Author: Gregg Hurwitz
Series: Orphan X #11
Publisher: Minotaur
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Format: Audio ALC & Kindle ARC
Length: 14 hrs 12 mins
Narrator: Scott Brick
No. of Pages: 416
Date of Publication: February 10, 2022
My Rating: 5 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
In the latest in this New York Times best-selling series, Evan Smoak takes on his most complex mission yet―one where he has to not only protect but also avenge, and find a way to balance vengeance with mercy.
Once a black ops assassin for the government known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak broke with the program and went deep underground, using his operational rules and skills to help the truly desperate with nowhere else to turn.
When Luke Devine, one of the most powerful men in the world has a psychological crisis, Evan flies to the East Coast to meet Luke. While there, he learns of a young woman who was kidnapped off the New York City subway, clearly in danger and in need of aid. With no name and few clues, Evan and his team track down the missing woman, who was assaulted and abandoned. Evan offers his help―and sets out tracking down the young men responsible. But the woman insists that Evan abandon his usual methods―no vengeance and, in particular, no killing. Which will prove no easy feat given the mounting incoming threats from all sides. In a mission that takes Evan from coast to coast, from the poorest corners of society to the richest, Orphan X must figure out a way to protect the innocent, avenge the victimized, and balance justice, with a measure of mercy.
Once a black ops assassin for the government known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak broke with the program and went deep underground, using his operational rules and skills to help the truly desperate with nowhere else to turn.
When Luke Devine, one of the most powerful men in the world has a psychological crisis, Evan flies to the East Coast to meet Luke. While there, he learns of a young woman who was kidnapped off the New York City subway, clearly in danger and in need of aid. With no name and few clues, Evan and his team track down the missing woman, who was assaulted and abandoned. Evan offers his help―and sets out tracking down the young men responsible. But the woman insists that Evan abandon his usual methods―no vengeance and, in particular, no killing. Which will prove no easy feat given the mounting incoming threats from all sides. In a mission that takes Evan from coast to coast, from the poorest corners of society to the richest, Orphan X must figure out a way to protect the innocent, avenge the victimized, and balance justice, with a measure of mercy.
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. The Nowhere Man. Orphan X. A man with nary a friend. His life as a Black Ops assassin may be over, but walking away from the Orphan program has not brought him peace. Instead, it has left him fighting battle after battle, and this means he stands alone. His training was brutal and no-nonsense, and when Evan needs his skills, he doesn’t hesitate to use them.
Evan does have one constant in his life: Joey. His ward of sorts, and she affectionately refers to him as her “Uncle-Person.” A hacker extraordinaire, Joey has proven indispensable time and again. But now she wants more. She wants a greater role, even to the point of going into the field. This is the last thing Evan wants as he is doing everything in his power to leave that dangerous life behind.
Does trouble follow Evan? It certainly seems so. He leaves a trail wherever he goes—body after body. Evan has a strong moral code, so this is always in the name of justice. Evan fights for the underdog at every opportunity. Luke Devine, however, is anything but an underdog. Still, he’s in serious trouble and desperate for Evan’s help. Reluctantly, Evan boards a flight to New York to help Devine confront a situation that could cost him his life. Along the way, Evan uncovers the kidnapping of a young woman. He is determined to find her. As always, the story doesn’t end there.
Action. Action. Action. That’s exactly what readers will get in Antihero, the eleventh book in the Orphan X series. Yet, as with every installment in this compelling series, there is a sharp emotional edge that reminds us Evan Smoak is far more than a trained assassin. He is a man with feelings, loyalty, and a deeply ingrained moral code. That humanity is on full display here. Still, Evan demands justice, and no one stands in his way.
This book and series is expertly narrated by Scott Brock, making the story even more compelling. Bring on the next book, because I can’t wait to read what comes next.
Many thanks to Minotaur, Macmillan Audio and to NetGalley for this free ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
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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