ARC of this book and read it at the end of 2022, I felt this uncontrollable urge to listen to the audiobook as well. For me, Scott Brick is Evan's voice. I needed to HEAR his voice, especially for his scenes with Joey. I was nearly brought to tears when I read the book, but when I LISTENED to the book, I actually did cry. Mr. Brick just kills it when he's performing Orphan X and that's all there is to it, period. As a result, I gave the audio 5 black, smoking stars, for the wreckage that X often leaves behind.
*Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the digital audio download in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*


Admittedly, I have become an Orphan X addict, almost against my will. A new Orphan X book became available on NetGalley and any reservations I might have had went out the window. Now I say unashamedly, My name is Char and I'm an Orphan X addict.

Accidentally having listened to the 7th book in the series before reading the rest, I liked it but some of the characters annoyed me. I was interested in those characters enough to start a proper read of the previous novels, via the audios narrated by Scott Brick. As Ray Porter is the voice of Joe Ledger to me, Scott Brick is the voice of Evan Smoak aka Orphan X.

As I progressed through the series I became more and more invested in these characters, and this installment plays upon those feelings. X is finally caught, and now, instead of the promised retaliation from his captors, he is given an impossible task. Will X's commitment to his personal moral code be sorely tested? Yes. Will he emerge triumphant? You'll have to read this to find out!

For me, the plot here felt a bit worn, but the scenes with the main villain were fascinating. It's been a long time since X sat with someone face to face like this, where X wasn't extraordinarily secured, and rightfully so. I also felt that in this volume, the relationship between Joey Morales and Evan went to a deep familial connection heretofore unreached and I AM HERE FOR IT. It's odd to me that it was this very relationship that I was annoyed by in my first, (but what was really the 7th), Orphan X book, that I now love the most. Yes, X has had a few relationships where he was accessible and even maybe vulnerable, but there's a scene here, well...if you don't at least tear up I don't want to know you.

I had some trepidation that I may not like reading this novel, rather than listening, as I have all the others. I need not have worried. I read Evan's dialogue in Scott Brick's voice in my head, (LOL, but really) and I enjoyed reading this just as much, if not more than I would have had I listened.

Because the depth of the characters was really expanded here, and in a direction I loved it to go, I gave this four stars, even though the plot was a little disappointing. Don't get me wrong, the action and the planning on X's part are all here, but I found the denouement kind of frustrating. After that though, the final sentences have me feeling ASTRONOMICAL excitement as to what happens next!

"Ask yourself the question: Do I look afraid?"

*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

I love Hurwitz's Orphan X character, the humor, the humanity, the nonstop twists and suspense. This story was a very good one. I thought the narrator was over the top, and it detracted from the story for me. But not enough to turn it off. Great writer, great characters.

I have not read any of the orphan x books before, but I am hooked! I've heard of Greg Horowitz as an Author, but I hadn't read any of his books and now I'm going to have to read all of his.
I really enjoyed the story and I got into it right away. I liked how he's this bad ass but he has a soft spot for the people who need help so he has a phone number to call. And he actually helps them. So he's really a big marshmallow with a crusty exterior. That doesn't seem all that crusty as you get to know him.
The narrator Scott Brick is phenomenal as usual, I always enjoy hearing his voice narrate any book.