Published by Minotaur Books on February 13, 2024

Gregg Hurwitz brings a couple of interesting themes to Lone Wolf. One is foreshadowed in the title. Series hero Evan Smoak, a/k/a Orphan X, has always been a loner. He prefers his own company to that of people and their infinite capacity to annoy him. He feels pity for people who fill their lives with pointless tasks to distract themselves from their loneliness.

A few books ago, Smoak became responsible for a teenage girl who was part of the Orphan project that turned Smoak into a killing machine. That responsibility carries with it the discomfort of a quasi-parental relationship he’s ill-equipped to handle. A few books ago he also started a halting relationship with a woman in his building but allowed it to fizzle away, in part to protect her from the violence he attracts. In Lone Wolf, after a brief visit to the disagreeable father he never knew, Smoak finds himself dealing with a brother he dislikes and his brother’s daughter, another teenage girl but one who lacks coping skills. The extent to which he will allow his family to touch his life is part of the unfolding drama, although it doesn’t get in the way of the action.

I admire the way Smoak’s personality has evolved during the series. Characterization is a cut above the usual for thriller tough guys. Apart from recognizing that he might be missing out on the humanizing value of relationships, Smoak is starting to feel old. He doesn’t recover from injuries as quickly as he once did. Aches and pains are accumulating; some will likely be permanent. Smoak recognizes a physical decline in his arms supplier (one of his few friends) and is haunted by the knowledge that he will face a similar future if he survives into old age.

The other theme develops when Smoak meets two billionaires who fancy themselves to be masters of the universe. One brags about his ability to earn profits by manipulating behavior through clandestine data collection. The other laments the softening of young people who are glued to screens and anxious about body image. One of them might be a murderer but orchestrating the murder of a few people might be less immoral than gaining wealth by surreptitiously controlling the behavior of millions.

The novel isn’t just about weighty themes and strong personalities. The plot is in constant motion. The action is credible and cinematic. Hurwitz weaves humor into a plot that starts with Evan’s niece pleading with him to find her lost dog. Naturally, the search brings Hurwitz to the home of a man who has just been murdered. He saves the man’s daughter but can’t prevent an injury that destroys her vocal cords. The encounter begins a war between Smoak and the assassin, Karissa Lopatina, a/k/a the Wolf. The story sends Smoak on a search for the person who hired Lopatina and on a mission to prevent her from returning to kill the dead man’s daughter. And yeah, to find the dog. The perfect blend of action, drama, and humor make Lone Wolf the best entry so far in what has become a strong series for thriller fans.

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Searching for a lost dog is not the usual task taken up by Evan Smoak, a former government assassin known as Orphan X, now the Nowhere Man who helps people in dire straits who have nowhere else to turn.

The emotionless lone wolf agent has, through the nine entries in this series, always battled to fulfill one of the rules of his agency, never make it personal, because there have always been people in his orbit who force him to make it personal. This time his niece, daughter of his half brother who he barely knows, who begs him to find her lost dog. That search sends Evan into a deeper search.

That search is for the killer he encounters in his search for the dog. The lone wolf of the title, it turns out, is not the lone wolf Orphan X Nowhere Man Evan Smoak. It is Klarissa, an assassin for hire who is his mirror image, though she works for whoever will pay her no matter how evil.

Klarissa, the Wolf, works for perhaps the ultimate evil, Amazon.com, er, I mean some fictional tech bro whose sprawling company mines every data point it can gather to sell anything to anyone and everyone, even if he has to manufacture people's problems so that he can sell them solutions. (Though his company resembles Amazon, he seems to me to be more like Musk than Bezos.)

I liked this McGuffin, even though I think the potential evils of A.I. are continually overstated -- I say this as someone who worked on neural networking as far back as the late 1990s. I liked that Gregg Hurwitz loaded up his big action sequence, a mainstay of all his books, in the first half rather than at the end.

I most especially liked (continue to like) Joey, his young ward, the hacking wizard he saved from the Orphan program who acts as (and like) his surrogate daughter. I found their interactions (as well as his interactions with his niece Sofia) to be excessively fractious rather than humorous, as in the past, but she is still the primary (current) source of his increasingly burgeoning humanity.

Still, this wasn't quite a five-star book for me, more like 4.5 stars, but I'm clocking it in at four because it doesn't rise to the heights of most of the past Orphan X books, and I did find myself getting a little annoyed by the whininess and repetitiveness of the scenes with Joey and Sofia.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Evan is a world class finder of lost dogs. Huh? That doesn't sound right but that is his next mission. Evan is a bit of a lost soul at the moment dealing with newfound family and a surly teenage whiz kid along with wrestling with a --we'll call it a career change. The mission isn't exactly life or death until he stumbles onto a female assassin with skills to rival his own. The Spiderman meme would go here. The original Lone Wolf, Evan Smoak, continues to evolve from an assassin into a real human. And much like Alan from The Hangover, Evan can have his own personal wolfpack if he can survive this assassin. And Joey dating.

Gregg Hurwitz continues to keep Orphan X fresh with different missions but it is Evan's growth from a robotic gov't assassin to a man grappling with emotions and his relationships are the real stars of the show. You come for the action but stay-- and keep returning-- for the underlining emotional tension and dynamics between Evan and everyone else. Evan's skills may not be relatable but his emotional struggles are all too real.

Lone Wolf and the Orphan X series are well worth your time if you haven't been introduced to Evan Smoak. You won't be disappointed!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of Lone Wolf.

Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz, the latest in the Orphan X series, takes a different turn for Evan Smoak as he is looking for a lost dog this time. Of course, in the ensuing chaos Evan ends up in multiple fights, chases and killings that make the Orphan X series so fun. A lot of gore and improbable escapes but a good storyline make this book as enjoyable to read as the rest of the series.

Evan Smoak was taken from a group foster care home in Baltimore when he was 12 years old. Trained to be a government assassin by the black ops 'Orphan' program. He is a perfect killing machine....but when it comes to human and social interactions, he is completely out of his element. After leaving (escaping), the Orphan program, Orphan X used his specialized skills to become the Nowhere Man. Making ammends for his prior life by helping innocent people when they find themselves in impossible situations. He has become a sort of shield for hire and his payment? That the person he has helped passes his phone number on to the next person in desperate need.
Book 8 in this series left us with Evan knocking on a door. What happened when that door opened has left him reeling and unable to cope with his emotions. This knocks him so completely off his game that he ends up making mistakes that could be lethal for him. Luckily, despite himself, he finds that there are a few close friends who worry and care about him.
Reluctantly he agrees to take on a small, insignificant job. Find a young girl's lost dog. Easy right? Somehow Evan finds himself crossing paths with a killer for hire known as 'The Wolf'.. What follows is another exciting Orphan X story. This 9th book can be read as a stand alone, but it is so much better to follow the character's growth from the beginning and to see how each event had shaped him. It is also enjoyable to see how other characters were introduced into Evan's world. Especially Josephine 'Joey', the teenage computer genius who is so important in Evan's life now.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the opportunity to enjoy this action packed e-ARC.

Just when you think Gregg Hurwitz cannot top his last book, he writes Lone Wolf and takes the thriller genre to a whole new level. I was shocked, amazed and left wanting more after finishing this book. If you have read all of Gregg's previous novels you will love this one.

Gregg Hurwitz never disappoints! The Orphan X series is excellent! Evan Smoak, aka; Orphan X and the Nowhere Man, continues to evolve and strives to live up to the lessons Jack taught him. Yes, he’s trained as an assassin but Jack also wanted him to retain his humanity. In many ways this is Evan’s biggest challenge., but he finds himself thrust into forging those human contacts, makeshift family and friends. There is always a blend of real world issues, action and personal life lessons in each storyline, which just makes the books so much more interesting in my opinion. I highly recommend this author and this series!

Not much in Evan's life seems all that simple, not even looking for a weird little dog. The story had a nice mix of action and personal life awkwardness. A chase went a few chapters too long for my taste, but that's just my take. One of the things I like about this author is that his stories make me think, sometimes to the point of being made uncomfortable or unsettled by what a character is saying or doing. I appreciate that.

I think was is the first time in reading this series that I sat there arguing with the book after finishing it. Not a bad thing. The characters almost feel like old friends now, so when something less than positive turns up it matters more than it might with some other books. Really need to see what's next.

Another non-stop ride with Evan and company! It is nice to see how The Nowhere Man has changed over the years and how he keeps ending up with family members he doesn’t want but needs and finding friends in the most unlikely places. You experience snarky humor and even some "warm fuzzies." The book has multiple mysteries occurring and some insight into the current perils society is facing. A bit of a set-up at the end that lets you know where the next book may be going.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and Gregg Hurwitz for the eARC.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Lone Wolf (Orphan X, Book 9) by Gregg Hurwitz
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 389 / Genre: Thriller

Evan Smoak, AKA Orphan X, AKA The Nowhere Man, is a government-trained assassin gone rogue. He’s broken free from the program that built him and now he’s using his deadly skills to defend the weak, get back what was taken, and punish those that deserve it. Evan’s case in this story starts out with a lost dog and quickly escalates to sadistic tech moguls, human traffickers, sorority bitches, a ruthless HOA election, and Evan’s own revelations about family and friends.

I’ve been a fan of the Orphan X series from the beginning, and Lone Wolf, the ninth and latest book, is hands down my absolute favorite. It was non-stop action with compelling characters—new and old. This book in particular was also really funny. All the quick one-liners had me giggling between all the action. While I think you’d get a lot more out this one if you read the series from the beginning, I think you could still jump into this one and enjoy it just the same.

Thank you, @NetGalley, @StMartinsPress, and @GreggHurwitzBooks for the advanced copy of this book. I absolutely loved it!

I’m always so excited to get the latest in this series and this one definitely didn’t disappoint! Always so much action, a great storyline and some snarky humor! A great continuation of this series! Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

Love Wolf is the 9th book in the Orphan X series and does not disappoint! This one is different with the rest as Even spins out after meeting his family then dives head long into a lost dog case. Wait what? Yes that’s right an adorable little girl hired him to find her lost dog. What happens next no one could foresee as even delves into his series most dangerous case yet! It was excellent and I highly recommend it if you’re an orphan X fan. Non-Stop action with all the mystery and intrigue you could imagine. Dive right in you won’t regret it.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is getting great reviews, so clearly I am in the minority, but I didn't get it and DNF'd at 40%. I think a BIG issue is that this was my first in the series and I don't feel like it can be read as a standalone. It felt like it picked up where the last one left off and I couldn't catch up. My dad is a big fan of this series and gave me some background before I started reading, but it wasn't enough. I also don't love overly action packed books so this was a little out of my normal genre.

I am giving it a 3 star because I am sure it is not a bad book, it just isn't a good fit for me.

No good deed goes unpunished. Evan Smoak is the Nowhere Man. When someone is in desperate trouble he is a phone call away to make things right. This time when he answers his phone it is his half-brother’s young daughter who has lost her dog. Trained as an assassin, this is not the type of case that he would take on but he is forced to reluctantly agree. Finally tracing the dog’s location, Evan stumbles on a murder with the assassin still in the home. The victim’s daughter Jayla unexpectedly arrives and the assassin is determined to leave no witnesses. Her skills are evenly matched to Evan’s, leading to action scenes that will leave you breathless.

Evan has finally found his father, but their meeting does not go well, leaving him in a bad spot mentally. It is Joey, his young protege, who begins to pull him back. Not only does she provide technical support for him, but she has become like a daughter to him and injects humor into the story, constantly calling him out for being blindsided by an old woman while looking for the dog. Evan is determined to keep Jayla safe. To accomplish this he must discover what is behind the murder and stop the assassin. I have been reading this series from the beginning and it has been consistently exciting. Gregg Hurwitz’s action scenes are edge of your seat and his plots are complex. While reading his previous books will give you an introduction to the people connected to Evan, it can still be read as a stand alone. If you enjoy Mark Greaney’s Gray Man series then the Nowhere Man series is highly recommended.

When it comes to reading I'm a big fan of strong characters that appear in a series of books.
Over time Hurwitz Lone Wolf becomes one of the better reads in the ongoing series Orphan X.
Coming off the disappointment of it's predecessor, I was looking for more in this one - and it certainly delivers.
In this book, Orphan X [the Nowhere Man] receives a call from his niece about her missing dog. What starts as a dog search leads to murder and a chase between two accomplished assassins.
It was a great ride as Evan went after the killer of a prominent computer AI engineer; the killer, a female assassin he referred to as the Wolf.
The strength of this book leans on the development of its key characters, and I wasn't disappointed here. It leaves me wanting for more.
All in all, a great read. Four stars!
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books, as well as Netgalley, for the opportunity to provide this unbiased review.

Book #9 in the Orphan X series. Each book could be read as a stand alone, but I recommend you start at the beginning. One of the things that make this series so good is the back history as Gregg Hurwitz has built Evan Smoak from an ultimate bad guy into an ultimate good guy. Each book has a central story that will draw Evan into situations that provide readers with as much "thrill" as any of the popular series currently on the shelves. The supporting cast of characters keep the story moving as fast as you can turn pages. Orphan X books will hook you at page one and leave you trying to keep up as they race to the end.

Who would think that a lost dog would lead to Evan in opposition with big tech geniuses? I really enjoy watching Evan become more “human” in his thoughts and deeds as he continues to interact with friends and family. I did miss Mia and Peter. Oh, Tommy! Hurwitz does it again. He delivers an intense, convoluted story while showing us Evan Smoak’s continuing journey toward learning what it means to be part of found family and friends.

A new Orphan X thriller always straight to the top of my To Be Read list. Gregg Hurwitz is writing the best thriller series around - a combination of Evan Smoak's hyper-competence as an operative, complicated plots incorporating real world concerns (this one has just-beyond-reality AI and corporate tech-bros run amok), and Smoak's semi-successful and often very funny efforts to find and maintain community connections. In recent books the villains have occupied morally murky ground, and the distance between good guys and bad guys has gotten closer and in some cases disappeared,

This installment rings all of the bells: breathtaking action sequences, a fast-moving story that still leaves time for a great supporting cast, crisp writing, and Smoak's continued development. And it can only be a matter of time until Joey, Evan's foster daughter and sidekick, gets her own series. She steals most of the scenes she's in.

If you enjoy thrillers, you should definitely read this one.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Orphan X series is one I never want to miss. I would read the books in order because of the character developments and also because they are all amazing and fun!

I've been worried about Evan. He can't really have a normal life and has to stay hidden. I'm surprised the government isn't after him more after his disregard for their plans. So he seems to be drifting some, with only his Nowhere calls to answer but they aren't frequent.

Evan's character development is the really story here, along with those he is trying to help. He met his biological father, but Jack was more of a real father to him. He has Joey. There's also his half brother, ex-wife and daughter now. Then there are his vendor contacts like Candy McClure, Melinda and Tommy. Not to forget the ex-drug cartel leader and Luke Devine who are another sort of contact.

Evan considers and tried to figure out his connection with these people. His closest relationship these days is with Joey. It's precious how they support and help each other. And I love how they were able to help Jayla Hill after her father died in every way.

Book 9 in the Orphan X Series is, not only, a fast-paced, pulse-pounding thriller; but, also, a deeper look into an ever-evolving Evan Smoak. If you haven't read the earlier books you can still enjoy Lone Wolf, but I recommend meeting the younger Evan, so you can appreciate his growth and changing relationships with the cast of surrounding characters. Fantastic!

I received an ARC for free but I gave my honest opinion voluntarility.