This is the type of stories I enjoy reading, suspenseful, full of action and with great characters. Orphan X was a fast-paced, action-packed, thrill ride. From beginning to end it will keep you in suspense. Who do you trust? It was extremely well written, but the guns and vodka were described in much more detail than necessary. It was well worth the read and hard to put down.

I don't know how Gregg Hurwitz's books have escaped my attention before now since I love to read thrillers. This is the first book of his that I've read, but it will definitely not be the last. Can't wait to read the next book in this series. I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of Gregg Hurwitz's "Orphan X" in exchange of an honest review.

This book is probably great but unfortunately I couldn't make it through it. I tried picking it up a couple of times but found myself completely disiniterested and hence - DNF@40%

There was a lot going on in this book. Sometimes it felt like too much. I felt like I was at the end so many different times because there were so many story lines to wrap up. I am happy that each story line did resolve though. Some of the story was just a bit too unbelievable, which took away some of the enjoyment. It wasn't a great book, or a bad book.

Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz is a the first book in the Orphan X series. Gregg Hurwitz takes us on an adventure along side of a man who was trained as boy in the unknown government's Orphan Program. Orphan X (known to the other orphans) becomes one of the best in the program, but Orphan X has had enough. Following his mentors (John Jacks) commandments, Orphan X (Evan Smoak the rest of the world) the No Where Man, a man sought out by those who have absolutely no where else to turn,
After helping someone in need, Evan receives a phone call from a desperate young woman.
While Evan delves into his new "assignment",a moment happens that makes him question the very case he is working on. Is she truly in trouble,or someone put Evan out in to the open. Not to mention Evan has a sure way to make sure the next person he helps is truly someone truly needs his help.
Orphan X is a thrill, full of excitment, hints of his past and a person who keeps him being being a full fledged assassin with no heart or morals.
Gregg Hurwitz knows how to keep my attention, keeps my interest peeked, and revealing enough of Evan's past, his relationship with his handler, and the people he tries to keep at an arms length.
I like the fact that Gregg Hurwitz describes Evan's passion of vodka, of the palate of each one. and to me it sticks with Evan's personality. Evan is not the only fictional character to have a vice. I mean would James Bond be James Bond if he drank something else other than his shaken and stirred martini? J.D. Robb writes of Eve Dallas in her In Death series where Eve's vice is coffee (the real stuff, not the fancy stuff or soy based stuff), and from the T.V series The Pretender (which Evan reminds me a bit of) Jared, his vice Pez candy, of course as time moves Jared has quite the with the dispencer. collection.
Cannot wait for Evan's next adventure in The NoWhere Man.

I might have a secret, not so secret obsession with assassin stories. I think I like them more than I admit and I wanted to love this one. There were for sure parts of it that I enjoyed and overall this did not make me run away and hide. I plan to stick with the series but I had a tough time getting through this one. In fact, the beginning really tested my patience. I almost quit, a few times. BUT I forced myself to keep going because I was dying to see where the series (highly rated) was going to go.

Evan Smoak is taken as a child and trained in an off-books black op program for children. Seriously how does that not peak your interest?

It’s tough to get to know Evan because he’s very closed off, robot like and that can be tough to get past. I hate to say it but Jason Bourne does come to mind when I think of Evan. He isn’t a bad guy because he only takes out bad guys… He uses his particular set of skills (LOL) to take out people who hurt people who can not protect themselves, which I like. BUT he also comes across as very pretentious and rude, but he is who he is.

There’s a lot of guns, knives and fighting that may not appeal to all, I probably skipped over sections of those details just because I don’t need those exact details to get the picture in my head. BUT some probably really like that stuff. For me those details became to much.

In the end I will for sure be checking out book 2 because I want to see what happens next and like I said at the start, secret obsession…This ones not for everyone but those you dig it will dig it hard!


Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Deep State

We are introduced to a character created in dystopian modern times by a bizarre corruption of the concept of protection. Like many such thrillers currently out which explore the limitless reaches of power and concomitant corruption, author Gregg Hurwitz has found his own special niche, focusing on the concept of pulling orphans, basically abandoned by society and already outside its bounds, off the street and into an arcane training program to create perfect assassins. The idea of totally controlling another individual is not new--think post World War II's "Manchurian Candidate"--but the years-long training required seems an improbable task in today's "need it now" society.

Okay, given that premise, what can you expect? A far better than expected adventure with Orphan X, whose training may have been just a little different, although equally thorough. I don't want to give away anything so I'll just say I really enjoyed the story and am already queuing up book 2 in my reader!

Exciting, action-packed thriller! From childhood, Evan Smoak was trained as an assassin as part of a covert US intelligence program. We get bits of his past and of his present as he goes on his assigned missions and also moonlights as the "Nowhere Man", helping those who have nowhere else to turn. I loved the training scenes and his efforts to do some good in the world to make up for the uglier parts of what he's had to do.


Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

I loved the first three books in this series. I flew through them and enjoyed the suspense, characterization and plot.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.

Because Book 4 in the Orphan X series, Out of the Dark, is coming out at the end of this month, the first three books were offered on NetGalley. I jumped at the chance to catch up on this popular and exciting series. Many thanks to the publisher and Gregg Hurwitz for providing me with the opportunity.

In Orphan X, Evan Smoak is helping people in trouble who call him on a special phone line. In the first case, a young Hispanic girl desperately wants to protect her younger sister from a sexual predator. Evan's backstory is told in flashes and we learn how he became so highly trained from a young age and by whom and why he is now 'in the wind.'

In the next case that Evan takes on, a gambler in massive debt to the Vegas casinos is being hunted by a team of assassins who are holding her father as hostage. Somehow they seem to know Evan's every move. Who is the real target here?

Evan is a complicated, intriguing character. He is a highly-trained assassin but seems determined to carry on as normal a life as possible amongst his neighbors in a high-rise condo while living a double life. That of course leads to complications and some humorous, everyday situations: he gets chastised for not attending HOA meetings; is worried about handprints on his Sub-Zero refrigerator; and gets trapped into babysitting an eight-year-old boy. I love that he's a meditator to boot!

Exciting action, horrifying and relentless villains, and lots of plot twists keep the reader turning pages. A hero with a heart makes you want to come back for more. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

If you are looking for something that will have you rapidly turning pages, spending your day and part of your night reading a most enticing thriller, than this book is for you.

Evan Smoak is quite a guy. He has a multitude of skills and is on a mission to help those who have no where to turn. He takes on people who find themselves at the ends of their ropes, thrown into despair, with no hope in sight, and provides then with a way to find their life once again.

Evan is powerful, he is trained, he anticipates and knows his way around the very worst of the criminal elements. Trained as a young child in all the arts of self defense, mind control, and resistance to pain, Evan was part of s secretive Orphan program, whose mission was to work undercover with a high level of plausible deniability. (in other words working for the government) However, Evan disappears and breaks with the program that trained him, including his beloved mentor/father Jack. He disappears and clandestinely offers his service to those in need.

However, someone is onto to Evan and he must use all his skills as The Nowhere Man to combat the evil that is at his door.

Told with multiple twists and turns and introducing Evan as a character that one can admire, Gregg Hurwitz has created a most thrilling thriller. The pages fly by and the level of tense action and situations push this book forward to a most satisfying conclusion. This book is the start of a series and it is already out for readers to enjoy. I know I will continue to follow Evan and his exploits in the next book.

Many thanks to Gregg Hurwitz for putting the zing into this thriller, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing this reader with a copy of the excellent, engrossing book. Onto the next book for me.

So good, I read this book anytime I could find more than 5 minutes to read. Fast paced, exciting, and enough of a backstory/history of Orphan X to make the picture complete. I'm ready for book 2.

Who, or perhaps more to the point, what is Orphan X? The juxtaposition of flashbacks with present day occurrences keeps the story in motion. Life's mundane complications put extra meat, and maybe a little far, on the bones of the story. My first impression was ORPHAN X is a take on "The Equalizer." For a lot of you, that would mean dreamy Denzel Washington, in the movie. For me, it's the 80s television series with distinguished Edward Woodward. Either way, you get my meaning. The gadgetry used would put James Bond's Q to shame.

ORPHAN X is a page turner. The writing is crisp, sometimes bordering on staccato, yet there is an underlying elegance of phrase that makes for a very smooth read. Here is a story inside an intrigued all tied up in a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. It will make you consider what your own life might be like if everything was completely ordered and compartmentalized. Evan Smoak is one of the more interesting characters I've read. He is quite the enigma yet never appears to be a cardboard cutout. He's a superhero without a cape.

I'm really glad that I already have the next two novels in this series on my Kindle. I do love a good book binge, and I can't think of a better page turner with which to start the new year.

This book is the first in a series of three involving Evan Smoak, an orphan trained as an off-the-books assassin. The book provides a complete story, and it sets the stage for the additional episodes. The plot is very imaginative, and the style of writing works well to give a sense of realism and define the characters. While the action and suspense continue throughout, much interest is evoked by the psychological issues Evan deals with as the story progresses. I read all three books before writing this review, but would not have given a different rating if this was the only book I read. The quality of writing and engrossing plot make this a real winner.

With the fourth book “Out of the Dark” scheduled for release on January 29, 2019, it will be good to gift this trio of books to the suspense/thriller and action/adventure reader in your list. If he or she is a fan of Jason Bourne, then they won’t be disappointed.

Book 1 – Orphan X introduces Evan Smoak, an orphan recruited by a government-backed, black-ops squad of highly trained assassins. Evan became Orphan X, one of the best in the program. But when his handler and perhaps only friend was killed mysteriously, Evan went Rogue and became the Nowhere Man – a person who could help people out of hopeless situations.

Adrenaline pumping action reminiscent of Jason Bourne with the sentiment of the “The Equalizer,” an old CBS series circa 1985-1989, Orphan X is a great mix of high-octane exploit and heart.

Book 2 – The Nowhere Man is more cerebral than Orphan X as it develops Evan Smoak more. The pacing is slower but readers also see Smoak as a person not a super hero of sorts. The surprise is in the ending and worth the earlier slowness of the storyline.

Book 3 – Hellbent truly marries head and heart in the series. Now, readers see the depth of Evan Smoak’s humanity. He might be a trained assassin, but he still has a heart and that is the crux of this story. It will tug at your heartstrings! And it’s a suspense/thriller at that!

Interesting read. Steady pacing (not too fast or boringly slow) and kept me on my toes with every turn of the page. Looking forward to finishing out the series.

I found this book to be an engaging and fast read. It is along the lines of the novels by Lee Child and Vince Flynn (the solo ones, not the continuing under his name) with a different background for the main character - Evan Smoak. The author does a very good job in developing the main character, but passes over somewhat lightly what transpired between his training and what he currently is doing.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to read something along the lines of Jack Reacher or Mitch Rapp with a different twist.

I received a free Kindle copy of Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz n courtesy of Net Galley  and Minotaur Books, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as its sounded interesting and all three books in the series were offered up at the same time. This is the first book by the author that I have read.

Evan Smoak is an orphan who is trained to be an assassin under the government’s secret Orphan Program. He has become a rogue assassin known as the “nowhere man.” He does only good now as he help those that have no one else to go to. He is careful as there are those who want to capture him. Why? What would they do if they capture him?

This is a thriller that is non-stop. It is a book that kept me reading as I wanted to know what would happen next. I never wanted it to end and look forward to the next title.

Evan is a killer. He was trained by the government to be a killer and he is very good at what he does. Evan has gone off the rails and now is seeking his personal redemption by being a hit man for good.

A hit man for good sounds contradictory but Evan works at righting wrongs and a personal level as opposed to a government level. People who have nowhere to turn can turn to the Nowhere Man for help.

A secret government program made Evan Smoak the weapon they had hoped for with results they never anticipated. The story is packed full of action and intrigue. Evan Smoak is right up there with Dewey Andreas and Jack Reacher.

I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

NetGalley has allowed access to his previous books so here is my honest review. This was a good book, had exciting twists and I enjoyed the characters. It was very well written and I think a lot of people would enjoy this read.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so thank to NetGalley and the Publisher for making this series available to read prior to the release of the fourth book this winter.

OMG! They were such fun to read and I'm happy for the chance to discover them just in time for the new book. I will definitely be keeping up with this series.

I would characterize Evan as a non-sociopathic Dexter. He actually has a moral compass that he lives buy and is not just following a "code" to survive. But he is extremely lethal.

The stories are violent and action packed, but there is a surprising amount of humor, too. The parts of the story where Evan must interact with the normal, unsuspecting people in his apartment building are a riot.

Again, thank you. This series is a blast.