You clearly can’t keep a good trained assassin down. And just to prove the point, Gregg Hurwitz brings Evan Smoak, aka Orphan X, aka The Nowhere Man, back for his sixth go round in Prodigal Son. The question is what could be enough, besides boredom at the straight life, to bring Evan out of his forced retirement (forced by a President who does not want to see a loose cannon on the street). The answer, of course, is family.
Evan’s last mission before he went into retirement as the Nowhere Man, Into the Fire ended on a kind of cliffhanger, or at least an ambiguous note: a call to his Nowhere Man emergency number from someone claiming to be his mother. When Prodigal Son opens, Evan is studiously avoiding those calls which have kept coming. Meanwhile a guy called Andrew Duran, in deep debt and separated from his wife and child, finds himself witnessing a bizarre murder and on the run. When Evan finally reconnects with the woman claiming to be his mother the two stories intersect and he agrees to come out of retirement to help Duran. In doing so he ends up digging back into his past and putting himself in the crosshairs of the military industrial complex and a conspiracy involving deadly new drone technology.
Once again Hurwitz delivers over-the-top page turning action, full of well executed action scenes and some Bond-worthy villains. There is also the requisite technical techo-jargon on weapons and explosives like this:
The Kydex was tightly molded for retention, which could cause a striker-fire pistol like a Glock to go kaboom when seating the gun but worked beautifully for the 1911 with external grip and thumb safeties.
But Prodigal Son also has heart. As with previous entries in this series, a central theme in the novel is Evan slowly becoming more human through his connections to the people around him. This progression is super-charged by the addition of a not so angelic, long lost mother who gave him up for adoption as a baby.
As always, Hurwitz gives a potted summary of Evan’s backstory and previous adventures early on for those who are joining the series at this point. But this is an ongoing series and pays to be read in order. So while Prodigal Son could easily be read as a stand alone, with a great back catalogue and another cliffhanger ending (this one almost literally so) it would be hard to stop at just one.

Evan Smoak thriller and sixth outing though the first one I’ve read.
Really enjoyed this.
Evan was an orphan, grew up in foster homes but ‘escapes’ and ends up in a US, undercover government programme and is trained to be a killer.
Now in his thirties he is retired and is ‘The Nowhere Man’ who helps out people in need or danger.
He gets a call from a woman claiming to be his mother who wants him to help someone in dire straits.
This is written in present time but delves into the past to explain how Evan got to where and how he is now.
He sets out to help Andrew Duran and becomes embroiled in a high tech conspiracy with killers after him and his friends.
Thrilling, touching and a little far fetched at times (or is it? Who knows in these turbulent and changing times)
I really enjoyed this book and intend to read more. Highly recommended.
4.5 Stars ⭐️
Thanks to #Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

Evan Soak has given up his life as the Nowhere man when he was able very privately, to assist people in desperate need,
and prior to that Orphan X. As Orphan X he worked unofficially for the USA government, doing the jobs no other agent wished to do. Now Evan is retiring, that is until he gets a telephone call on his very private phone from a woman who says she is his mother. As Evan was an orphan he is curious to meet this woman and her request to protect someone she knows. The usual twists and turns, I never know quite what Evan will do next.

I have read all of the previous Orphan X books, and enjoyed everyone of them. I was so grateful when I received a copy to review of the latest book in the series.

Prodigal Son opens with Evan going back in time to the children's home before he was picked for the Orphan Program, this is interspersed with the story of Andre who works at a car impound, what is the connection?

Evan receives a call from someone who says she is his mother, who says she needs him to help someone, but Evan has retired after making a deal with the President.

Absolute roller coaster of a ride as always, lots of detail, regarding technology and to be honest reading about this, scares the heck out of me. Is there nothing humans won't stoop to?

This has a more human feel to it, with Evan trying out emotions and also feelings about family, so slightly different to previous books in that respect, but nonetheless very enjoyable.

Ended on an absolute cliffhanger and cannot wait to read the next installment, I hope it won't be too long.

Recommended

Evan Smoak, the Nowhere Man, is back in another action packed adventure. If you are a fan of the series this will not disappoint. Evan is meant to be retired having reached an 'understanding' with the POTUS after his previous escapades but the phone rings and he is off another mission; this one becomes very personal.

This was a brilliant read, full of tech, clever gadgets, violence and fast paced operations. I particularity enjoyed seeing another side of Evan's character, a more human and emotional one. The development of his relationship with Joey, his computer geek, is very sweet. I was thoroughly gripped through out.

If you enjoy thrillers with a flawed hero, a really bad baddie and loads going one, you'll love this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Prodigal Son is the latest instalment in the always reliable Orphan X/ Evan Smoak series by Gregg Hurwitz. Regular readers of the series will know that at the end of the previous book Evan received a shocking phone call that shook him to his core. This book picks up shortly after and sees Evan coming out of retirement to help a most unexpected candidate. Once again there are plenty of thrills and lots of exciting action sequences but they are balanced by some more heart felt and emotional scenes too as Evan reevaluates his need to maintain emotional distance.I am always delighted to see familiar faces pop up , especially Joey, Evan's young hacker protegee and even the morally ambiguous Candy, previously know as Orphan V. We also get some more background information on Evan's childhood and I always enjoy filling in some of those gaps in our knowledge of the character. The book tackles the thorny subject of drone warfare and though the technology seems a little far fetched at times it certainly makes for some dramatic moments . Once again we have a cliffhanger ending, something I have come to expect from the series , and something that often infuriates me , but not with this author as the main plot of the book is fully resolved and the explosive conclusion has piqued my interest as to where the author intends to next take the series.
I read an reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Orphan X is one of my favourite literary characters and I was super excited to read this outing. We already knew from the previous book that this would involve his mother.
Too be honest for me the book concentrated to much on relationships and feelings than on what I love about the series which is kicking ass and taking names.
However I think this is a setup for Orphan X to take a new direction in terms of what he will be doing and who he will be teaming up with. I love the supporting characters in the series and am hoping that they will have bigger parts to play in the rest of the series (if there are more!)
I am probably one of the few people not taken by his love interest and really hope she just slowly fades out of the series.
Fingers crossed that there will be more to come!

Having read a number of the Orphan X books previously I looked forward to a vaguely implausible, but nonetheless involving, gripping and entertaining contest between our hero, Evan Smoak, and the various forces of darkness he encounters. However, in the case of Prodigal Son Mr Hurwitz seems to have seriously overcooked his recipe for exciting murder and mayhem. For sure, the usual ingredients are there: high tech gadgetry; unarmed combat honed to laser-like perfection; a range of seriously bad guys; and a need to seriously suspend disbelief. But in this book, the high tech wizardry deployed by the good, the bad and the ugly really takes the reader increasingly unwillingly into a land of make believe. The ambiguous ending leaves the author with an interesting question in terms of our hero’s future; on the basis of this outing the kindest fate might be a dignified burial.

Another excellent addition to the best series out there. Forget Bourne or Reacher, Evan Smoak leaves them in his wake. Another mission for Orphan X that delves into his past, but this time it’s personal. Stunning set pieces with a light night fast pace. Hurwitz just keeps getting better.

Another very good addition to the Orphan X series. I have read the other ones and this is different, showing Evan in a more human light. It was fast paced and I enjoyed it very much. If you haven’t got into this Series, this would be a good introduction. .

This is the latest outing for Evan Smoak, former Orphan X, supposedly retired from his violent past life.
When he receives a call from a woman claiming to be his mother, Evan is drawn back into the world of covert operations and helping people who have nowhere else to go.
His mother has some surprising information, that leads him to re-assess the past.
The usual cast of characters are there, Mia, and her son Peter, his protegee, Joey, and also Candy McClure, former Orphan Y.

The book addresses the issues of drone warfare, and the effect that remote killing has on the drone operators. There is a chilling view of the near future where mini drones/robots can make decisions for themselves and become perfect killing machines. There are also the usual gunfights, etc.

I love the way that Evan’s character has evolved during the course of these books, and how he is learning to have tentative relationships with other people, and still retain a strong moral compass, although I still don’t understand how he can manage all he does without appearing to eat or sleep, it must be very special vodka.

The book ends on an explosive cliff-hanger, ready for the next chapter.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for the opportunity to read this book.

In the latest instalment of the Orphan X story, we learn more of Evan’s background and how he entered the welfare system and subsequently the Orphan programme. Initially I wondered why we seemed to be revisiting his childhood at the group home, covered in earlier novels, but the relevance became clear later in the book.
His latest mission results in much personal progression and a greater understanding of love and human relationships.
If one sets aside the descriptions of all the weapons and technology, this is an exciting story with an unexpected and explosive ending. I enjoyed and would recommend this book.

I’m a big fan of this action adventure series and the books just keep on getting better and better. There’s always plenty of excitement with Evan Smoak, The Nowhere Man, as he tries to help those most in need but at the beginning of this novel he is retired..........until a woman claiming to be his long lost mother contacts him asking for his help.
Evan’s past features heavily in this story; there are flashbacks to his time at an orphanage before he was rescued by Jack and turned into an agent. Evan has never met Veronica before but she is most insistent that she’s his mother and she needs him to help a friend of hers, Andrew Duran, who has disappeared after witnessing a murder in the car lot where he works. There are now assassins looking for him and Evan has to get there first to try and save him.
A lot of the plot is about family relationships- hence the title, “Prodigal Son” and central to this is Evan’s with his mother as well as his ‘in loco parentis’ position with Joey, his young protégé who really needs him.
Mia, Evan’s neighbour is also having problems with her young son, Peter who is missing his late father; she asks Evan to intervene and help.
Andrew Duran has a poor relationship with his young daughter as he doesn’t feel good enough to be with her and even the assassins are a brother and sister who are completely interdependent and can only work together.
This was an exciting read, very fast paced and I demolished it in a few days. Evan is such a great character. He’s superb at dealing with violent, evil villains but doesn’t know how to help Joey as she grows up or talk to Mia about his feelings. Dealing with Veronica is almost one step too far for him. He’s never had a mother so what can he say to her? He tries to get his head around this in the course of the book.
All in all a great read which left me wanting more which is always a good sign. As always there was a real cliffhanger on the last page and sadly I will now have to wait a long time for the next instalment!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is an excellent addition to the Orphan X series. I really enjoyed the book, I love that Mr Hurwitz has developed the main character to the point he has, this book can be read as a stand alone novel but is best read in the order it was written. Brilliant character development, new characters introduced in a way that fits the whole story line, very creative action sequences, very well paced with not a surplus work, just brilliant. You must read this series, so enjoyed it to day, it just gets better every book, can’t wait for the next book!

This is book six of this, brilliant, series. Please, please start from book one and read in order. It really would be best as Evan Smoak is one of the most complex characters I have encountered in time. You really need to get to know him and follow his adventures as the author intends.
So... After the shenanigans of the previous book, The Nowhere Man is no more. Evan has promised to hang up his RoamZone and, well, try and just live a normal life... Yeah Right! He's is trying and doing his best to stick to his promise until he gets a call... from a woman claiming to be his mother... asking for his help on behalf of another... one Andrew Duran who has come to the attention of, well, some rather nasty, dangerous people... Hang on... let's rewind a sec... Evan's MOTHER... Oh my... Having grown up in care, Evan has never met his mother, let alone had any dealings with her. This should be good... And boy is it!? And we also get to know a bit more about Evan's childhood and the home in which he grew up and the boys he lived with.
I blooming love this series. I read every book as soon as I get my mitts on an ARC and then, as soon as the book is out, I snaffle up the Audible version and listen to the great Scott Brick narrate. I also then buy the hardback too as my brother only reads paper and he loves this as much as me and then, when he has done, we discuss it...!
Anyhoo. This latest episode follows on from the cliffhanger of the previous with Evan's mother and then segues into divulging more about his childhood which I thoroughly enjoyed reading about. In the mean time there's the Evan-esque action as... well... did anyone really think he could hang up his guns and gadgets? Ably supported by a few familiar faces, including Dog the dog (my favourite) it's more of he same as has gone before, tried and tested, action-packed, seat of your pants thrilling ride.
And if that wasn't enough, we also see Evan changing as he becomes more sociable. Aided by Joey and Mia - with additional assistance from Peter - we see Evan become more human, we see a slightly softer side of him as he opens up to interaction...
And then there's a cliffhanger which actually didn't irk me as much as they usually do. No, instead it kinda excited me for book 7... just gotta wait for it... sigh...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Prodigal Son is the 6th book in Gregg Hurwitz's very successful Orphan X series,and in my opinion the best one.
Supposedly retired from his "Nowhere Man" activities ,Evan Smoak is called by someone claiming to be his Mother who asks for help. Smoak's retirement was forced on him by the American President who offered a pardon for his various lethal vigilante actions with the proviso that he stopped them or would be stopped permanently and terminally so along with his misgivings about the identity of the caller he's loathe to get involved. He's eventually convinced to help the person his caller is concerned about, a car pound guard called Andrew Duran, an alcoholic who is in the wrong place at the wrong time,sees too much and as a result is a hunted man.
Smoak's mission sees him taken back to his past and his days in the Pride House Group home and the story of how he became Orphan X. The book sees him become more reflective as things about himself are revealed and he finds himself struggling with feelings that he's suppressed for his entire life. It takes a different direction to the previous tales as he discovers empathy and realises what's been missing in his life.Favourite series character teenage computer genius Joey plays a big part in this story ,as does her relationship with Smoak and there are some great laugh out loud scenes as 2 somewhat dysfunctional people struggle to put on a tough front while obviously having strong feelings for each other.
This book sees a "softer" Evan Smoak,to a degree at least, and his life appears to be taking him in new directions,of course there's the usual mayhem,carnage and dastardly villains to confront along the way as well. It's great fun as well as being a damn good thriller.
The book ends with Smoak having made a big decision ....and with a very big decision to make, great stuff.

I read this with great pleasure as always. I think that the author's educational background helps him to great complex multi-layered novels with in varying degrees a sense of excitement, tragedy, comedy and fun. I'm from the UK and he reads like a trans-Atlantic writer, though I know that he isn't.

Hard to not give hints at spoilers, but this book sees the introduction of family members and figures from the past, often unexpectedly, in a complex thriller. I thought that the story was excellent, though had slight reservations about how a female character close to Evan dies at the end of the book, which felt inevitable, if a little cliched and rushed.
Next one please!!

I hadn't read any of the previous Orphan X books therefore for me this read like a new fast paced thrill ride of a book introducing a new anti-hero team who are set on putting things to right. The terrific main characters find themselves up against sinister technology and skilled assassins when accepting a simple brief to help an ordinary man with small debts. I do hope there's next chapter for these characters.

I have read and really enjoyed all the Orphan X books and was thrilled to receive an advance copy of Prodigal Son from the publishers.
Evan Smoak is an unemotional man due to firstly being brought up until the age of twelve in a grim orphanage, and then being taken under the wing of Jack, who is his mentor in the Orphans Programme. The Orphans are given code names of letters of the alphabet, hence Orphan X and trained to be assassins
The Orphans have been disbanded and Evan now goes to help people in desperate situations who contact him for help.
This latest book gradually gives Evan a dawning humanity which is good to witness.
The Orphan X books are edge of your seat thrillers which will keep you up reading till late and the reason this books loses a star for me is that there is so much technical weaponry detail that I started skipping pages . That said, it didn’t spoil the book for me at all - I’m looking forward to next in the series.

Gregg Hurwitz brings back Evan Smoak, the Nowhere Man, in his Orphan X series, a favourite with me, despite the fact that this one ends with a cliffhanger, my least favourite type of ending, although it does mean, I hope, that there will be at least one more in this fabulous series. What I loved about this one is that in a narrative which shifts from the past and the present, it throws a spotlight on Evan's desperate childhood experiences at The Pride House Group Home, a group of boys, all destined to end up with a future of hardship, criminality and no prospects, unless they are chosen by a mystery man that urban legend has it picks and trains a boy, promising the possibility of wealth and privilege. Against all the odds, Evan manages to be chosen but only because he was willing to do whatever he had to do to secure his place, his past and the lost boys of the group home are to inform and change his present and who he is.

Having managed to gain an unofficial pardon from the President, the price of which is that he ceases to be the Nowhere Man, Evan is enjoying the fruits of his wealth, his exclusive vodkas, his high rise penthouse at Castle Heights, which is fine, but it is not enough, and it fails to satisfy his inner need to use his highly unusual skill set and training for good. So whilst he initially ignores calls from a woman claiming to be his birth mother wanting him to help Andrew Duran, most likely a scam, he can't quite let it go. It turns out Veronica is his mother, his emotions are ambivalent and haywire, this is the woman who abandoned him, but it soon becomes clear to him that Duran, suspected of murder, really does need his help. In a story that involves the US military, the worrying developments in drone warfare, the powerful and ruthless Dr Brendan Molleken, a sadistically cruel Declan and Queenie Gentner, wetwork contractors, Evan is aided by the young Joey, computer hacker extraordinaire, Tommy, his armaments supplier, and the talented Orphan V, Candy McClure.

One of the reasons I love this series is the character development that takes place, and in this addition, the OCD Evan, who has sought to made himself invulnerable at every level, particularly emotionally, begins to understand the wisdom that our vulnerabilities are what makes us human, allow us to make meaningful connections with others, to express love, and an important element on the path of healing. These are huge steps forward for Evan as he comes to terms with the fact that he can no longer identify as a loner, he is part of a family and all that entails, his relationship with Joey faces stresses that require him to change, and Mia's son, Peter, helps him to see himself more clearly and become more self aware. This is a wonderfully entertaining thriller that I loved, and I am eagerly anticipating the next in the series! Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.