Review - The Code

Title:  The Code

Author:  Gregg Hurwitz

Series:   Orphan X #10.5

Publisher:  Minotaur

Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers

Format:  Kindle ARC

No. of Pages:   46

Date of Publication:   September 2, 2025

My Rating:   5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

In the latest short story from bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz, discover the teenage missions of Orphan X.

Before he was the feared black ops government assassin Orphan X, operating in the shadows and spoken about in whispers, Evan Smoak was a teenager, undergoing the most rigorous of training. At 17, Evan is sent off by his handler, ex-CIA station agent Jack Johns, to take the most intense U.S. military training course. But that is only part of the challenge before him - Evan has to get there and back, safely and quietly, maintaining operational security. And along the way, facing unexpected challenges, Evan must use everything he's learned since the day he was taken from the foster home in East Baltimore, lessons that Jack Johns has drilled into him, laws of life and death that are to become The Code.

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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:

In this quick novella by Gregg Hurwitz, we glimpse into Evan Smoak’s past, revealing how he became an Orphan, specifically Orphan X. Just shy of 18, Evan is about to embark on rigorous SEAL training and join a top-secret black-ops agency that undertakes missions the American government cannot.

It was intriguing to witness Evan’s journey from a teenager to a trained assassin. Alongside the skills he’ll acquire, he’ll also learn the “Laws of Death.” As he approaches and completes each mission, “The Code” and “The Ten Commandments” will become pivotal guides for him. 

The 11th book in the series, titled Antihero, is scheduled for release in February.

Many thanks to Minotaur and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times, #1 internationally bestselling author of 22 thrillers, including the ORPHAN X series, and two award-winning thriller novels for teens. His novels have won numerous literary awards, graced top ten lists, and have been published in 33 languages. Gregg currently serves as the Co-President of International Thriller Writers (ITW).

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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AUDIOBOOK REVIEW - Framed in Death

Title:  Bonded in Death 

Author:  J. D. Robb

Series:  In Death #61

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Genre:  Mystery/Thrillers

Format:  Audio ALC

Narrator:   Susan Erickson

Date of Publication:  September 2, 2025

No. of Pages:  368

Length: 12 hr 5 min

My Rating:  5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Death imitates art in the brand-new crime thriller starring homicide cop Eve Dallas from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author J.D. Robb.

Manhattan is filled with galleries and deep-pocketed collectors who can make an artist's career with a wave of a hand. But one man toils in obscurity, his brilliance unrecognized while lesser talents bask in the glory he believes should be his. Come tomorrow, he vows, the city will be buzzing about his work.

Indeed, before dawn, Lt. Eve Dallas is speeding toward the home of the two gallery owners whose doorway has been turned into a horrifying crime scene overnight. A lifeless young woman has been elaborately costumed and precisely posed to resemble the model of a long-ago Dutch master, and Dallas plunges into her investigation.

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MY THOUGHTS:

A string of murders all have a very unique signature, and Lt. Eve Dallas is determined to identify the killer and to prevent any more from dying. 

In the year 2061, when sex work is entirely legal, a painter embarks on an unusual quest. He hires a Licensed Companion to pose for his next painting, unaware of his intentions. This sets the stage for Eve’s newest case, which plunges her and her partner, Sergeant Delia Peabody, into the vibrant art scene. As a married woman to the wealthy billionaire Roarke, Eve is no stranger to fine art.

Perhaps due to my love for books, certain famous paintings mentioned in the story were instantly recognizable to me. This added an extra layer of realism to the narrative, making it easier to visualize the paintings that were referenced. However, what truly captivated me was the fact that Framed in Death is the 61st installment in this captivating series. All 61 books in the series have been expertly narrated by the talented Susan Erickson, and I was thoroughly engrossed in the story, just as I have been with every book in the series.

As engaging as this story was, the mystery was intriguing. The clues that Eve and Peabody were gathering led to a stunning crescendo. I particularly enjoyed the ending, as Eve refused to give up until justice was properly served. 

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nora Roberts was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, the youngest of five children. After a school career that included some time in Catholic school and the discipline of nuns, she married young and settled in Keedysville, Maryland.

She worked briefly as a legal secretary. “I could type fast but couldn’t spell, I was the worst legal secretary ever,” she says now. After her sons were born she stayed home and tried every craft that came along. A blizzard in February 1979 forced her hand to try another creative outlet. She was snowed in with a three and six year old with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate.

Born into a family of readers, Nora had never known a time that she wasn’t reading or making up stories. During the now-famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of those stories. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981.

Nora met her second husband, Bruce Wilder, when she hired him to build bookshelves. They were married in July 1985. Since that time, they’ve expanded their home, traveled the world and opened a bookstore together

Through the years, Nora has always been surrounded by men. Not only was she the youngest in her family, but she was also the only girl. She has raised two sons. Having spent her life surrounded by men, Ms. Roberts has a fairly good view of the workings of the male mind, which is a constant delight to her readers. It was, she’s been quoted as saying, a choice between figuring men out or running away screaming.

Nora is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the publishing industry. Recently The New Yorker called her “America’s favorite novelist.”