Audible Book Review: Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz

This is a remarkably entertaining suspense with good twists.

Orphan X
By: Gregg Hurwitz
Narrated by: Scott Brick
Series: Evan Smoak, Book 1

Series: Evan Smoak, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 01-19-16
Language: English
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Genre: Crime Thriller, Suspense
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
The Nowhere Man is a legendary figure spoken about only in whispers. It's said that when he's reached by the truly desperate and deserving, the Nowhere Man can and will do anything to protect and save them.
But he's no legend.
Evan Smoak is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. He's also a man with a dangerous past. Chosen as a child, he was raised and trained as part of the off-the-books black box Orphan program, designed to create the perfect deniable intelligence assets - i.e. assassins. He was Orphan X. Evan broke with the program, using everything he learned to disappear.
Now, however, someone is on his tail. Someone with similar skills and training. Someone who knows Orphan X. Someone who is getting closer and closer. And will exploit Evan's weakness - his work as The Nowhere Man - to find him and eliminate him.
Grabbing the listener from the beginning, Orphan X is a masterful thriller, the first in Gregg Hurwitz's electrifying new series featuring Evan Smoak.
©2016 Gregg Hurwitz (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Review:
Evan Smoak was chosen as an orphaned child to become Orphan X. He was raised and trained in an off-the-books Orphan program creating assassins. Unlike most of the Orphans, Evan’s handler wanted to help keep him ‘human’. When events cut Evan off from the program, he chose to become The Nowhere Man. When a truly needy and deserving person calls, Evan responds to help the innocents of the world.

Evan has recently completed one of his good deed rescues and expects a gap before the next call. But a call comes in sooner than he expects. Although he queries the caller he cannot help wondering if this is legitimate. When he meets her and barely dodges a sniper bullet his suspicions increase. But he has rules he tries to follow and one of the most important is to protect the innocents.

Evan has to live a pretty solitary life to protect his secrets. Yet he finds himself being drawn in by others in his apartment building determining that he must step in to help them, even while he is paranoid about hiding his own identity.

A cat and mouse chase ensues as another assassin team has targeted Evan and is threatening innocent people to get him into the open. Suddenly Evan is facing other assassins who are trained as well as he is, including the legendary Orphan O. But even Orphan O has a handler and Evan has to discover who wants him dead, assuming he can stay alive to find out.

I was quickly drawn in by the detailed behaviors of Evan and enjoyed learning more about his history that is shared through flashbacks. He is not just a cold-blooded killer but has a complex and sometimes conflicting morality. There is plenty of action and interesting set up of the safe houses and protective measures needed to keep an assassins cover protected. I enjoyed this thriller and will be picking up more of the series. I recommend this to readers who enjoy good assassin suspense.

Audio Notes: Scott Brick is a good choice for suspense narration. He manages to convey mystery while clearly presenting the complex character of the assassin. The narration helped me to enjoy this suspense.

Source: February 2017 $4.95 Sale purchase at Audible. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goals. I may have to use this for my "X" alphabet title this year.