I have read all the orphan x series to date and they just keep getting better and better - I love the detail in the books and how the characters grow and come alive

This was just my cup of tea, non stop action all the way. Young Orphans taken and trained to be killers by someone at the top of the American political system. Then the time came when the Orphans were a liability and needed to be exterminated. Some of them had other ideas and so the story begins. Great read.

Even though, I have heard many good things about the author, "Hellbent" was actually the first novel by Gregg Hurwitz that I have read. I do realise that this isn't the first book in the series. But I was still able to enjoy reading it, without having read the previous two. Orphan X turned out to be such an amazing character. And I couldn't help but admire the author's creativity. This novel kept me reading for hours. I will most certainly check out more of the authors novels in future.

Evan Smoak or Orphan X is back in the third instalment of this series. Evan is a highly trained operative who was undertaking operations which even the highest officials on the US government could not provide authorisation for... He has been trained by one of the best, Jack, who has engrained in Evan the importance of following a set of commandments - Evan lives his life by these rules.

In book three, Hurwitz takes us through some twists and turns which I won't go into as I do not wish to provide spoilers! Let's just say that Evan ends up having to compromise on one of the commandments which he never breaks - never let e mission become personal. Due to the personal nature of the mission in this book, Evan has to make some compromises, getting himself into some of the hairy situations we have come to love from Mr Smoak!

I have really enjoyed the Orphan X trilogy due to the consistent development of the characters within the story. This is another series where the reader gets to know a number of characters and Hurwitz is so consistent with their personalities that the reader really does finish the book feeling as though they know the people within the story (although, they might be glad that they do not actually know some of them!!). I love Evan Smoak as he is real! He is a deadly assassin who has maintained the human element (another of the aforementioned commandments!) and whilst he may not be able to empathise with 'normal people' he can sympathise and the reader is always left with the feeling that Evan only ever goes after the bad guys! (yep... another commandment! - never let an innocent die!).

I would warmly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good action novel, although, you may at times be required to suspend reality. I would begin with the first book in the series (Orphan X), whilst this isn't strictly necessary as the books can be read on a stand alone basis, the story is told over the course of the 3 books and I strongly believe that the reader will enjoy them more by reading them in order.

A fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it is not something I would usually pick up. Will look for more from this author in future.

Think we all know not a good idea to put Evan Smoak's back up so messing with his mentor is a no no. Getting hooked up with a junior Orphan who fails the program soon has them both pursued and realisation slowly dawns that the real person behind their predicament is a little higher than imagined. Mix in a side order of sorting out one of the deadliest gangs around and once again you have an end to end thriller for those of us that like to "escape"
It's changing my taste in vodka to!

I picked this book not 100% convinced I was going to enjoy it. How wrong could I have been? Once I picked it up, I didn't put it down again until I'd finished it - and yes, I was rather tired, but every time I tried to put it down I couldn't sleep out of curiosity.

The idea of a training school for assassins, starting at a young age when minds are more malleable, is a fascinating one. Add to that a trainer with a conscience who teaches more than just how to kill and you have an interesting mix.

I admit that the idea of a former assassin living a secretive life while he tries to repent for his past isn't a new one. What makes this different from other books I have read is the way that the story line has been constructed with a greater degree of realism than I am used to from thrillers of this type.

The narrative is well written, with well constructed and believable characters. As I was reading I was watching the novel play out in my mind's eye; Gregg Hurwitz is descriptive enough to create that movie-in-the-mind experience without going overboard. He walks the line extremely well with a storyline that, in the wrong hands, could have come across as rather over the top. However, the author manages to keep tight control and has instead created a gritty, realistic novel. Because of the way it is written I felt I was reading something that could have happened.

You know you've read a good book when you are disappointed there isn't another to pick up immediately afterwards, so that you can find out what happens to the characters. If you enjoy spy/assassin thrillers then this is worth picking up.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the digital copy.

An Explosive Thriller:
"Hellbent" immerses the reader from the off in a truly brilliantly planned action storyline.
The action runs in real time with two storylines effectively running in parallel: Evan's rôle as The Nowhere Man, and his persona as a renegade Undercover operative. The novel is the third in the "Orphan X" series which have proved such a great success for its author, Gregg Hurwitz. "Hellbent" is, in my opinion, up to the same standard Hurwitz set himself in the earlier books.
The novel starts with the violent death of Jack, Evan's mentor, at the hands of Evan's nemesis Van Sciver. And continues in the same vein throughout. This is not a novel for the fainthearted.
"Hellbent" revolves around Joey, a failed product of The Orphan X Project, a project which possesses total deniability yet with infinite resources to facilitate nasty things on behalf of the U.S. Government. Jack's dying wish was for Evan to protect Joey and lead her to safety. But Evan has vengeance on his mind first. On everyone connected with Jack's death. Joey proves her own worth on more than one occasion but will she survive? Indeed will Evan get Van Sciver?
Every scrape that Evan gets into, the reader is left puzzling as to how he's going to extricate himself alive. But he will, rest assured, author Gregg Hurwitz devises a cunning plan to lead the character to safety.
High tech features but doesn't dominate. The novel is literally a roller coaster of fast action: from fights (and deaths) in Helicopters to the novel's high rise end.
As the novel progresses we learn that the Orphan project might have been linked to higher placed authority than Evan ever believed.
The story of The Nowhere Man serves as a moral counterbalance although not one that is any less violent.
For readers who like their action fast and furious. And violent. Bound to be as successful as its predecessors, "Hellbent" leaves the way open for a further novel in the series.

This is a great series, I managed to get my husband hooked also!
Evan is a great character, and Hellbent is an exciting addition to the Orphan X collection. Couldn't put this one down!

Thanks the NetGalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for the ARC of this book.

This is the third book in the Orphan X trilogy. I'm not sure why I keep reading these books. The first one was ridiculous, the second was even more ridiculous and it's clear from the end of this book that the series is heading into beyond ridiculous high-level conspiracy territory.

I picked up this book hoping to discover the fate of Jack which was left dangling at the end of the last book, fortunately this is disclosed almost immediately. I was also hoping this book might tie up the series and that Evan and Mia could finally settle down and be happy together and I could stop reading this series, alas this did not happen; this is clearly one of those series which is going to drag on and on and milk its premise (a silly Jason Bourne rip-off) for all it is worth.

I think I should probably stop reading the series anyway. It's not that these books are bad; they are standard by numbers thrillers with overblown repetitive descriptions (do I really need to know the make of every gun and car?) and unsubtle emotional language; but I'm sure they meet the needs of their target audience, I'm just pretty positive that's not me.

What's puts me off the most is the way this book revels in its descriptions of violence, the main character Evan is basically a killing machine and in this book is responsible for at least 50 deaths and the glee the book feels when describing these is just wrong. I also really object to the awful leery language used to describe the female character Candy, she is the sum of all her physical parts and I feel queasy whenever I read a passage describing her. I really think contemporary books, even with a male focus, should do better with this.

Farewell Orphan X, may I reread this review if I'm ever tempted to pick up another book in this series.

The third novel in the Evan Smoak series following the adventures of a rogue secret government agent whose story started in the Nowhere Man, this is a thrilling, fast paced novel which will keep the reader enthralled.

My heart leapt when I saw that volume three of this action packed series had been released. And Gregg Hurwitz didn't let me down! Evan Smoak continues to be my all time favourite action hero; with a hard as nails exterior, and a soft centre.

In this instalment we see Evan connect with another Orphan from the program - Joey - a young, traumatised computer genius on the run from the Van Sciver, the man running the Orphan Program looking to close out loose ends, and shut down Orphans past.

I couldn't get into this book at all
I like the idea of the story-line but slogged through the fist 2 chapters then gave up.
It was slow with characters that I didn't connect with and a predictable story with a predictable ending - not for me sorry!

Sorry the ARC was unreadable. I can ignore the odd formatting error but this one was just a constant distraction and I couldn’t settle into reading it. From what I read it seemed like it would be good but hard to say!

The third book in this series, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. A great writer who keeps you hooked from beginning to end. This book is crammed with action, thrill and suspense. Recommended.

I hadn't read any of Gregg Hurwitz's books before this and I was a little way in before I realised it wasn't the first book to feature Evan Smoak, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. It probably isn't the sort of book I would normally pick and read but once in a while a change is a good thing! I found it easy to read, fast paced and full of action. Evan Smoak is a bit of an enigma, shaped by his upbringing, sometimes distant but underneath his facade there's someone there who really cares. I liked his relationship with Joey, which although he found things difficult, he really tried with. I think I'm going to have to read the others in the series now and then read this again!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I normally like this author but did not like this book at all, was not for me so feel it unfair for me to give a biased review.

Got my interest from page one through to the very last. A rollercoaster action packed story with an unlikely partnership that works. Great read.

I enjoyed this book. I was new to the series and I read this one, unfortunately, in fits and starts, but it kept me intrigued until the end. However, like others have said, it did get a little far-fetched in places but would happily make a in-it-for-the-thrills blockbuster movie. Evan Smoak/Orphan X could keep coming back for more and I'll keep an eye out for the next installment. Thanks for the review opportunity.

Having found the second Orphan-X book, The Nowhere Man, something of an exercise in wheel-spinning repetition that lacked the dynamic thurst of the first installment, I was hesitant to pick up Hellbent. Only when I was offered the chance to read it via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review did I grab the chance and even then it took me a while to shift it to the top of my reading list.

I now regret that delay, because Hellbent turns out to be a real return to form for the series. There is no repeat of the overly contrived and restrictive set-up of The Nowhere Man. Here Evan Smoak is back to doing what he does best; saving people and hunting down bad guys. Moreover, Hurwitz manages to set up not one but three intersecting plot strands to keep events moving, develop both existing and new characters and further flesh out the wider Orphan Program narrative. There is Evan's mission to avenge an attack on his mentor Jack, the unexpected task of protecting a former Orphan candidate called Joey that is thrust upon him and the usual Nowhere Man mission to help an innocent in trouble.

This mix of dramatic arcs keeps the story moving at a break-neck pace, and allows Hurwitz to inject plenty of twists and sharp turns. Add in plenty of action and constantly shifting locations and Hellbent becomes the same sort of engaging, propulsive thriller as the original Orphan-X book. This dynamism also helps paper over some of the more implausible plot developments by not giving readers long enough to contemplate them before some other incident grabs their attention.

Not that the book is all action at the expense of character development. By introducing the character of Joey, who he wisely doesn't allow to become just a stereotypical 'child in jeopardy', Hurwitz gives Evan Smoak the impetus and the room to grow as a character. This is important if the series is going to have a long term future; keeping Smoak as an eternally isolated, emotionally stunted former assassin would have become repetitive over time.

The decision to move the wider 'Orphan Program' narrative forward in very significant ways by the end of the book also bodes well for the future. Many thriller series become boringly repetitive by not developing their wider narratives quickly enough, leaving their characters going around in frustrating circles. Hurwitz by contrast, seems unafraid of shaking things up by permanently eliminating major characters and introducing significant new antagonists at a relatively rapid pace. There's definitely no sense of him trying to spin story-lines out beyond their natural breaking point or frustrating the audience by leaving too many plot-strands hanging.

It all makes for a very satisfying third entry in the Orphan series, whilst setting up even greater stakes for the next book Its certainly restored my interest in the series.