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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