Forced into retirement, Evan Smoak gets an urgent request for help from someone he didn’t even suspect existed—in Prodigal Son, the next New York Times bestselling Orphan X book from Gregg Hurwitz.As a boy, Evan Smoak was pulled out of a foster home and trained in an off-the-books operation known as the Orphan Program. He was a government assassin, perhaps the best, known to a few insiders as … best, known to a few insiders as Orphan X. He eventually broke with the Program and adopted a new name—The Nowhere Man—and a new mission, helping the most desperate in their times of trouble. But the highest power in the country has made him a tempting offer—in exchange for an unofficial pardon, he must stop his clandestine activities as The Nowhere Man. Now Evan has to do the one thing he’s least equipped to do—live a normal life.
But then he gets a call for help from the one person he never expected. A woman claiming to have given him up for adoption, a woman he never knew—his mother. Her unlikely request: help Andrew Duran—a man whose life has gone off the rails, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, bringing him to the deadly attention of very powerful figures. Now a brutal brother & sister assassination team are after him and with no one to turn to, and no safe place to hide, Evan is Duran’s only option. But when the hidden cabal catches on to what Evan is doing, everything he’s fought for is on the line—including his own life.
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Evan Smoak is back! A trained assassin, he is now retired He has traded an unofficial pardon for a life of leisure … at least he has to stop all covert activities.
But then he receives a phone call asking for help from someone he never expected … his birth mother who gave him up for adoption … a woman he’s never known.
What she wants is for him to help Andrew Duran. he happened upon something he shouldn’t have and now there is a brother-sister assassin team tracking him. Duran has no place to go..no one to turn to. This is the last option he will have.
But by helping this man, Evan is putting everything on the line .. including his own life.
While technology pays a large part of this book, the focus is mainly on the relationship between Evan and his birth mother. There’s a tremendous amount of action starting with the first page. The conclusion is a bit of a cliff hanger …. have we seen the end to this series? Although this is 6th in the series, this one is okay as a cliff hanger. From the very first book, this has been an explosive series.
Many thanks to the author / St Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
This is honestly one of the best action series I’ve stumbled across… Evan Smoak is a marvelous character – complex, troubled, engaging, imperfect, and snarky. I really enjoy watching his character continue to develop here, particularly with regard to his interpersonal relationships (I want to say more but it’d be a huge spoiler)… Joey is turning into a major element of the series, which I also really like – it would be cool to see her get a spin-off of her own!
The secrets, lies, and revelations continue to be parceled out with just the right amount of red herrings and dramatic timing. The action is non-stop, as is the tension, yet somehow the stories remain believable. And I’m a big fan of the way Hurwitz balances backstory revelations that track throughout the series with the immediate Nowhere Man storyline of each book.
This series is great entertainment and the newest installment is definitely what I needed to read just now!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy. Prodigal Son releases in the US on January 26, 2021.
Pretty good story, but I found myself a bit lost because I hadn’t read any of the previous books.
I really enjoy all the Orphan X novels. Love the main character and his focus on helping those who cannot help themselves in impossible situations.
Hurwitz does it again. Another riveting character-driven action thriller. Simply put, i love Orphan X.
Evan Smoak. Don’t mess with that guy!
Evan Smoak! (Read that in your best 9-year-old-boy voice – if you’re familiar with the books you know what I mean.) I’m always excited when there’s a new Orphan X book and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. These books have it all – action, humor, action, a wee bit of romance, action, and yes, action. And with every book we learn a little bit more of just how Evan Smoak became Orphan X and, eventually, how Orphan X became the Nowhere Man. Just when Evan Smoak thinks he’s retired from the Nowhere Man business – retired upon threat of (physical) termination, by the way – he gets a phone call that drags him back in for one more case. We learn more about Evan’s childhood and how he came to be in the boys’ home from which he was selected for training for the Orphan program, which trained orphans to become assassins. In the previous book, Evan received a phone call from a woman who claimed to be his mother. In this book we meet her and find out (along with Evan) how he came to be at that boys’ home. It isn’t a pretty story. And she’s contacted him because she wants him to help a man who was already down on his luck but is now being hunted by a couple of well-trained assassins. And just like that, Evan’s dragged into the world of high-tech drones and “mad” scientists and more. And he’s trying to deal with a lot of emotions – not his strong suit.
This one ends on a cliffhanger – which I usually hate – but somehow I couldn’t hate it this time. Instead I’m just anxiously awaiting Book #7.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
I’ve read every other Orphan X book and loved them. I did positive reviews fin the past but I can’t recommend this one. It was very slow going, way too involved with feelings”rather than the action and suspense I’d come to expect from previous books. Hurwitz went from presenting a hero who was like Jack Reacher on steroids to a man who is fumbling with feelings, who is trying to find his way to a deeper humanity – and it just doesn’t work. Not at all what I expected. I quit halfway through the book.And my sister, who I got hooked on the Orphan X series, agrees with me.
In the few weeks since Evan Smoak retired, he’s found that adjusting to normal life is more of a struggle than he anticipated, especially since he has nothing to fill his time. The phone calls from Veronica, the woman claiming to be his mother, aren’t helping. He finally decides to meet her, and she asks for his help protecting Andrew Duran from the people trying to kill him. Evan begins tracking down Andrew just to see what his situation is. Will he help Andrew? What might having Veronica in his life mean for him?
If you are new to these books, I don’t recommend you start here. Yes, the background you need is given as events unfold, but to fully appreciate the growth in Evan and his relationships with others, you need the full background the earlier books give you. As a fan, I loved those growth moments in this book. Unfortunately, they did come at the expense of the pacing. Normally, author Gregg Hurwitz is a master at keeping the thrills going while developing the characters for us. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great action scenes, and the book always held my interest. It’s just not quite on par with his others. The scenes spent giving us technical information didn’t help with the pacing. Having said that, it’s going to be a long wait until the next book comes out so I can find out what happens next. Being a thriller, this does have more language and violence than my normal selections, so be prepared before you pick it up. Fans will definitely enjoy this book, and if you haven’t started the series yet, I recommend you do so today.
I love this series and Evan Smoak. There is constant action, new twists and turns and unknowns are revealed plus surprises. As usual a great read…
Not the best in the series, but not bad at all. It’s a bit far fetched, the story of the drones. But it’s always a pleasure to read one of Greg Hurwitz’s books. Always.
As all Hurwitz books, especially the Orphan X, this last book is excellent, easy to read and full of suspense. The principal character, the Nowhere Man is very interesting and also very odd, but that’s his charisma. The only thing I did not like about this specific book is that it ends in a cliffhanger, so I have to wait how long? for the next one. Hope it’s a short wait.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Make no mistake, I LOVE EVAN / ORPHAN X and his motley crew of misfits, especially Joey (also love the cameo by Orphan V), but the addition of Veronica had me perplexed.
While I understand that introducing her was instrumental in adding Andre to the group (hint, hint – want to see Andre added to the crew), I am really glad that she will no longer be a part of the story. Suffice it to say, I did not like her at all and found myself skimming through her parts.
But, by far, the most annoying part of the story was the very end. SERIOUSLY!!!!! WTH????? I wonder how long we’re going to have to wait to see how that played out.
Loved all of Hurwitz books, but the Orphan X Series is outstanding. Great characters & plenty of action
Can’t wait for the next one as this one ended with a cliffhanger
Gregg Hurwitz has done it again: The return of Evan Smoak was even better that anticipated. I read it so fast that I barely had time to eat and sleep, but neither did Orphan X. Can’t wait for the next!
We get more of Orphan X’s back story but this story was a little disappointing with too much detail about guns and other technical things. That slowed the pace. Still count Hurwitz as one of my favorite thriller writers.
How could I not have known about the Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz before now? I have been missing out on the action-packed techno-thriller of my dreams, and it’s time to rectify that situation.
What I Love
I always enjoy cool and scary technology and the people who know how to create it and use it. In this regard, Prodigal Son does not disappoint with its military-grade drones that have been programmed to make ethical decisions. How scary is that?
My favorite character, Josephine “Joey,” knows her way around a computer and is a freshman in college at the tender age of 16. Like Orphan X, Joey was in the foster system until she was offered a position in the same program that rescued Evan from foster care. She is smart, sassy, and is every inch the sixteen-year-old who acts like she’s 25. And, she makes the perfect partner for her intricately layered father-figure and guardian, Evan.
Evan and Joey are both merely sublime in their development. Though both are extraordinary, their very human flaws and proclivities make them feel as real as my next-door neighbors. They are sympathetic, engaging, and part of a more in-depth emotional story running alongside the mystery plot. This layer with the powerful theme of family and family ties brings this story to a whole new level in techno-thrillers—a mix of stories that will have me coming back every time.
I also love the respect toward women and the empowerment of women shown so overtly through the novel with Evan and how he treats the female characters. He is a knight in shining armor when the situation calls for it. Add to that a female president, an ultra-smart Joey, and a kickass Candy, and you have a cast of female characters that are enviable in all the right ways.
Lastly, I enjoyed the fight scenes, and I don’t think I have ever said that before. Evan is an inventive and creative fighter that demanded I not speed through those scenes and instead stop, slow down, and admire his ingenuity as he took on impossible odds and won.
To Read or Not to Read
Yes, you should read this book, but be warned, you are going to want to stop everything and read the rest of the books in the series, as I do.
What a ride this book has taken me on. I have loved Evan from the beginning of the series, but this book. This book was amazing and brought a depth and a warmth to Evan that even he didn’t know he had. It was exciting and intense and kept me guessing throughout the entire thing. I am so freaking mad about having to wait for the next book….AUGH!!!
Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz
Another easy to read and lose yourself in the story Orphan X book! What can be said other than Gregg Hyrwitz knocks another one out of the park, I can pick up any of the Orphan X books and just lose myself in the story for hours, easily one of the best series out! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher and especially Gregg Hurwitz for this awesome read and can’t wait for the next one!!
Evan Smoak ( middle name found in story line), family, family everywhere and not a helping hand in sight. Mystery, intrigue and a smattering of ruthless violence and you have a great Orphan X novel. This is the first book in the series to really show a great back story, mixed in with the current story line. A very easy and quite enjoyable cast of characters as always in this series. A lot of military tech gear mentioned thru out the novel, and if even a quarter is even real, it is a scary future to look forward to. The conclusion to the novel is great cliff hanger, enough said.