I love a good suspense novel, but unfortunately my favorite authors, John Sanford and Lee Child do not release their books often enough to satisfy my need for a good kick ass, track down and decimate the bad guys while making everything right kind of book! So when Orphan X was published and was given quite a bit of hype, I was intrigued. Maybe this could be another series I could get in on right from the beginning that would fill this void.

Evan Smoak is an off book assassin. Recruited by a man named Jack Johns as a child, he was part of the Orphan program which created trained operatives who could be used for off book operations with complete deniability. Smoak was Orphan X and although his training was  supposed to create a skilled operative with no emotional entanglements, Johns, Smoak’s trainer and handler, wanted something more for his trainee, and they forged a close bond. When Johns dies under suspicious circumstances, that emotional connection drives Smoak to go off grid, using all the skills he learned to be undetectable and distance himself from the organization that he suspects had a hand in John’s death.

Inevitably, Smoak finds himself in a situation where he uses his skills to help someone sort out their problems, but in order to keep a low profile and protect himself he creates an identity called the Nowhere Man who rescues people in serious trouble. Once he has helped someone resolve their problem, he asks that in payment they pass his name on to one person and one person only who needs his help. His most recent case was for a woman named Morena who needed help dealing with an abusive cop. But when he gets two calls in less than a week from people using Morena’s name as a reference he is stunned. Who is telling the truth? Both of them or just one? Or is his cover blown?

This book starts fast and it never lets up. Evan is a complicated character and Hurwitz develops him deftly by giving us insights into his training and his relationship with Johns which help us understand the person he has become. Hurwitz grounds his story in reality by giving us details about the kinds of weapons Smoak uses and even the type of vodka he drinks. The other characters, especially Mia and her son Peter, provide an interesting counterpoint to Smoak’s lone wolf tendencies and adds a sense of normality in what is otherwise a very abnormal  existence.  Once you start this book, be prepared to clear the decks because you won’t want to put it down!

Brenda’s Rating: **** (4 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian and Ken

Book Study Worthy: Not Really

Read in ebook format.