Prodigal Son (Orphan X Series #6)
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- Create Date：2021-01-29 04:18:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Gregg Hurwitz
- ISBN：9781250252289
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Summary
Notes From Your Bookseller
Evan Smoak， central character in Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X series， is perfectly situated to hang with Jack Reacher and Jason Bourne。 And， not unlike ANOTHER favoriteJames Bond， Smoak has his signature drink as well。 Fast， fun and furious writing here as Evan Smoak gets pulled back into "the life。" Luckily， that life is saving the lives of others。 "Thank you Orphan X" is what you'll be shouting as you read Prodigal Son。
Forced into retirement， Evan Smoak gets an urgent request for help from someone he didn't even suspect existedin Prodigal Son， the next New York Times bestselling Orphan X book from Gregg Hurwitz。
As a boy， Evan Smoak was pulled out of a foster home and trained in an off-the-books operation known as the Orphan Program。 He was a government assassin， perhaps the best， known to a few insiders as Orphan X。 He eventually broke with the Program and adopted a new nameThe Nowhere Manand a new mission， helping the most desperate in their times of trouble。 But the highest power in the country has made him a tempting offerin exchange for an unofficial pardon， he must stop his clandestine activities as The Nowhere Man。 Now Evan has to do the one thing he’s least equipped to dolive a normal life。
But then he gets a call for help from the one person he never expected。 A woman claiming to have given him up for adoption， a woman he never knewhis mother。 Her unlikely request: help Andrew Durana man whose life has gone off the rails， who was in the wrong place at the wrong time， bringing him to the deadly attention of very powerful figures。 Now a brutal brother & sister assassination team are after him and with no one to turn to， and no safe place to hide， Evan is Duran’s only option。 But when the hidden cabal catches on to what Evan is doing， everything he’s fought for is on the lineincluding his own life。
As a boy， Evan Smoak was pulled out of a foster home and trained in an off-the-books operation known as the Orphan Program。 He was a government assassin， perhaps the best， known to a few insiders as Orphan X。 He eventually broke with the Program and adopted a new nameThe Nowhere Manand a new mission， helping the most desperate in their times of trouble。 But the highest power in the country has made him a tempting offerin exchange for an unofficial pardon， he must stop his clandestine activities as The Nowhere Man。 Now Evan has to do the one thing he’s least equipped to dolive a normal life。
But then he gets a call for help from the one person he never expected。 A woman claiming to have given him up for adoption， a woman he never knewhis mother。 Her unlikely request: help Andrew Durana man whose life has gone off the rails， who was in the wrong place at the wrong time， bringing him to the deadly attention of very powerful figures。 Now a brutal brother & sister assassination team are after him and with no one to turn to， and no safe place to hide， Evan is Duran’s only option。 But when the hidden cabal catches on to what Evan is doing， everything he’s fought for is on the lineincluding his own life。
Editor Reviews
10/26/2020
In bestseller Hurwitz’s engrossing sixth Orphan X novel （after 2020’s Into the Fire）， former black ops assassin turned crime-fighting vigilante Evan Smoak is lured out of retirement by an unlikely individual: his mother。 Given up when he was a newborn—and eventually recruited into the top-secret Orphan Program， where he was trained to be a government operative—Smoak is initially skeptical about his mother’s sudden appearance。 But the man she asks him to help turns out to be Andre， a kid he knew from childhood when they lived in a Baltimore group home。 After witnessing a murder while working at an impound lot， Andre has disappeared， and Smoak soon becomes entangled in a grand-scale conspiracy involving cutting edge military technology。 The pacing is breathtakingly brisk throughout， and the action is relentless， but the real hook is how much Smoak has matured emotionally， particularly in regard to his love interest Mia Hall， a district attorney who lives in Smoak’s building， and Joey， his 16-year-old hacker protégée。 This series continues to impress。 Agent: Lisa Erbach Vance， Aaron Priest Literary。 （Jan。）
About the Author
GREGG HURWITZ is the New York Times bestselling author of the Orphan X books， including Into the Fire。 Critically acclaimed， his novels have graced top ten lists and have been published in 22 languages。 Additionally， he’s written screenplays for and sold scripts to many of the major studios， and written， developed， and produced television for various networks。 Hurwitz resides in Los Angeles。
Reviews
Horsebranchjess
，
Prodigal Son is the next thrilling ride in the Orphan X series。 The worst part of reading an Orphan X novel is waiting so long for the next one。 Evan， the Nowhere Man， is in a forced retirement via the President of the United States but when a woman claiming to be his mother asks him to help someone what else is a man to do but jump in head first。 Evan quickly breaks his own commandment of never letting anything get personal as he gets in touch with his feelings。 Action packed thrills that read like a movie script， the story catches the attention and demands to be read from cover to cover for another addictive chapter in the Orphan X saga and one of my favorite series of all time。 My voluntary， unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley。
Kerry
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Love Orphan X but hate cliff hangers！
Tom Mc Kenna
，
This series is so darn exciting and is absolutely on my top tier favorite reads。 It was great getting more background with Evan's past and of course hooking up with his sidekicks and Joey。 Please keep them coming Mr。 Hurwitz because they are Soooooo Smoaking Good！ This series is so darn exciting and is absolutely on my top tier favorite reads。 It was great getting more background with Evan's past and of course hooking up with his sidekicks and Joey。 Please keep them coming Mr。 Hurwitz because they are Soooooo Smoaking Good！ 。。。more
Scott
，
Upon finishing After the Fire （book #5 in the Orphan X series） I was very curious what would happen with the retired Evan Smoak。 Well Greg Hurwitz did not let the readers down。 Evan is not only back in action but so are some of the characters from earlier books to help him。 As in his prior books technology plays a big part， even more so in this one。 If you have read the previous books in the series you will find Prodigal Son continues to fill in even more of Evan's background with some surprises Upon finishing After the Fire （book #5 in the Orphan X series） I was very curious what would happen with the retired Evan Smoak。 Well Greg Hurwitz did not let the readers down。 Evan is not only back in action but so are some of the characters from earlier books to help him。 As in his prior books technology plays a big part， even more so in this one。 If you have read the previous books in the series you will find Prodigal Son continues to fill in even more of Evan's background with some surprises thrown in。Another very good addition to the Orphan X series。 After reading the ending I cannot wait for the next book in the series。 。。。more
Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader
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I did not read the first 5 books in this series。 I may have been a little bit lost but the over all plot and characters were good。 I am going to have to go back and read all the books in Orphan X。I recommend reading the series in order。I gave this book 4 stars and I can't wait to read the others。 The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review。 A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own。 I did not read the first 5 books in this series。 I may have been a little bit lost but the over all plot and characters were good。 I am going to have to go back and read all the books in Orphan X。I recommend reading the series in order。I gave this book 4 stars and I can't wait to read the others。 The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review。 A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own。 。。。more
Joanne
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What a cliffhanger after learning so much about Evan's back story！！！ What a cliffhanger after learning so much about Evan's back story！！！ 。。。more
John
，
"Prodigal Son" is another entertaining thriller by Gregg Hurwitz。 The protagonist， Evan Smoak， is a likeable， capable character， full of quirks and flaws that add to his allure。 There are a few character quirks that I still don't understand after reading two "Orphan X" books， like his obsession with vodka and his use of a "floating bed"， but these make the protagonist even more interesting。 Smoak is sort of a superman with a lot of human baggage。 The real strength of this book is the scenario th "Prodigal Son" is another entertaining thriller by Gregg Hurwitz。 The protagonist， Evan Smoak， is a likeable， capable character， full of quirks and flaws that add to his allure。 There are a few character quirks that I still don't understand after reading two "Orphan X" books， like his obsession with vodka and his use of a "floating bed"， but these make the protagonist even more interesting。 Smoak is sort of a superman with a lot of human baggage。 The real strength of this book is the scenario that seems far-fetched， but becomes more plausible and more terrifying as the story unfolds。 This excellent story features a heavy dose of technology that is well-researched and well-explained。 The author also provided a good deal of backstory， so a reader new to the series will enjoy the story as well。 The author explores a lot of Evan Smoak's human baggage in "Prodigal Son"。 Relationships are an underlying theme。 They help define the protagonist and help readers identify with him as a fellow human。 Overall， I enjoyed this exploration of Smoak's softer side， but some readers might find it overdone。 I also find his "friends"， including a quirky but competent computer hacker and an inventive weapons supplier， make it a little too easy for him to escape from difficulty。 Overall， this is a very good read， with colorful characters and a well-constructed， twisty and frightening plot。I would like to thank NetGalley and Minotaur Publications for providing me with an ARC in return for providing an honest review。 。。。more
Terrie Case
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Evan Smoak is back with a more realistic scenario than recently。 It’s great to see Joey have a more pivotal role， as well。This book in the Orphan X series hails back to when Evan Smoak was first introduced。 While I’ve read all of the novels by Gregg Hurwitz， I found the last couple to be a little far-fetched and did not enjoy them as much as his previous works。 Prodigal Son has an earlier feel to it。 The situations and solutions Evan encounters， while dealing with futuristic technology， seems pl Evan Smoak is back with a more realistic scenario than recently。 It’s great to see Joey have a more pivotal role， as well。This book in the Orphan X series hails back to when Evan Smoak was first introduced。 While I’ve read all of the novels by Gregg Hurwitz， I found the last couple to be a little far-fetched and did not enjoy them as much as his previous works。 Prodigal Son has an earlier feel to it。 The situations and solutions Evan encounters， while dealing with futuristic technology， seems plausible。 The personal and emotional attachments are expanding in a way someone previously closed off to emotions would begin to experience them。 I was pleased the author took another look at where Orphan X was headed and reigned him in。 As an aside， I placed an order for Ao Vodka。 I just have to try it。I received an ARC from Minotaur Books through NetGalley。 This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book。 I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so。 。。。more
Robyn
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One of the things I really like about this series as it has gone along， is the willingness of the author to let the main character change （or struggle to change， or try to change and fail）。 Unlike Reqcher， his most obvious comparison， Evan Smoak is not a static force of nature， but a three dimensional person （fine， a three dimensional trained secret assassin， WHATEVER）。 Since the books began， he has grappled with the wish to have a “normal” life， slowly building up a community of people he can a One of the things I really like about this series as it has gone along， is the willingness of the author to let the main character change （or struggle to change， or try to change and fail）。 Unlike Reqcher， his most obvious comparison， Evan Smoak is not a static force of nature， but a three dimensional person （fine， a three dimensional trained secret assassin， WHATEVER）。 Since the books began， he has grappled with the wish to have a “normal” life， slowly building up a community of people he can allllllmost connect with。 In this book， he has officially retired， and is wondering: is this all there is？Of course he is drawn Into another case， one with startling connections to his own past， and as the case goes on， he finds himself struggling more than ever before with the tension between his training （cold blooded killer） and his more human desires。 It’s all the more effective because we have seen the stakes escalate for him over several books; and his human wishes make him a far more compelling character than Jack Reacher， who seems to have none。 But the ending。。。。。oh dear。 。。。more
Kathie
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3。5 to 4 stars。 Drones， drones， drones。。。oh myI like the intrigue and there’s a few fast paced scenes but not sure about all the strange family connections for Orphan X and where that is going。。 The ending was confusing- cliffhanger or an ending to the series？ I’m curious to learn the direction hurwitz plans to go。
Denese
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Evan Smoak never disappoints， but "damn it" Gregg Andrew Hurwitz！ Don't tell me I have to wait a year。 Evan Smoak never disappoints， but "damn it" Gregg Andrew Hurwitz！ Don't tell me I have to wait a year。 。。。more
Carol Custer
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I would have never believed I would become so hooked on this series。 Sci-fi is not a genre I usually read。 But hooked I am！！ Hurwitz's brilliant writing and great characters made me a fan from the first book and I eagerly await each new installment。 The story is frightening in it's possibilities - - sci-fi like this could easily become real！！ There's nonstop action as usual in this book but we also get to see a different side of Evan。 A softer side。 I liked that we now know a more rounded versio I would have never believed I would become so hooked on this series。 Sci-fi is not a genre I usually read。 But hooked I am！！ Hurwitz's brilliant writing and great characters made me a fan from the first book and I eagerly await each new installment。 The story is frightening in it's possibilities - - sci-fi like this could easily become real！！ There's nonstop action as usual in this book but we also get to see a different side of Evan。 A softer side。 I liked that we now know a more rounded version of Evan。 Of course the book ended with the usual breath-stopping cliffhanger。And now I have to wait for the next book。 Oh the agony！！！ 。。。more
Jkane
，
This was a worthy addition to the series， with some great scenes （e。g。， the beginning & the party）。 The growth of X due to his emotional involvement made up for a few other parts of the story that were a bit lacking。 The use of the technology in the climax felt stretched， and poorly explained， and the whole climax was too Hollywood。
Cathy Geha
，
Prodigal Son by Gregg HurwitzOrphan X #6Intense， gripping， action-packed， and thrilling – this series always grabs me， draws me in， and keeps me engrossed from beginning to end。 What I liked: * Evan Smoak/The Nowhere Man/Orphan X: an orphan that was molded into a lethal weapon but who still has a moral code。 He fascinates me。 This story gave more of his backstory and introduced potential for future stories in the series。 Evan is conflicted between doing what he does well and was trained to do OR Prodigal Son by Gregg HurwitzOrphan X #6Intense， gripping， action-packed， and thrilling – this series always grabs me， draws me in， and keeps me engrossed from beginning to end。 What I liked: * Evan Smoak/The Nowhere Man/Orphan X: an orphan that was molded into a lethal weapon but who still has a moral code。 He fascinates me。 This story gave more of his backstory and introduced potential for future stories in the series。 Evan is conflicted between doing what he does well and was trained to do OR staying in retirement。 I am hoping that he will eventually find a way to have a bit more “normal” life in the future。 * Andre Duran: the man that Evan is asked to help by a woman who claims to be Evan’s mother。 Andre and Evan have more in common than they realize when they first meet in this story。 I kept hoping that Andre would make it through to the end of the book and have potential for a future。 * Joey: young woman， hacker extraordinaire， taken under Evan’s wing and coming into her own…with Dog the dog。 I look forward to hearing more about her in the future。* Mia and Peter: Neighbors of Evan。 Mia could be a love interest and in some ways Peter reminds Evan of himself but with a the stability that Evan did not have。 * The writing， plot， intensity， and sci-fi aspects of the story though some of the computer jargon was a bit over my head。 * Candy McClure/p V: I remember her from a previous book and wouldn’t mind seeing more of her in the future。 * Tommy: a good friend with interesting helpful gadgets that Evan often needs in his work* The mysterious woman， who she ended up being， and the information she had to share about Evan’s origins。* The bad guys…so easy to dislike！ There were a couple that had a rough childhood but that did not condone their adult choices。* Thinking about how this could be made into a movie and who I might like to see playing the various characters。* Knowing that there will be a book seven…What I didn’t like: * The bad guys…I really wanted them erased！ * Thinking about the what-ifs of having the sci-fi aspects of this story becoming a reality。 * Knowing how rough Evan had it as a child* Having to wait till book seven is finished to find out what will happen next。 Did I enjoy this book？ Definitely！ Would I read more by this author？ Without a doubt！！！Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books for the ARC – This is my honest review。5 Stars 。。。more
Lydia Kass
，
Evan is called back from his retirement by a woman claiming to be his birth mother， and must find out the true meaning of what love and family really are when he's tasked with helping one of his 'siblings' from a previous foster home with the help of Joey， hacker extrordinaire， Tommy， munitions specialist， and Candy McClure， aka Orphan V， go up against a supervillain who has created super killing drones。 Evan is called back from his retirement by a woman claiming to be his birth mother， and must find out the true meaning of what love and family really are when he's tasked with helping one of his 'siblings' from a previous foster home with the help of Joey， hacker extrordinaire， Tommy， munitions specialist， and Candy McClure， aka Orphan V， go up against a supervillain who has created super killing drones。 。。。more
R M
，
I’m so happy there will be another book。 The cliffhanger in this one leads you there。 There’s a lot here in this book。 He finds his mother。 No。 She finds him。 There’s a lot of early history， X remembering life before Hack and how he met Jack。 （I still wish Jack could come back。 ）The “plot” X needs to solve or fix。 Well， that was mind blowing and I hope more figment of the author’s imagination than reality。 Not sure any of us could sleep otherwise。 X is struggling and trying to become more “human I’m so happy there will be another book。 The cliffhanger in this one leads you there。 There’s a lot here in this book。 He finds his mother。 No。 She finds him。 There’s a lot of early history， X remembering life before Hack and how he met Jack。 （I still wish Jack could come back。 ）The “plot” X needs to solve or fix。 Well， that was mind blowing and I hope more figment of the author’s imagination than reality。 Not sure any of us could sleep otherwise。 X is struggling and trying to become more “human”。 Not sure if I do or don’t want that。 But I’m content in another book coming。 Hope it’s not so long away。 。。。more
Michael Goulette
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4。5 stars。 Many changes occur inside of Evan Smoak。 Without spoiling the plot， let's just say that he becomes more human。 It took about 75% of the book before it took a life of its own which is why I didn't give it a 5。 The writing is good throughout， however。 I thought the two previous books were better overall。 Still， a great read for Orphan X fans。 4。5 stars。 Many changes occur inside of Evan Smoak。 Without spoiling the plot， let's just say that he becomes more human。 It took about 75% of the book before it took a life of its own which is why I didn't give it a 5。 The writing is good throughout， however。 I thought the two previous books were better overall。 Still， a great read for Orphan X fans。 。。。more
Michelle
，
4。5 starsEvan Smoak， "The Nowhere Man"， is supposed to be retired。 He's received his pardon and his walking papers with a warning to never pick up his hat again。 If he goes back into the business the United States will send the weight of all its power after him and will not relent until he has been neutralized。 At the conclusion of Into the Fire we thought he had retired; that he was trying to live a normal life。 So what brings him back？ Mysterious calls from someone claiming to be his mother。 B 4。5 starsEvan Smoak， "The Nowhere Man"， is supposed to be retired。 He's received his pardon and his walking papers with a warning to never pick up his hat again。 If he goes back into the business the United States will send the weight of all its power after him and will not relent until he has been neutralized。 At the conclusion of Into the Fire we thought he had retired; that he was trying to live a normal life。 So what brings him back？ Mysterious calls from someone claiming to be his mother。 But who is this person really and can he trust them？ Will Evan be able to think clearly and make the right decisions or will his emotions get him killed？Prodigal Son is a fast paced， action thriller with lots of cool weaponry and high tech gadgets。 Beyond the suspense though， it humanizes Orphan X and gives you more of his backstory。 Newcomers to the series - don't worry。 You will feel as if you were with Evan from Day One。 Hurwitz writes a spectacular novel that keeps us on the edge of our seat， then leaves us hanging begging for more。 。。。more
Jaymi The OC Book Girl
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Absolutely FANTASTIC！ I freaking love Evan Smoak and his adventures。 He’s retired from being the Nowhere Man but he can’t really relax without a mission。
Darcy
，
It's been a while since I've yelled at my audio book and that is just what I did at the end of this one。 Then I put it back a couple of minutes， listened again and still yelled。 Part of why I'm so mad is because in this one Evan had to face a lot of his past， good and bad。 He put a bunch of things to rest and came out a better man。 He also seemed to come to a conclusion about Peter and Mia， that he can have them in his life， heck it seems that Evan has decided that it's ok to have a life。 But fa It's been a while since I've yelled at my audio book and that is just what I did at the end of this one。 Then I put it back a couple of minutes， listened again and still yelled。 Part of why I'm so mad is because in this one Evan had to face a lot of his past， good and bad。 He put a bunch of things to rest and came out a better man。 He also seemed to come to a conclusion about Peter and Mia， that he can have them in his life， heck it seems that Evan has decided that it's ok to have a life。 But fate stepped in and bitch slapped him， we just have to wait for the next book to see if this is something he can comeback from。 。。。more
TC
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Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 。。。more
Vicky
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This book was definitely out of my wheelhouse， but it turned out to be an impressive piece of writing！ I fell in love with the Evan and the fact that he was this small boy looking for someone to notice him and maybe love him？ Instead he became Orphan X， a killing machine for a non-existant government and nobody to claim him for their child。 Then he is forced to retire， but he is reactivated by someone claiming to be his mother。However， part of his forced retirement is that he would do no more se This book was definitely out of my wheelhouse， but it turned out to be an impressive piece of writing！ I fell in love with the Evan and the fact that he was this small boy looking for someone to notice him and maybe love him？ Instead he became Orphan X， a killing machine for a non-existant government and nobody to claim him for their child。 Then he is forced to retire， but he is reactivated by someone claiming to be his mother。However， part of his forced retirement is that he would do no more secretive missions under the radar so to speak。 So， what does he do， go see this woman and jeopardize his new found freedom from being an executioner for a government that will not recognize his existence or meet a woman he has wondered about all his life and wants to ask， why give me away？The author has delivered a completely believable plot with strong characters and the twists are so poignant and intriguing that I was glued to the pages！ I definitely can’t wait to see what the second book is going to bring！ I plan to look up this authors other books as well！ I definitely would recommend this book to anyone looking for a stupendous read！I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions。 。。。more
Donna
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This is book #6 in the Orphan X series and I've enjoyed reading these。 This author is has become a solid 4 stars for me so when I have one of his books in my possession I have high expectations。 This book was no exception。 He writes great stories with plenty of intrigue that pulls me in。 Plus I like Evan。 The other characters also help make Evan shine and yet they also keep him tethered to the realm of believability within the world he lives。 This is one of those series that I can settle into an This is book #6 in the Orphan X series and I've enjoyed reading these。 This author is has become a solid 4 stars for me so when I have one of his books in my possession I have high expectations。 This book was no exception。 He writes great stories with plenty of intrigue that pulls me in。 Plus I like Evan。 The other characters also help make Evan shine and yet they also keep him tethered to the realm of believability within the world he lives。 This is one of those series that I can settle into and know that I will like it。 Also， Scott Brick did the narration for the audio and that is always an extra plus for me。 He is one of my favorite narrators。 So 4 stars。 。。。more
Shelley
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"Nowhere left to go。" Holy。 Crap。 What a stunning ending。 "Nowhere left to go。" Holy。 Crap。 What a stunning ending。 。。。more
Kathleen
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Good entertainment， as always。 Not too bloody disgusting， but I could do without the perspective from the killer twins。 Evan has some internal struggles in this book， and they felt real。 The focus is on family， relationships， and advanced drone technology。 The BIG BAD in this book are dragonfly microdrones — sentient， small， and so-called “ethical” with tiny stiletto blades and packing high-energy explosives。 Indeed， the horrific picture Hurwitz paints of a totalitarian tech-controlled future is Good entertainment， as always。 Not too bloody disgusting， but I could do without the perspective from the killer twins。 Evan has some internal struggles in this book， and they felt real。 The focus is on family， relationships， and advanced drone technology。 The BIG BAD in this book are dragonfly microdrones — sentient， small， and so-called “ethical” with tiny stiletto blades and packing high-energy explosives。 Indeed， the horrific picture Hurwitz paints of a totalitarian tech-controlled future is to be strenuously avoided。I enjoy the characters: X， Mia， Peter， Joey， Dog the dog， Tommy。。。and it was a treat to see Candy McClure， orphan V， again。 But big dogs cannot sit around in an apartment all day。The story ends on a cliff。 Sort of。 A free fall。 Whatever。 。。。more
Mackenzie - PhDiva Books
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Have you read any of the Orphan X books by Gregg Hurwitz？ I hadn’t until I had the opportunity to read Prodigal Son which I learned is actually the sixth book in the series。 Let’s just say that I will now be going back to read the other five because I have to read more about Evan Smoak！Well I’ll start off with what you are probably wondering—how was it jumping into a series on book 6？ Surprisingly， it wasn’t a problem at all！ While I can’t speak for all five books before this， I certainly felt t Have you read any of the Orphan X books by Gregg Hurwitz？ I hadn’t until I had the opportunity to read Prodigal Son which I learned is actually the sixth book in the series。 Let’s just say that I will now be going back to read the other five because I have to read more about Evan Smoak！Well I’ll start off with what you are probably wondering—how was it jumping into a series on book 6？ Surprisingly， it wasn’t a problem at all！ While I can’t speak for all five books before this， I certainly felt this story worked as a standalone。The book opens with a young Evan Smoak， who we learn is an orphan who was taken from foster care at the young age of 12 and trained by Jack Johns， known as the Mystery Man， to be a deadly assassin that frankly seems super-human。 Part of this stems from the fact that Evan’s more human traits （empathy， caring） to make him a government-sponsored killing machine。 This was all through a secretive operation known as the Orphan Program。After years as the assassin known as Orphan X， Evan has broken free and repurposed himself as an avenger of those in need。 Now， Evan has left both of these persona behind to live the life that got taken from him when he was just a boy。When a woman calling herself Veronica LeGrande reveals herself to be Evan’s mother who gave him up for adoption， she asks for help from the boy she abandoned many years ago。 Her request seems strange—she asks him to help a man who was a resident at the same foster home that Evan lived in before he became Orphan X。 This man， Andrew， is not an ordinary man。 His life has put him directly in the path of a deadly assassin team， and Evan is his only hope。 However， helping Andrew and Veronica may mean putting his own life and freedom on the line…Fast-paced action and heart-pounding suspense—Prodigal Son is that perfect sort of escapist thriller where you can slip into a world much different from your own。 I found Evan to be a surprisingly relatable character （I mean， as much as myself， a doctoral student quarantined at home can relate to a deadly orphan assassin）， which wasn’t necessary but enhanced the book for me。 I found this book had a surprising amount of emotion and sensitivity， and I really felt for this boy who was taught to disregard his desire to connect with other humans。 Seeing him reclaim that as an adult was wonderful， until that phone call that launches this new adventure…Thank you to Minotaur Books and Kaye Publicity for my copy。 Opinions are my own。 。。。more
Jacob Aron
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I'm a big fan of the Orphan X books， but this one didn't really work for me。 It feels a bit like the series has run its course and is being stretched too thin。 There are only so many times I need to read the same description of Evan's apartment。 Also， the books have always been high-tech but it gets pretty silly in this one， with completely unrealistic drones。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 I'm a big fan of the Orphan X books， but this one didn't really work for me。 It feels a bit like the series has run its course and is being stretched too thin。 There are only so many times I need to read the same description of Evan's apartment。 Also， the books have always been high-tech but it gets pretty silly in this one， with completely unrealistic drones。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Andrea Johnson
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This is the 6th installment in the Orphan X series， always fast-paced non-stop action。 I keep thinking what good movies these would be！ In this book， more about Evan’s background is revealed， and although he tries to retire and live a normal life， things don’t work out as planned。 Quite a cliff-hanger， so I hope Mr。 Hurwitz is writing the next book right now！ Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC， publishing today in the US。
Maureen Carden
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Evan Smoak went from being the abandoned baby with no past， to living in a group home and becoming a boy with no future; to becoming a government trained assassin known as Orphan X and removing the future of others。 Finally realizing his life as an assassin leads nowhere and to nothing， he left the program and became the Nowhere Man in truth。 He became the man of last resort at the end of a phone number for those in desperate need of help。 Until the President of the United States made him a deal Evan Smoak went from being the abandoned baby with no past， to living in a group home and becoming a boy with no future; to becoming a government trained assassin known as Orphan X and removing the future of others。 Finally realizing his life as an assassin leads nowhere and to nothing， he left the program and became the Nowhere Man in truth。 He became the man of last resort at the end of a phone number for those in desperate need of help。 Until the President of the United States made him a deal: quit being the Nowhere Man and he would receive an unofficial Presidential pardon， giving Evan his life back and an opportunity to start over。In Prodigal Son Orphan X #6， Evan quickly realizes that no longer being the Nowhere Man also means being the grey man。 The almost nothing man。 The extremely wealthy Evan has no idea how to relate to other people， so he lives in his 7000 sq ft Los Angeles aerie indulging his OCD tendencies and his hobby of collecting and drinking very high end vodka。A blast from the past catches Evan by surprise， mom， who gave him up at one week， has contacted him and needs his help in saving the life of a very down and out guy， Andre。 In small world fashion， Andre lived in the same Baltimore group home as did Evan。 Prodigal Son has the usual entertaining and imaginative showdowns， incursions and hacking scenes。 There is an especially funny fight scene involving Teslas。 （Okay， I might have a sick sense of humor）Smoak is torn “between what he needs and what he wants” （approximate quote）。 As Evan sees his need and talents for violence come back to him， he also starts to understand his need to stop shielding his heart and start to build the family of that heart。 It’s amusing to see how Smoak has gone from 0 to 60 in his feelings of responsibility and love for his young ward， Joey。 Those feeling have always have always been there， it just seem to take a slightly older college boy to bring them to the fore。 Who knew an Orphan X book could be a tearjerker; a real one， not one mining cheap emotions？The science and the weapons information are almost more than up to date， and make for fascinating games of real or not real for readers。 Just the other day I saw an article about dragonfly drones-but not ones with ethical decision making capabilities。 Here is my petty little question。 With all that great information available wouldn’t someone catch that poinsettia’s don’t have a scent？ Maybe that booboo didn’t make it to the final version of the book。In Prodigal Son you will find a continuation of one of the best action packed series， one with a growing heart。Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC。 The opinion of this review are my own。 。。。more
Linda McCutcheon
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"Are you as terrible as you say you are？""I can be，" he said。。。"Good，" she said。 "Kill every last one of them。"This conversation happens after an emotional moment between our hero Evan and the mother who gave him up when he was a week old。 Not a typical family for the Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz。This book is the 6th in the Orphan X series but is easily a stand alone novel。 I have not read the previous books but I am saving up to get them ASAP after reading this intense thrilling drama。We get a "Are you as terrible as you say you are？""I can be，" he said。。。"Good，" she said。 "Kill every last one of them。"This conversation happens after an emotional moment between our hero Evan and the mother who gave him up when he was a week old。 Not a typical family for the Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz。This book is the 6th in the Orphan X series but is easily a stand alone novel。 I have not read the previous books but I am saving up to get them ASAP after reading this intense thrilling drama。We get a lot of background information about Evan Smoak and how he was recruited as a young boy from a foster home then trained as an assassin for a secret government organization。 He is known to a select few as Orphan X and very good at his job。 After turning against the program and becoming the Nowhere Man that helps desperate people with nowhere to turn he is given a pardon for abandoning the government on the condition he retires。But how can he stay retired after a call from someone claiming to be the mother he never knew and begging for help。 Her "friend" has witnessed a murder and now has a target on him。 There are many engaging characters along the way including a very evil villain with an "endgame" weapon。 A mix of Batman， The Equalizer and Jason Bourne makes this novel a non stop action thriller with heart。 Be warned there is a huge cliffhanger but once you enter Evan's story you will want to keep reading it。I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Monika
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