Category Archives: Gregg Hurwitz

February 14, 2022 · 12:02 am

Review: Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz

Title: Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz
Orphan X Series Book Seven
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Action, Suspense
Length: 422 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Gregg Hurwitz’s New York Times bestselling series returns when Orphan X faces his most challenging mission ever in Dark Horse.

Evan Smoak is a man with many identities and a challenging past. As Orphan X, he was a government assassin for the off-the-books Orphan Program. After he broke with the Program, he adopted a new name and a new mission–The Nowhere Man, helping the most desperate in their times of trouble. Having just survived an attack on his life and the complete devastation of his base of operations, as well as his complicated (and deepening) relationship with his neighbor Mia Hall, Evan isn’t interested in taking on a new mission. But one finds him anyway.

Aragon Urrea is a kingpin of a major drug-dealing operation in South Texas. He’s also the patron of the local area–supplying employment in legitimate operations, providing help to the helpless, rough justice to the downtrodden, and a future to a people normally with little hope. He’s complicated–a not completely good man, who does bad things for often good reasons. However, for all his money and power, he is helpless when one of the most vicious cartels kidnaps his innocent eighteen year old daughter, spiriting her away into the armored complex that is their headquarters in Mexico. With no other way to rescue his daughter, he turns to The Nowhere Man.

Now not only must Evan figure out how to get into the impregnable fortress of a heavily armed, deeply paranoid cartel leader, but he must decide if he should help a very bad man–no matter how just the cause.

Review:

Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz is a multi-layered novel that is full of tension. Although this latest release is the seventh installment in the Orphan X series, it can be read as a standalone. However, I recommend all of the novels in this terrific series.

Evan Smoak’s latest adventure as The Nowhere Man involves infiltrating a drug cartel in order to rescue Aragón Urrea’s eighteen-year-old daughter Angelina. Evan wrestles with his conscience before agreeing to work for Urrea since he is an “unconventional businessman” who is also on the wrong side of the law.  Evan is surprised by how much he likes Aragón but The Nowhere Man will walk away if his prospective client does not agree to his terms. They are sometimes locked in a battle of wills, but Urrea’s love for his daughter means he will do anything to ensure her safe return.

Since Evan is far from home, he relies heavily on Joey Morales’ mad computer skills for a deep dive on Urrea and the cartel leader, Raul “The Dark Man” Montesco. Evan bluffs his way into Montesco’s trust but rescuing Angelina will be a delicate operation with little room for error. He comes up with an audacious but extremely dangerous plan to bring Angelina safely back home.

Evan is at odds with Joey who wants to stretch her wings but only with his approval. He is also very worried about his neighbor and romantic interest, Mia Hall. Evan does not want to make promises he cannot keep nor does he want to become even more emotionally involved with her and her wonderful nine-year-old son Peter. Despite the danger he is facing while rescuing Angelina, he is quite reflective about his personal life. Will what he discovers about himself help Evan make a decision about Mia and Peter during an unexpected crisis?

Dark Horse is a thrilling novel that is action-packed. Evan puts the skills he learned from his mentor and the Orphan program to good use during his daring rescue attempt. He and the regular cast of characters retain their appeal as they continue to grow and evolve.  The secondary characters are well-developed even though many of them are impossible to like. With Evan’s bold rescue plant set into motion, Gregg Hurwitz brings this nerve-wracking novel to a bloody yet satisfying conclusion. The jaw-dropping epilogue will leave old and new fans of the Orphan X series impatiently awaiting the next installment.

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Filed under Action, Contemporary, Dark Horse, Gregg Hurwitz, Minotaur Books, Rated B+, Review, Suspense

January 27, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz

Title: Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz
Orphan X Series Book Six
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 424 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

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 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.

Review:

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz  is an adrenaline-filled, fast-paced mystery. Although this sixth addition to the Orphan X series can be read as a standalone, I HIGHLY recommend the previous novels.

Evan Smoak is officially retired from the Orphan Program and as the Nowhere Man. But after a request to protect Andrew Duran, he reluctantly agrees because the person asking him to help is his mother, Veronica.  Evan leaves behind his complicated feelings about Veronica to protect Andrew after he witnesses a shocking murder. Andrew is a loose end that the ruthless killers do not intend to leave alive. Evan is in for a shock when he meets Andrew but he pushes aside any doubts to protect him.  With the help of sixteen year old computer wiz Joey, Evan is relentless as he tries to understand who wants to kill Andrew.

After meeting Veronica, Evan cannot help but remember his time in the group home and how he ended up in the Orphan Program. He begins to understand himself and his relationships with neighbor Mia Hall and her nine year old son Peter better.  No matter his personal tumult, Evan is laser focused on getting answers about the first murder, who is behind the killing and most importantly, what these people are trying to protect.

Returning to the scene of the murder, Evan finds his first lead but he also finds himself in a very dangerous situation.   He manages to escape and he also has more information about what he is up against.  Evan cleverly manages to get into high security complexes where he begins to put the stunning pieces of the puzzle together. Cutting edge technology is no match for Evan, Joey and  arms supplier Tommy as they match wits with a mercenaries, a defense contractor  and a brother/sister assassin team.

With plenty of heart-pounding action, Prodigal Son is an absolutely riveting mystery. Evan grows and evolves throughout the story as he faces his past. Joey is also maturing as she continues her education.  In order to protect Andrew, Evan will do whatever it takes to unravel the mystery of the whom and why of the first murder. With jaw-dropping twists and cunning turns,  Gregg Hurwitz  brings the novel to an explosive conclusion. Readers will be anxiously awaiting the next installment of the Orphan X series.

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Filed under Contemporary, Gregg Hurwitz, Minotaur Books, Mystery, Orphan X Series, Prodigal Son, Rated B+, Review, Suspense

January 27, 2020 · 11:56 pm

Review: Into the Fire by Gregg Hurwitz

Title: Into the Fire by Gregg Hurwitz
Orphan X Series Book Five
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Action, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 392 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

The New York Times bestselling Orphan X returns – just when Evan Smoak thinks he’s done, his deadliest job yet pulls him back Into The Fire…

Evan Smoak lives by his own code.

Once he was known as Orphan X. Trained as an off-the-books government assassin and spoken about only in whispers, Evan Smoak was one of the most talented – and most feared – men in the Program. But he broke free and reinvented himself as The Nowhere Man, a figure shrouded in mystery, known for helping the truly desperate.

If anyone is truly desperate, it’s Max Merriweather.

Max is at the end of his rope. His cousin has been brutally murdered, leaving Max an envelope that contains nothing but a mysterious key. However, someone really wants that key, badly enough that Max – and anyone he turns to – is in deadly danger. What seems like a simple job for The Nowhere Man turns out to be anything but. Behind every threat he takes out, a deadlier one emerges and Evan Smoak must put himself in greater danger than ever before as he heads once more Into The Fire.

Review:

Into the Fire by Gregg Hurwitz is an adrenaline fueled thriller with pulse-pounding action and a skilled assassin turned vigilante. In this latest outing in the Orphan X series, former government black ops assassin Evan Smoak aka the Nowhere Man and Orphan X answers the phone and accepts what he plans to be his final case.

Max Merriweather has no idea what his murdered cousin Grant was involved in, but he wants to honor his last request.  Quickly discovering that Grant is not the only victim, Max escapes undetected with what could possibly contain answers for his many questions. Fearing for his life, he has a fortuitous encounter that leads to the Nowhere Man.  Examining the thumb drive Grant handed over to his cousin right before his death, Evan knows exactly why Grant was murdered.  With the help of teenage hacker and friend, Joey Morales, they quickly discover the identity of the people who are hunting Max. But is there more to this tangled web of illegal activities than Smoak and Morales believe?

Evan is finally at the point where he believes he has atoned for his past. Although he does not have a clear vision of his future, he is ready to leave behind the Nowhere Man and live a normal life. Due to his past, he has few social skills so traversing his very involved homeowners’ association is quite tricky. So are his attempts to navigate his awkward relationship with his neighbor D.A. Mia Hall and her son Peter.

Max is the failure of the Merriweather family and he is definitely persona non grata with his relatives. He has yet to recover from the failure of his marriage which only adds to his feelings of worthlessness. Despite the danger that awaits him around every corner, Max wants to honor his (reluctant) promise to Grant. But will he emerge from this quest unscathed?

Evan is self-confident he can eliminate the threat on Max’s life and he methodically begins gathering information on his targets. With Joey’s invaluable assistance, he zeroes in on the suspects and sets up reconnaissance.  An unexpectedly dangerous encounter results in a concussion but Evan does not have time to stop for his recovery. Battling his head injury’s extremely worrisome symptoms,  the Nowhere Man is unstoppable as he methodically and ruthlessly sets out to vanquish Max’s foes. Unfortunately, once one risk is removed, another takes its place.  Has the Nowhere Man finally met his match? Or will he, Joey and Max completely uncover the labyrinth of corruption in time to prevent another deadly plot devised by the bad guys to evade detection and capture?

With non-stop action, unanticipated twists and exhilarating turns, Into the Fire is a riveting and suspenseful mystery. Evan is a complex character with a surprising need to make up for his past which weighs rather heavily on his conscience. Max is a sympathetic client whom Evan offers encouragement and suggestions to shore up his non-existent self-confidence.  Despite Evan’s encounters with  numerous obstacles and deadly encounters, Gregg Hurwitz brings this electrifying thriller to a dramatic, hair-raising conclusion.  This brilliant installment in the Orphan X series ends with a shocking phone call that will leave fans breathlessly anticipating the next adventure starring Evan Smoak.

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Filed under Action, Contemporary, Gregg Hurwitz, Into the Fire, Minotaur Books, Mystery, Orphan X Series, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, Thriller