Evan Smoak–government assassin gone rogue–returns in Hellbent, an engrossing, unputdownable thriller from Gregg Hurwitz, the latest in his #1 international bestselling Orphan X series. Taken from a group home at age twelve, Evan Smoak was raised and trained as an off-the-books government assassin: Orphan X. After he broke with the Orphan Program, Evan disappeared and reinvented himself as the … reinvented himself as the Nowhere Man, a man spoken about only in whispers and dedicated to helping the truly desperate.
But this time, the voice on the other end is Jack Johns, the man who raised and trained him, the only father Evan has ever known. Secret government forces are busy trying to scrub the remaining assets and traces of the Orphan Program and they have finally tracked down Jack. With little time remaining, Jack gives Evan his last assignment: find and protect his last protégé and recruit for the program.
But Evan isn’t the only one after this last Orphan–the new head of the Orphan Program, Van Sciver, is mustering all the assets at his disposal to take out both Evan (Orphan X) and the target he is trying to protect.
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Gregg’s Orphan X series is must-read, and HELLBENT is the best book yet.
It is difficult to read this series without thinking about the state of the world in which we are living today. Many of us are clamoring for transparency in government. The real question is whether or not the general public can handle things like black ops. There have always been clandestine elements to governments and international affairs. Speaking openly about tradecraft could put those tasked with keeping us safe in mortal danger.
The Orphan X series needs to be experienced without foreknowledge of what the story is. Spoilers would deprive readers of reading the nuanced phrasing that make these books somewhat unique. Hurwitz can paint an entire mural in a phrase of three or four words. The unfolding saga is relatable on many levels. Readers are allowed to bring their own understanding to situations few will ever encounter.
Reading these thrillers will allow readers to feel every possible human emotion from cold, callus and calculating to caring and empathy. It will be difficult to find the joy or happiness, but it is there.
This is the third book in the series, and it does add more to the story that is Evan Smoak. I can’t imagine not reading the two preceding books. Although each provides a distinct experience, they literally do follow one upon the next. The next book in the series is OUT OF THE DARK and will be available on January 29, 2019. Right now, that seems like a long time to wait.
WOW. Just, wow. Seriously – Gregg Hurwitz has done something special with this series. Not only is each book a story that tells itself brilliantly, but the build-up between books and the layering of details and gentle unraveling of the spider’s web that underpins The Nowhere Man’s world is brilliant in its own right…
In this third book, we get some new players – major players – as well as the return of those we love, hate, and love to hate. I’ve really enjoyed watching the character development in this series. This type of assassin-thriller isn’t often heavy on character development, so it has been a beyond-pleasant surprise to see not only how Evan Smoak has evolved throughout the books, but how the supporting cast has as well – many of whom have traveled from seemingly tangential or minor supporting roles into full-blown elements of the story line(s).
In the first book, I learned that you can’t ever glance over any fact that Hurwitz throws into the mix – if it’s there, even if it seems totally throw-away, it’s there for a reason and eventually that reason will make sense. Ditto with characters and character traits, and this book really brought that to the fore in a delightful and moving way. There’s so much darkness, but always – ALWAYS – a thin ray of hope, a glimmer of the possible that’s as difficult to pin down as the Nowhere Man himself, but just as reliable. I love that – it keeps (mostly) everyone human and the books from devolving into van Sciver-like blackness or chaos…
The opening action-reveal blew my mind (as much as the closing reveal in book one), and things never slowed down for a minute from there… Evan comes full circle in this book, and it was a glorious thing to watch – painful, gut-wrenching, hilarious (wait until you get to Target, teehee), and oh-so-fragilely-human, just like real-life. Jack would be proud, and Hurwitz should be beyond pleased with himself as a result. He’s managed to walk a tightrope over Niagara Falls, to tap-dance among landmines – Evan Smoak is edge-of-the-page unreal and totally believable at the same time, at his most so when he’s dealing with *normal* life or its flip-side (Evan’s version of “normal”).
It’s a brilliant series. This book could well have marked an end (in some ways it already did), but I’m cautiously optimistic that when we need him, the Nowhere Man will appear on the other end of our phones again…
My review copy was provided by NetGalley. The next Nowhere Man book – Out of the Dark – releases on January 29, 2019.
More like a 3.5
Evan Smoak is a great character; kinda like a ‘Jason Bourne’ for millennials. Definitely looking forward to the tv series in the future.
Shocking. Wonderful. I’m still reeling. Hurwitz is a master storyteller.
Alrighty now!!! This is more like it. After that nonsense that was the last book, it was such a rush to read this book that was really great – like the first one. Anyway, loved the inclusion of Joey, wish there was going to be more of her but I understand why there won’t be. However, after that ending (OMG!!!), I can’t wait to read the next one.
Love this author.
Hellbent by Gregg Hurwitz is book three in the Evan Smoak Orphan X series. Every installment can be read as a stand alone, but are more enjoyable when read in order. In Hellbent the need to eliminate Evan, previously an active government assassin known as Orphan X, is becoming more imperative for Sciver. The current project runner of the Orphan program catches up with Evan’s former handler Jack. Sciver plans to torture Evan’s location out of him and assassinate Jack to induce a reaction from Evan that forces him out of hiding.
Hellbent takes on an emotional undercurrent that the other two books have only touched on. Evan is facing his past, his desire for a better life and the consequences the Orphan program created for him. He is now painfully aware of how unequipped he is at dealing with human connections. The addition of Joey serves as a reflection of his past and the turning point in his life that made him what he is. I was just as invested in Joey’s salvation as Evan. I want more than anything for both characters to experience a human connection, a sense of normalcy and to not feel so alone.
As always with this series, the action of Hellbent is fast-paced and smart. I spend most of my time on the edge of my seat. Often I do not see a solution for Evan’s conflicts, which is quite nerve-wracking. And I love it. Now my eight-day binge reading of this series is over. Only a few months to go before the next installment, which is already on my to-read list. I was granted a copy of this book by St Martin’s Press, through Netgalley, for my honest opinion. I encourage all readers to reach their own conclusions.
At this point I don’t know what else can be said. This time X is avenging the death of Jack. Yup they got him and now X is going to kill everyone that was in on his death, after he retrieves the package Jack left. There’s only so much that can be said about the body count and the ways he kills and how in human he is. How many ways can you talk about the skills he has and has his reputation proceeds him. This is book 3 of mindless killing all because of something that happened in 1997 that X took the kill shot on. The girl Joey is a nice addition but not nice enough. Orphan V getting a heart is also not enough. I found myself scheming just to see if this book was the end. It isn’t.
I’d like to say this was a 5 star read but for me it wasn’t. I really thought this would be about more than the body count and more vicious ways to kill or steal. The story isn’t bad it just isn’t what I look for in a read.
Hellbent by Gregg Hurwitz, have to say I did not want to put this book down but at the same time I did not want this book to end, the series is that good! Great characters that are fleshed out and filled in in such a way you get to know each one and you come to care about what is happening. Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers for allowing me to read this book and give my honest opinion. Definitely a book worth reading! I will be reading more from Mr. Hurwitz in the future!
I love the Orphan X series by the phenomenal Gregg Hurwitz! The latest, Hellbent, is my favorite book of all time. Hurwitz combines believable characters with a story so packed with action I found myself re-reading paragraphs, then chapters, then ultimately the entire book. Hellbent further explores the history, foibles, motivations and weaknesses of Evan Smoak. I enthusiastically recommend this series and especially this book.
This is another book in the Orphan X Series and continues the saga of government assassin, Evan Smoak. He’s gone rogue and things are heating up. Full of action, danger and suspense. This book will take you on a roller coaster of action and emotions. A great read that will have you on the edge of your seat, page turning as fast as you can read. I read a reader copy and voluntarily chose to write a review. This series just gets better and better.
This is the third book in this series started with Orphan X and I can’t get enough of this character. He is so amazing and life like and full of life. I read the first two and just finished the 3rd and couldn’t put the book down and kept reading until the last page and so disapointed that the book couldn’t just go on and on. If you read these three books starting with Orphan X I guarantee you will not put them down and now that all three books are out you have three books to read without stopping and you will finish one and immediately go to the next. Absolutely one of my authors and characters. I just hope he has almost finished with the next chapter in this series.
The Orphan X series is action packed and the protagonist is amazing
It’s a good read; 2nd half is best
The phone call that Evan Smoak receives on his special phone comes from a voice he knows – Jack Johns, the main who trained him and the closest thing Evan has ever had to a father. The phone call changes Evan’s world, and Evan find himself setting out to pick up a package for Jack in addition to working on a very personal mission. Will Evan succeed?
This third book featuring Evan is fantastic. The pace is fast with plenty of twists and setbacks, yet I love how things came together at the end. You really have to read this series in order, not only to appreciate the background on the story told here but also to appreciate the character growth in Evan. He’s a complex character, and I love watching him change. The rest of the cast is fantastic, too, and the writing paints his world without slowing down the story. Truly a wonderful book.
HELLBENT by Gregg Hurwitz
Orphan X #3
About 1/10th of the way into this book I felt the need to tell my siblings about a new-to-me author that I thought they would like. I was that engaged and impressed by what I had read…as for the book…
Evan Smoak aka Orphan X aka The Nowhere Man is a trained assassin that has elements of many alpha heroes in series I have read but is still quintessentially and uniquely himself. He is a killer that lives by a set of “commandments”; he has trouble with emotions or at least reading his own; he helps others through a system he has devised that pays it forward and he is a man that in this book seeks justice and revenge for the death of a man that was closer to him than a father.
As I read I found out more about Evan and the more I learned the more I wanted to get to know him better. Not having read the first two books did not hinder me but I do want to find the books in the future and read them, too. As Evan sought more information about the death of his mentor he finds a clue from the deceased that sends him to pick up a package. Evan soon realizes that the package is really a teenage girl that has also been plucked from a foster home to become an operative…but she ran away, is being chased for elimination, damaged, lethal and wary. Watching Evan deal with Joey and actually beginning to care for her – almost as his trainer cared for him – was an intriguing and engaging.
This book is one that I could not put down. I cared about the characters and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next and just how Evan would manage to get revenge, take care of Joey, deal with a request that comes in to right a wrong as part of his pay it forward sideline, where the story would end and what might be suggested as a theme for the next book.
This book has graphic violence that includes torture and murder. It is excellently plotted and the writing style is a joy to read. I am eager to read whatever book by this author that happens to come my way.
So what did I hear back from that email I sent to my siblings? Well, this morning when I got up there was an email from my sister who told me she has read the first two books in the series, truly enjoyed them and is happy I found this series to read, too. And, I am happy I found this book to read because it provided me with a name to keep an eye out when looking for books to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press-Minotaur Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars