X definitely marks the spot in the 5 star column.
Another excellent novel by Hurwitz with all his usual trademarks: thrilling suspense, high tech weaponry & web surfing as well as cgaracters tgat are developed with a measure of decency along with their killing thirst.
And this always makes for very interesting and good reading.
X is drawn into a feud with a longtime associate and battles the imaginary bonds of kinship with his innate revenge twist.
Along with the feud is a side story of young men who are drawn into an ethnic cleansing type of gang mentality and go on a senseless
killing rampage.
The story is just great and absolutely enticing in its right there - "what you see is what you get": presentation.
Bravo.
Another home run.
I cannot wait for the next inning,

I really need to start by saying that I am a HUGE fan of this series. That, and the fact that I have been lucky enough to be able to read and review the last several ARC's are a wonderful present to me as a reader. With that being said, I think it's okay for me to say that this was probably my least favorite book in the series. I know, I know....it actually HURTS me to say that.

What happened? Well, to me, the book was all over the place. At the beginning, I had a hard time trying to figure out where this was going. Without going into spoilers, let's just say that Evan and Tommy have some issues, but for some reason, it just never FELT right. It felt like I was reading something that was later going to be "oh, and then they woke up....". I couldn't rationalize their behavior at all - it was completely wrong. You can't tell me that these two men who have developed such a strong and unusual relationship would throw it all away so easily. It actually HURT reading it and it NEVER felt right.

Then, for whatever reason, we get a TON of introspection from both Evan and Joey. Yes, I have really loved the character development and growth that we have seen recently from Evan, but this....this felt like I was reading a self help book and there was WAY too much introspection for the man that we have come to know and love. Actually, NOTHING felt right. There were moments when I thought, "did he have someone else write this for him" because the entire novel was so completely different.

I'm used to total non stop action in this series and what we got in this book was a whole lot of internal dialogue and really unusual behavior from ALL of our normal characters.

Why was Tommy so willing to defend the boys? (seriously, their behavior and actions were reprehensible. Yes, I get the fact that there was the possibility that they could be saved...but that was SO way out there....)

Why the heck was the Sheriff willing to cover things up? Why did Hick even call? None of this really makes sense when you REALLY think about it. There was an extremely sad event that occurs in the end of this book- but honestly, it was kind of telegraphed during most of the book.

So, for me, this is my first miss in this series.

But, you gave it 4 stars, you might say.... Yep, I totally did. Why? Because the world has already been built (and I LOVE it) and the characters have already been developed (and I LOVE them) and I am invested...yep...completely invested in these people. So, in my mind, everyone is allowed a one off.

I will say that the last couple of chapters did make up for the extremely slow pacing of the book. So there is that and I will be eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

I’m writing this review from my happy place!

If you are new to the Orphan X series, you can definitely start here, but if you want maximum enjoyment, start from book 1 and be prepared to binge them all. They are that good!

In our newest entry in the series, Evan has to go face to face with one of his best friends – and it’s absolutely heartbreaking.

Our story is timely and the author does a very good job addressing some sensitive topics – while still giving us the joy that comes with iconic assassins, things that go boom, and the heart that comes with Joey, Dog and Vera (love!).

I didn’t come up for air with this one and I can’t wait until the next book!

• ARC via Publisher

Orphan X is one of those series that I have learned what to expect. This book exceeded my expectations in the best possible way. This one is probably my favorite out of the series. If I had less patience and did not need sleep I would have finished it in a day. It’s Tommy’s and Evan’s “origin” story. Overall I loved this story and was pleasantly surprised by it. Well written as usual and a fun time all around.

I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of Nemesis.


I have thoroughly enjoyed every Orphan X novel since I discovered them a number of years ago and often go back to reread them. They just get better and better. With only a few returning characters each book, the focus is always on the story and progression of these characters. You learn a little more each novel about them.

Nemesis is more of the same. You learn a little more about X's youth and time in the Orphan training. You see Joey's maturing, errors and attempts to be human and accepted.
And this time, you learn a lot about Tommy Stojack. In fact, a lot of the story is told from his viewpoint. He isn't just some arms manufacturer, you learn why he is the way he is.

The last Orphan X novel, Lone Wolf, ended with a cliffhanger. Tommy Stojack had been supplying weapons to X's enemies and now they had been used to try and kill X. Tommy needed to answer for that.

As always, these novels have great action scenes, X arising from impossible situations successfully and frustrating his adversaries.
In Nemesis, Orphan X is up against his beloved Commandments more than in the past, it seemed. They guided him a lot more in this story, forcing him to make decisions, to question his actions and even pause before action.
You see lots of current world problems arising in the story, around the main characters X and Tommy face off.

I could not put down this book, reading late into the night, struggling to stay awake for one more page. It is that good.
If you haven't discovered Orphan X yet, now is the time.

Thanks to NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Evan Smoak is back but not as the Nowhere Man. He is beefing with his friend and armorer Tommy Stojack. Tommy is helping the son of an Army friend who has gotten himself in trouble and then under the scope of Evan. Not my favorite Orphan X book but another solid addition to the series.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will start off the bat by saying that out of the series that come out every year, the new Orphan X series is by far the best. This latest tome showcases Orphan X squaring off against one of his few close "friends". At the end of the last book, I was really wondering how the author would tackle this and was definitely not disappointed. In the last few books, I thought the author explored Orphan X understanding his more human side, which I did find compelling. In this book, though, it was great to see the bad-ass Orphan X side make a reappearance. I loved this book and would highly recommend it to all. 5-stars!

Orphan X is back in “Nemesis”, the 10th action-packed installment from Gregg Hurwitz. Following up from the revelations at the end of the previous book (“Lone Wolf”), Evan Smoak, ex-government assassin Orphan X, has to go after his longtime armorer and friend Tommy Stojack.

Evan has a strong code of right and wrong, which helps him remain human as opposed to just being a heartless killing machine. It seems like Tommy has broken this code, providing weapons to an assassin who targets innocent victims, a line Evan does not cross. After a painful and emotional confrontation, the two warriors have retreated back to their homes, realizing that the next time they meet it will be as enemies.

Tommy has his own problems to take care of. He promised an old Army buddy who died in his arms that he would help his son if called, his son has now called in that favor. Off Tommy goes to a small town seething with hate and anger: corrupt cops, young boys running wild, and escalating tensions between the Hispanic immigrants and the old time residents, resulting in the death of innocent civilians. Tommy is trying to keep his promise, see that justice is done, and keep everyone alive. But with the entrance of Orphan X into the mix, that’s not going to be an easy task. If that wasn’t enough, four world-class assassins have their sights on Tommy as well. Bullets will be flying, but who will remain standing when all is said and done?

The action in this book is what we’ve come to expect, fast and furious and quite detailed, a bunch of fun. But it’s the rest of the story that gets in the way. It is hard to believe that Tommy and Evan just decide to throw away their years together because of pride, when a few sentences in their initial discussion would put everything into a different light. The introspection and internal discussions get to be quite disruptive to the story, one does not read an Orphan X book hoping to focus on personal growth. Joey has her own problem-of-the-month, and her scene with Orphan V felt quite awkward and unnecessary. Mia and Peter are long gone and only mentioned briefly. And the Four Horsemen, who have a fabulous build-up, end up being quite a letdown in the end.

But I guess what disappoints me the most is that over the last two books we seem to be moving away from the premise of the Nowhere Man, the protector of innocents at the other end of an anonymous call. Sure, Evan has problems in his world, but it’s the setting aside of those and helping a stranger that made these books such an interesting premise. As I said in the previous review, The Nowhere Man / Orphan X had always followed the rule “Don’t make it personal.” Unfortunately for Evan, this time it’s all personal.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Gregg Hurwitz takes his character to a breaking point like nothing before. Orphan X faces his most dangerous mission yet in the form of an old friend turned foe. With tensions mounting, the action feels like a cathartic release towards a fantastic narrative and an ending that will rip you apart.

Full review to be posted on https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain

This was another hit from this series. Filled with much mystery and suspense. There were a number of twists and turns which kept the reader interested. This is a book which I would recommend to all who enjoy a good mystery.

I received this book from Gregg Hurwitz, his publisher (Minotaur Books), and the fine folks at NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The premise behind the series is that the protagonist, Evan Smoak, having been taken from a children's home in East Baltimore and trained as part of a secret government initiative (the Orphan program, of which he was the twenty-fourth successful agent) buried so deep that virtually no one knows it exists. But he broke with the program, choosing instead to vanish off the grid and use his formidable skill set to help those unable to protect themselves as The Nowhere Man.

This is the tenth book in Hurwitz's Orphan X series with the synopsis being that Evan Smoak was a highly successful black ops assassin known as Orphan X, dedicated to a rigid set of operational rules. Now, even after breaking with the government program, going deep underground, and remaking his life, Smoak is dedicated to his assassin's Ten Commandments. But for the first time in his life, those principles have put him on a collision course with the man who might be his best friend in the world, Tommy Stojack.

As an aside, it is stated in Hurwitz's biography on Goodreads that he was also instrumental in writing for Marvel Comics for the Punisher starting in 2004. As an avid comic book fan when I was younger, I can easily draw the correlation between Punisher's armourer, Microchip, and Smoak's armourer, Tommy Stojack, and the relation that both characters shared with their armourers.

Stojack, a gifted gunsmith who has created much of Evan's weapons and combat gear, has crossed one of Evan's sharply delineated lines. When Evan decides to go to his workshop and have it out with Tommy, Evan finds himself under attack by a group attempting to ambush and kill him. But, with all his training and skills, Evan is extremely hard to kill―and the dispute explodes into open warfare between him and Tommy. Now Evan has no choice, in his mind, than to track down and face down his only friend.

In the meantime, Tommy is honoring an old promise to an Army friend and goes to help his dead friend's son. In a depressed rural area, with conflicts flaring up, that son is partially responsible for the death of a family of innocents. And while Tommy is trying to keep him, and his friends, alive, Evan arrives, with vengeance in mind. This novel features lots of introspection for our protagonist in this tale as he revisits his upbringing, and works through conflicts with his closest “friends”, Joey and Tommy. Along the way he deals a group of young militia wannabes, a corrupt sheriff’s department, and a ‘contract’ that has been placed on Tommy’s head.

This was a series that I only came to recently, having only read the last two books, that would be a definite favourite for those aficionados of the action thriller genre and is easily worthy of a four-star rating on a scale of five.

As with most of my literary ramblings, these are my five cents worth.

Wow what a book.!
I just finished and am sitting here trying not to cry.
In a weird way, I suppose, I think of these characters as real people. .And I'm shocked really. I found myself saying no no no please no.
This book was so good. I truly believe it is my favorite
I thought the meaning of.Tommy's comments and attitude toward Evan in the beginning was a.play.on the real people comments about Evan becoming more human less bad ass.
Like a... let's take a step back.. I'll show you who's soft. He definitely had a harder edge. Or so it seems when being looked at from somene else's perspective or experience.
The story as it circles around takes you on the full emotional spectrum. In the middle with Evan on the outside with Tommy. Who am I mad at Who's side should I take What?
The writing is exceptional as always
You are wonderful The book is wonderful I am so grateful for the opportunity to read it
Thank you truly.

A unique thriller featuring a war between 2 good guys. full of action, lots of description of the tools of killing, the Orphan X series is always wildly entertaining. Each book tells us more about how Ethan came to be Orphan X. Highly enjoyable.

Evan Smoak, Orphan X, the Nowhere Man...whatever guise author Gregg Hurwitz cloaks his protagonist in is a sure winner. Hurwitz is just a very talented writer and I have enjoyed his novels. Here we see a friendship that last years but appears to finally come down. The story is told with intrigue and excitement. I can't wait for the next one.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Great to have Evan (X) back even though his other persona, Nowhere Man, is only mentioned in passing. Lots of introspection for our protagonist in this tale as he revisits his upbringing, and works through conflicts with his closest “friends”, Joey and Tommy. Along the way he deals a group of young militia wannabes, a corrupt sheriff’s department, and a ‘contract’ that has been placed on Tommy’s head. A great addition to the series.

Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz, is an action packed thriller that covers a wide spectrum emotions. From loneliness and despondency to anger and frustration, as well as vengeance, determination. friendship, and love. But more than anything, love and a determination to belong seem to be the overriding feelings throughout the book.

It starts with a man named Evan Smoat, being hell bent on getting revenge, believing that he had been betrayed by someone (Tommy Stojack) he had come to love and call family (or heaven forbid friends), if Evan was willing to admit someone like him had people he was willing to care about. Evan grew up alone and isolated, created to be the perfect weapon any government would be thrilled to exploit, and growing tired of the political games, the looking over his shoulder, and the threats by his own people, he pulled out, hiding from everyone until he befriends the person he feels finally betrayed him.

The hurt that fills Evan is evident in everything he does. The reader can feel the anger, the rage, almost as if it's palpable. When Evan starts to question if his friend did in fact betray him, his anger and sense of betrayal slowly morph into confusion, but Evan doesn't let that stop him from searching for Tommy through hell or high water, because one way or another he's going to get what he's searching for, whether that be retribution or answers.

High speed action, psychological warfare tactics (some), intense drama, the ability to get out of any situation almost makes you think of a cross between Mission Impossible, Jack Reacher, and Fast and Furious movie as you read this book. If you're looking for fun and excitement, and looking for a book that is a good plot as well, then I highly recommend reading Nemesis.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this Orphan X installment.

I've loved the Orphan X series since the beginning and have really enjoyed the Nowhere Man's journey. This latest installment is really forcing him to dig deeper into his self discovery, and into his relationships, both with Joey, and more so with his friend and arms dealer, Tommy Stojack. This was another great book in the series, and I can't wait for #11.

Gregg Hurwitz is an awesome author. I haven’t read a book of his that I haven’t loved. This book was no exception!