Hurwitz's fifth "Orphan X" adventure (Out of the Dark) finds former assassin Evan Smoak using his deadly skills to assist Max Merriweather, a guy down on his luck, whose cousin's murder has brought him to the attention of an Armenian street gang involved in a money-laundering scheme. It seems like an easy enough task for the Nowhere Man, but as soon as he eliminates one threat, a more powerful one appears, and getting to the top of the pyramid requires courage, wit, creativity, and a lot of specialty weapons. But along bombast and weaponry, there's plenty of hope, tenderness, and even humor throughout this story. Series fans will appreciate the growing friendship between Evan and teenage hacker Joey, whose sarcasm and sloppiness serve as an excellent foil to the behavior of the earnest, meticulous hero. Even though the ending posits that Evan is retiring his vigilante identity, a cliff-hanger suggests that the series will continue along a new and exciting path. VERDICT Another exceptional installment in the "Orphan X" series, full of action, excitement, and adventure. A must-read for thriller fans. [See Prepub Alert, 7/8/19.]--Nanette Donohue, Champaign P.L., IL

This fifth in the Orphan X series (Out of the Dark, 2019, etc.) features one deadly crisis after another for a killer who'd really just like to retire and become human.In a spectacular opening scene, a man who has supposedly rescued rich businessman Grant Merriweather from a car crash and brought him to an urgent-care facility pulls out a gun and murders him along with the doctors who helped him regain consciousness. Now the bad guys are after Merriweather's downtrodden cousin Max, whom most of his family doesn't like and "no one would miss." Meanwhile, Evan Smoak is Orphan X, or the Nowhere Man. He was raised and trained as a killer for a secret government program but has been entirely on his own for years. A desperate person who calls his secret number, 1-855-2-NOWHERE, will hear him say, Do you need my help?" Then, if he so chooses, he will take any risk to help that stranger. Evan receives technical help from smart-mouthed 16-year-old genius geek Joey, who can hack into anything and even control surveillance cameras. The plot unfolds in the same pattern as the first four in the series: Evan slays bad guys with uncanny skill, but, like a bloody game of whack-a-mole, the threats keep popping up. What makes this mission different is that he wants it to be his last. The government has been trying to eliminate himlots of backstory thereand now retirement is beckoning. If only he could sit in his elaborate condo and sip CLIX vodka while he heals from his numerous concussions. Evan is devoid of social skills, and it's fun to watch him dodge small talk with his homeowners association. Other men had once chosen his life and molded him into a killer. Now he'd like "a life of his own making," but "without the Nowhere Man, who the hell was Evan Smoak?" Give him a day with his boring neighbors and he'll un-retire in a hurry.Kudos to Hurwitz for creating this series. Let's hope the Nowhere Man's phone rings again. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In bestseller Hurwitz's adrenaline-charged fifth Orphan X novel (after 2019's Out of the Dark), forensic accountant Grant Merriweather leaves his cousin Max Merriweather an envelope to be delivered to an L.A. Times reporter in the event of his murder. But when Grant and the reporter are both killed, Max turns to Evan Smoak, the Nowhere Man, for help. The envelope contains a flash drive with spreadsheets that Evan and his hacker protégé, Josephine Morales, are able to determine contain a money laundering scheme that ranges through L.A.'s criminal underworld. Early on, Evan is surprised by a gunman, and, while Evan survives, he suffers a concussion that hinders his combat abilities, but not so much that he hesitates to rescue Max from a police station or get himself jailed in order to get to a kingpin behind bars. Meanwhile, Hurwitz continues to explore Evan's nascent relationship with assistant district attorney Mia Hall, adding some complexity. By layering his nonstop action with character development, Hurwitz has created a terrific tale. 150,000-copy announced first printing; author tour. Agent: Lisa Erbach Vance, Aaron Priest Literary. (Jan.)

Evan Smoak, the former assassin also known as Orphan X or the Nowhere Man, has finally destroyed the secret U.S. government agency that spent years trying to kill him. He's made the American president pay for his role in hunting Evan. With his purpose fulfilled, Evan wonders if it's time for the Nowhere Man, who's repeatedly risked his own life to help protect innocent lives, to retire. Will his current mission, to help a man figure out who killed his cousin and to keep his family safe, be Evan's last? In Smoak, Hurwitz has found a hero whose tortured history, internal struggles, and razor-sharp intelligence are perfectly suited to his own strengths as a novelist. It's as if Hurtwitz's previous fiction, which includes several best-selling stand-alone thrillers, was preparing him for tackling the story of a ruthless assassin who learns, slowly, what it is to be a normal person. While the book certainly reads like the final installment of the Smoak series, a last-second, out-of-left-field plot twist gives the reader hope that the series will continue. Don't miss this one.--David Pitt Copyright 2019 Booklist