Author: Gregg Hurwitz
Series: Orphan X #10
Publisher: Minotaur
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Format: Kindle ARC and Audiobook ALC
Length: 16 hrs 12 mins
No. of Pages: 464
Date of Publication: February 11, 2025
My Rating: 5 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
At one time Evan Smoak was a highly successful black ops assassin known as Orphan X, dedicated to a rigid set of operational rules. Now, even after breaking with the government program, going deep underground, and remaking his life, Smoak is dedicated to his assassin's Ten Commandments. But for the first time in his life, those principles have put him on a collision course with the man who might be his best friend in the world, Tommy Stojack.
Stojack, a gifted gunsmith who has created much of Evan's own weapons and combat gear, has apparently crossed one of Evan's sharply delineated lines. When Evan decides to go to his workshop and have it out with Tommy, Evan finds himself under attack by a group attempting to ambush and kill him. But, with all his training and skills, Evan is extremely hard to kill―and the dispute explodes into open warfare between him and Tommy. Now Evan has no choice, in his mind, than to track down and face down his only friend.
In the meantime, Tommy is honoring an old promise to an Army friend and goes to help his dead friend's son. In a depressed rural area, with conflicts flaring up, that son is partially responsible for the death of an innocent. And while Tommy is trying to keep him, and his friends, alive, Evan arrives, with vengeance in mind.
The scary thing? Evan isn't even the most dangerous threat to arrive on the scene.
Stojack, a gifted gunsmith who has created much of Evan's own weapons and combat gear, has apparently crossed one of Evan's sharply delineated lines. When Evan decides to go to his workshop and have it out with Tommy, Evan finds himself under attack by a group attempting to ambush and kill him. But, with all his training and skills, Evan is extremely hard to kill―and the dispute explodes into open warfare between him and Tommy. Now Evan has no choice, in his mind, than to track down and face down his only friend.
In the meantime, Tommy is honoring an old promise to an Army friend and goes to help his dead friend's son. In a depressed rural area, with conflicts flaring up, that son is partially responsible for the death of an innocent. And while Tommy is trying to keep him, and his friends, alive, Evan arrives, with vengeance in mind.
The scary thing? Evan isn't even the most dangerous threat to arrive on the scene.
First commandment - Assume Nothing
Second Commandment - How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything
Third Commandment - Master Your Surroundings
Fourth Commandment - Never Make It Personal
Fifth Commandment - If You Don’t Know What To Do, Do Nothing
Sixth Commandment - Question Orders
Seventh Commandment - One Mission at a Time
Eighth Commandment - Never Kill a Kid
Ninth Commandment - Always Play Offense
Tenth Commandment - Never Let An Innocent Die
unofficial 11th commandment - Don’t Fall In Love With Plan A
MY THOUGHTS:
Evan Smoak, a former black ops assassin from the Orphan program, continued to uphold the Ten Commandments that guided his actions over the years, even after leaving the program. These ingrained rules, or at least Evan’s interpretation of them, became an integral part of his being. This proved crucial in shaping his life, even though he had gone underground after leaving the program.
Evan found himself in an ethical dilemma. He had a close friend, Tommy Stojack, who had clearly violated more than one of the commandments. This compelled Evan to consider confronting his former best friend, leading to another mission. Tommy, like Evan, had been trained to the highest level, making him a formidable opponent, especially when Evan’s emotions ran high.
Amidst this, Evan’s relationship with his young protege, Joey, a computer genius, was in tatters. The situation weighed heavily on Evan’s mind as he fought battles, all the while determined to seek justice. Evan’s mission had become increasingly intense, all while he questioned whether his actions justified the force he was using.
Nemesis, an exciting addition to Gregg Hurwitz’s thrilling series, further captivated me. I had been invested in the series since reading the first book, and I was thrilled to have access to this audiobook galley. Scott Brick’s narration was exceptional. His matter-of-fact delivery brought Evan’s complex emotions to life, showcasing his humanity amidst the challenges he faced.
Gregg has written screenplays for or sold spec scripts to many of the major studios (including THE BOOK OF HENRY), and written, developed, and produced television for various networks. He is also a New York Times bestselling comic book writer, having penned stories for Marvel (Wolverine, Punisher) and DC (Batman, Penguin). He has published numerous academic articles on Shakespeare, taught fiction writing in the USC English Department, and guest lectured for UCLA, and for Harvard in the United States and internationally. In the course of researching his thrillers, he has sneaked onto demolition ranges with Navy SEALs, swum with sharks in the Galápagos, and gone undercover into mind-control cults.
Additionally, Gregg is actively working to end polarization in politics and on college campuses. To that end, he's produced several hundred commercials which got over a hundred million views on digital and TV platforms. His editorial pieces have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Bulwark, and others.
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