Series: Orphan X #3
By: Greg Hurwitz
ISBN: 1250119170
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: 1/30/2018
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars Featured Friday Read Evan Smoak, from the international bestselling Orphan X and The Nowhere Man, returns. “Do you need my help?”
Evan Smoak, Orphan X, was taken from a group home at age twelve and raised and trained as an off-the-books government assassin. After he broke with the Orphan Program, Evan disappeared and 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 Orphan 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 considerable assets at his disposal to take out both Evan (Orphan X) and the target he is trying to protect.
My Review
Evan Smoak, an unstoppable government assassin gone rogue returns in Gregg Hurwitz #1 international bestselling Orphan X series, HELLBENT – from revenge, bullets, and vodka his most emotional and personal yet; a riveting non-stop action thriller.
Picking up from The Nowhere Man #2.0 Smoak is more than a legend. He is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn.
A dangerous past. Well-equipped and trained. Taken from a group home at twelve, Evan was raised and prepared as part of the Orphan Program. Evan was Orphan X. An expendable assassin who went where the U.S. Government would not and did what they could not.
Jack had fought for Evan to stay human even while teaching him to be a killer. He broke with the program, using everything he learned to disappear and reinvent himself as the Nowhere Man. Eight years ago he had gone rogue.
He helped the desperate with no place to turn. People suffering at the hands of unrepentant and vicious abusers. Now every incoming call comes to 1.855.2-Nowhere. Then it emerged through the receiver of the RoamZone.
He always answers: “Do you need my help?”
This time, the voice on the other end was familiar. Jack Johns. Jack was the one who had plucked Evan from foster home to the inside the Department of Defense.
He was the only father he had ever know. If he was calling this line, he must be in mortal danger. Indicating he must be up against what other might consider world-destroying trouble. An emotional call.
Hurwitz cranks up the intensity, with Van Sciver, using all the assets to take out both Evan (Orphan X) and the target he is trying to protect.
His top priority is to stamp out wayward Orphans. Anyone who has retired. Anyone who had not made the cut. Anyone who had tested questionable for compliance. The only Orphan who had ever gone rogue. The best way is to go after his handler.
Jack gives Evan a final mission.
Would a long-buried secret from Jack’s past lead him to Van Sciver? Hurting Jack Johns would hurt Orphan X. The Commandments. A girl. Joey. The package. Can she help? A sixteen- year-old?
Evan is determined to put a bullet through Van Sciver’s skull after his beloved father figure dies. Their history stretched back to three decades to a boys’ home in East Baltimore. Van Sciver held the keys to the kingdom and Evan was the fugitive.
“Jack had taught Evan that the hard part wasn’t being a killer. It was staying human. He was superb at the former. And growing proficient at the latter. “
A superbly created series. Highly entertaining! Fans will delight. Will there be another upcoming book in the series? We can only hope.
A mini TV series is in order, please!
A special thank you to St. Martins Press and #NetGalley for an early reading copy.
JDCMustReadBooks
Review Links:
Advance Praise
"Hellbent is carved from the same cloth of not only Lee Child, but also David Baldacci, and it proves Hurwitz to be every bit the equal of both of them. This is raw, visceral action writing layered with rare depth and emotion, making Hellbent an early contender for one of the best thrillers of the year." ―Providence Journal "Where there's Smoak, there's firepower. The only thing better than a great book is a series in which each book is exponentially better than the last. It's not a feat that can be pulled off by just any author, but it's viscerally powerful when done right and Hellbent is as right as it gets. [It] combines the intrigue, action and emotional wallop of the first two novels (Orphan X and The Nowhere Man) and ratchets it up into the stratosphere of white-knuckled tension and hyperventilating action." ―The Oklahoman
"This is a great novel... do not miss this one." ―Booklist (starred review)
"As well-done as the rest of the series and bloody good fun." ―Kirkus Reviews
"This one is personal... fans of the first two books will enjoy this nail-biting, twisty thriller." ―Library Journal
Reviews & Buy Links:
About the Author
Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times bestselling author of 18 novels, including HELLBENT (2018). His novels have been shortlisted for numerous literary awards, graced top ten lists, and have been published in 30 languages.
He is also a New York Times Bestselling comic book writer, having penned stories for Marvel (Wolverine, Punisher) and DC (Batman, Penguin). Additionally, he’s written screenplays for or sold spec scripts to many of the major studios (including the upcoming THE BOOK OF HENRY), and written, developed, and produced television for various networks. Gregg resides in Los Angeles. Read More
