The Last Orphan: The Thrilling Orphan X Sunday Times Bestseller (An Orphan X Novel)

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Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times bestselling author of 15 thrillers, including the upcoming ORPHAN X. His novels have been shortlisted for numerous literary awards, graced top ten lists, and have been translated into 25 languages. There is simply no one writing thrillers like Gregg Hurwitz. He’s a beautiful writer who dives deep into character but never takes his foot off the gas when it comes to action and suspense. If you haven’t read Gregg Hurwitz, you’re missing out.” —Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The New Couple in 5B The Last Orphan’s plot doesn’t flow exactly as you’d expect. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – we all want suspense and surprises in an action thriller like this. However, the tempo feels a little off kilter. After his capture by the US authorities in California, the intensity fades during the middle of the story and there’s quite a lot of hand wringing and chin rubbing while Evan decides whether Devine is worth pursuing. The lone wolf aspect of Evan wears thin too, and you end up feeling that he can do and get away with anything. After all, he’s supported by Joey on tech, has a mechanic working for him who seems to be able to source any weapon or vehicle, and there’s another billionaire who will lend him a private jet at the drop of a hat. There’s even another Orphan program killer who helps him out. The audiobook features a bonus conversation between Gregg Hurwitz and #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner, author of the award-winning Detective D. D. Warren novels. Just when I thought the Orphan X novels couldn’t get any better, Gregg Hurwitz takes the series to an even higher level. The Last Orphan is pulse-pounding, heart-stopping, and thought-provoking. I loved it.”—Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

From the moment the children arrive, Rosie is rushed off her feet as she welcomes the new arrivals. But when she notices one particularly quiet girl, who has isolated herself from the other children, Rosie senses a wealth of sadness inside Frieda similar to her own and becomes determined to help her.Evan must decide whether to accept. He's spent years trying to atone for his former life. But if by taking on the mission he must betray the very principles he now lives by, what is left?

There is simply no one writing thrillers like Gregg Hurwitz. He’s a beautiful writer who dives deep into character but never takes his foot off the gas when it comes to action and suspense. If you haven’t read Gregg Hurwitz, you’re missing out.”—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The New Couple in 5B Just when I thought the Orphan X novels couldn’t get any better, Gregg Hurwitz takes the series to an even higher level. The Last Orphan is pulse-pounding, heart-stopping, and thought-provoking. I loved it.” —Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author Over the last seven books, Evan Smoak has helped those in need while, for the most part, staying off the government’s radar. Those days of hiding in plain sight, though, are long gone. Now, the president of the United States wants Evan captured—but once they get their hands on him, things don’t go quite the way he anticipated.

But then Orphan X is not your average guest. The last survivor of the top secret programme that raised and trained him, Evan Smoak was sent around the world to do his government's dirty work. Until he escaped. The Last Orphan has it all... a story that has more unexpected twists and turns than a Disney World rollercoaster." — Midwest Book Review The problem is that killing Devine would go against Evan’s code. Evan won’t work for organised crime, state bodies or political causes. He’ll only use his skills to help people who really need it –basically, the victims of those listed above. He’ll only kill someone who deserves it. The bar here in the middle of the desolate nowhere was little more than a sparse wooden structure composed of beams and walls. Well-loved chessboards on tables. A foursome of burly Icelanders in football jerseys. Picture windows overlooking miles of blindingly white tundra. Decorative puffins peeked out from the shelves of bottles. Evan’s spent years trying to atone for his former life. If taking on the mission means betraying the very principles he now lives by, what does he have left?

I'm not sure if it was too many characters or the fact that the narrative rapidly switches between them (sometimes in the same chapter), but something about it didn't grip me the way I wanted it to. The narration was decent but verged a little bit on too much telling, and that took me out of it a bit. On Evan’s other side, a lantern-jawed retiree was bragging to a gaggle of Australian coeds and anyone else within earshot that he’d been a member of the legendary Viking Squad S.W.A.T. Team known as Sérsveit Ríkislögreglustjórans. A handsome man a few years past his prime, he basked in the glow of the young women’s attention.In a show of aggressive amusement, one of the footballers pounded his fist into the bar, sending a glass ashtray flipping up past Evan’s cheek. It shattered at the ground near his boots. Evan is a product of the Orphan program. A child with no parents to care for him, he was trained in weaponry, combat and killing, as well as in how to control his emotions, evade his enemies and survive brutal interrogations. He’s a human weapon, a bit like Jason Bourne, and there’s a character similar to Evan, but on the Russian side, in Cry Wolf by Hans Rosenfeldt. Smashed between the two groups, Evan hunkered further into himself and took another sip. He loved drinking. One thing becomes clear to the President soon enough: no one should ever try to force Evan's hand. Because putting Orphan X in an impossible spot only makes him more dangerous . . .

Orphan X is not good. Orphan X is great. Whatever you like best in a thriller - action, plot, character, suspense - Orphan X has it Simon Toyne There was a government assassin known as Orphan X,” he continued. “Think of him as the Big Bad Wolf. Probably American, maybe British. No one knew who he was. No one ever found out. Maybe he didn’t even exist. Maybe he was just a name they whispered to bad men to make sure they didn’t sleep well at night.” Author Joseph Finder Signs Two-Book Deal with Harper, ‘The Oligarch’s Daughter’ to be Released in 2025 The bartender gave him another shot, this time safeguarding it through the handoff. “American?” he asked. “What did you come to Iceland for? Business? Whale watching?”

the writing is crisp, the action scenes are both clever and cinematic, the dialogue is pitch perfect, and the villains are deliciously detestable. First-class." — Booklist This one has a really interesting premise and I did learn a fair bit, but something about it felt a little off. I borrowed this book from a library at work and could not put it down. It was gripping, beautiful and I loved the history represented.