Dark Horse

Hurwitz just keeps getting better.

A roller coaster ride from Gregg Hurwitz as Orphan X is called on to help a father recover his daughter from a murderous cartel boss.

This novel differs slightly from the others as Evan is in more reflective mood, and is distracted by uncomfortable interactions with those around him, whilst seeking to protect the innocent from those who mean them harm. This in fact enhances the story, and its intelligent planning and brilliant execution cements Hurwitz as one of the best authors in his field.

Great stuff for fans of Lee Child, David Baldacci, James Patterson and the like.

Life is rarely black and white, as Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X finds in this latest thrilling episode, Evan Smoak manages to survive the nightmare cliffhanger from the last book which left his penthouse decimated, and which he is in the process of rebuilding, he is to leave it in the hands of super hacker Joey Morales, but he is to discover she has very different ideas, the question is can he adapt? More to the point, Evan is to find that the commandments with which he is trying to live his life by do not meet the realities of human flaws and sins. He has a call from the most desperate of men from South Texas, Aragon Urrea, a man who tries to be a good man, but slight hitch, he just happens to be a modern tech savvy drug cartel leader. The light of Aragon's eyes, his beautiful, beloved 18 year old daughter, Anjelina, was abducted at her birthday party. So does X help a not so innocent man?

Anjelina, however, is innocent, and as Smoak discovers, Aragon is far more complicated than any drug kingpin has any right to be. There is much for Smoak to observe and learn from Aragon, they engage in fascinating discussions on life and family, many of them on morality and philosophy, such as maturity is graduating from the belief that the world misunderstands you to the awareness that you misunderstand the world. They touch on issues Evan is struggling with, letting others get close enough emotionally to become a part of his family. As it turns out, given the challenges that are to emerge, the two men turn out to be good for each other, as a bond and friendship develops between them. However, Evan makes demands from Aragon when it comes to his drugs business that are non-negotiable if he is to help get Anjelina back. She is being held in Mexico at the fortress home of the vicious and volatile leader of the Leones drug cartel, Raul Montesco, and the stage is set for a particularly violent mission that involves carnage, a man eating lion, and a huge bodycount.

The high level of brutality in this addition to the series is unlikely to appeal to many fans of these action based thrillers, and whilst this might require a suspension of disbelief, what I do know about the drug cartels is that inhumanity and horrifying deaths are what they have a reputation for. I am far more interested in Evan's character development, and here he is emotionally pushed to his limits when it comes to his fears regarding Joey's desire to go on a road trip with Dog, and Mia's predicament requiring more of him with regard to Peter. Hurwitz challenges both the reader and Smoak to look beyond the one dimensional picture of drug cartel leaders, human beings are far more complex than what many of us can comprehend, and more to the point, it is always possible for a person to change, as we see Evan doing, it is worth bearing in mind that no-one is beyond redemption. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Gregg Hurwitz’ hero, Evan Smoak, or Orphan X, rides again in this rollercoaster of a book. Evan runs into both trouble at home, as he struggles to get a grip on personal relationships, and as his alter ego, the Nowhere Man, as he takes on an assignment to rescue the prisoner of a drug kingpin.

Needless to say, the action scenes are epic, the calmer moments appropriate and intelligent, and the book itself excellent.

This should be on the ‘must read’ list of every action thriller fan, along with Reacher and Rapp.

This is the latest outing for the Nowhere Man, Evan Smoak, after the previous tale ended literally on a cliff-hanger.
This is set six months after those events, but we hear in flashback what happened.
I love the way Evan is questioning all his core values, and realising that the world is shades of grey rather than black or white. So when he is asked by a “bad” man who is now doing good, to rescue his daughter, again he has to address moral ambiguity.
The usual cast of characters are there, with Mia receiving some bad news, and Joey asserting her independence.
There is a lot of violence, and armament details which I skip-read, but the story races along, and comes to a brutal climax, with Evan, as usual, coming out pretty unscathed.
The best part of these tales is the contrast between Evan’s two lives, and how this is making him more human.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this book.

Dark Horse is the latest instalment in Greg Hurwitz's excellent Orphan X series, . Following on from the last book's explosive finale Evan Smoak finds both his body and home in need of repair. One of those employed to do the latter tells Smoak of someone potentially in need of his services. Smoak provides his number and is contacted by the potential client.....Aragon Urrrea ,a high profile "Narco" running a very lucrative criminal empire. Urrea's 18 year-old daughter has been abducted by rivals and despite him being very far from Smoak's regular client base he agrees to help.

This is a great step forward for the series. cold-blooded assassin Smoak is now older and more reflective and his relationships with those around him are a big part of the book as he struggles with feelings he's only encountering late in life. Amongst the usual violence and mayhem ,and there's plenty of both, Smoak tackles social occasions , relationships and even shows the beginnings of "lightening up" and straying slightly from his regimented and austere lifestyle.

All the good stuff we've come to expect from an Orphan X book is in here, a great story, complex characters and laugh out loud dialogue between Smoak and his street-smart protege Joey. It veers from the touching to the brutal to outright comedy as Smoak negotiates a new path of humanity and empathy, things trained out of him in his "Orphan" days. I've enjoyed this series from the start and this is my favourite so far. Smoak is changing as a person and becoming a more rounded and interesting character. which adds to rather then detracts from the usual thrills and "robust" action.

I am a huge fan of the Orphan X series so was extremely grateful to receive a review copy. This book can be read as a standalone novel and once you read it you will want to consume them all.
Evan Smoak is back and trying to rebuild what has been destroyed, at the same time he is having to deal with a teenager, an ill maybe-girlfriend and saving a young girl from the cartel. As you can imagine he has a lot on his plate and cracks of humanity is starting to show.
The only thing that will make this series better is bringing Candy back, she brings an edgy dimension to Evan and I live in hope that she will replace Mia, but I'm probably in the minority for wanting this.

The sixth book in Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series, Prodigal Son, ended with an explosive cliffhanger. But given we now have Dark Horse, book 7 in this continually enjoyable action series, it is really no spoiler to say that Evan Smoak, aka Orphan X, aka The Nowhere Man, survived. The real impact of the explosion is not physical but to the carefully organised life of the super-agent as he ignores his agreement with the US Government to lay low and takes on another spectacularly dangerous mission.
While bringing in some Mexican labour to help with his repairs, Smoak gives his number out and is soon meeting with the head of a drug cartel whose daughter has been kidnapped by a rival, more aggressive cartel. Smoak is not keen to work for a bad guy but over time the two come to an understanding about the future of the business and he agrees to the rescue. At the same time, Smoak’s relationship with both his downstairs neighbour Mia and with his teenage protégé Joey are moving into a different level, leaving him feeling vulnerable and a little confused. None of which helps when his mission involves infiltrating the ruthless and violent Leon compound and getting both himself and the teenage Anjelina out alive.
Following this set up is the usual fare that readers expect from this series - Smoak trying to live within his “commandments” and juggle his secret life with the life that he wants to lead, lots of high tech weapons, brutal fights and a plan that comes apart almost as soon as it is put into motion, particularly thanks to a great mid-narrative twist And as always the action scenes are well constructed, the tension remains high and Smoak ends up learning a think or two about how to be more human.
Over seven books Hurwitz has found ways to up the level of difficulty for Smoak. And while readers by now know that no matter how high that level of difficulty is that Smoak is likely to succeed, the enjoyment in this series is always in watching how and how he develops along the way. And for those keeping track on the fact that Smoak was pardoned on the basis that he stopped being the Nowhere Man, don’t worry – Hurwitz has not forgotten - providing another “To Be Continued” epilogue.

Dark Horse shows Orphan X grappling with a moral dilemma that shows just how far the series has come. When a ruthless cartel takes the daughter of a drug kingpin, Evan must decide whether to embrace the mantle once again of The Nowhere Man.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the series since book 1 and been lucky enough to read proof copies of the last 4 in the series, I was very eager to tear through this as soon as I was able to. I was not disappointed as Hurwitz once again comes up with another thriller chapter in the Orphan X series.
I loved the way in which this book embraces the famous line from Indiana Jones 'It's not the years honey, it's the mileage'. Evan is shown to be changing in character as he grapples with his path as the one who helps those in need.
With a plot that keeps you hooked and a level of detail that shows just how well Hurwitz does his research, I was engaged from start to finish. Side characters such as Joey,Tommy, Mia, Peter and the residents of Castle Heights once again serve to showcase Evan's grapple with his work life and personal life being unable to be kept apart to great effect.
The ending left me hoping for another Joey short story (The List was fantastic) and now begins the long wait for the next thrilling book in what is one of my all time favourite thriller series.