Book Review: Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz (Orphan X #9)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong story; growth for Evan and Joey

Cons: Joey a bit much at times; excessive language; slow start to story

The Bottom Line:

Evan hunts for dog

Finds unexpected danger

Overcomes slow start

A Missing Dog Leads to…an Assassin?

While I tend to stick to the lighter side of the cozy spectrum, I always look forward to sitting down with some of the authors I read who writer darker books.  That’s true of Gregg Hurwitz and his Orphan X novels.  Lone Wolf just came out in February, and fans who haven’t read it yet are in for a treat.

If you’ve missed the backstory, a quick recap.  As a young teen, Evan Smoak was taken out of the foster system and trained as an operative in the Orphan Program, a black ops US government program for trained assassins.  After doing this for years, he left to become the Nowhere Man, a shadowy figure who lives off the radar and helps those so desperate that they no one else would have the skill set to help them.

This book opens finding Evan dealing with the emotional aftermath of the previous book’s cliffhanger (and no, I’m not going to spoil any more than that).  He gets a call on his phone, but it’s not a new client, at least not in the usual sense.  Instead, it’s a pre-teen girl whom he barely knows, asking for help.  Her dog got away, and she desperately wants him back.

Obviously, this isn’t the type of case that Evan gets involved in, but he takes it because of who this young girl is.  His protégé/tech guru Joey is able to figure out who has the dog, but when Evan shows up at the man’s house, he walks into something completely unexpected.  If he can escape, can he set things right?

If you are thinking this set up sounds weird for the series, you’re right.  And the book is a little slow at the start as a result.  We get hints that something else is going on, but it’s a while before things really kick off.

But when they do, it is with a bang.  There is an extended action scene in this book that is fantastic.  And goes on for a long time.  From there, the book’s pace stays fairly steady and Evan must figure out what is going on so he can stop it.  Throw in a couple of subplots, and you’ve got a book that is hard to put down, which is just what you want from a thriller.

I mentioned Joey earlier.  I must admit, I have a love/hate relationship with this character, and this book is a perfect example of why.  She goes out of her way (at least that’s how it feels that times) to push Evan’s buttons.  Some of that is funny.  Too much and it becomes annoying.  She gets a lot of page time in this book, so we definitely crossed to the annoying side of things here a few times.  However, some of the scenes that really allowed us to see her vulnerable side were great.  Not to mention what it allowed Evan to learn.

Speaking of Evan, he really grew here.  It felt like a natural product of the story, and I loved it.  He’s always been a very complex man, and that’s the case once again.  It’s fascinating watching him balance his attempts at a normal life with what he does.  This would also be the main reason to read the books in order, although you get enough backstory in the books that you can enjoy this book on its own.

There series has very few recurring characters, and my two favorites weren’t around for this book.  I missed them, but that’s a minor point.  We got some interesting new characters, who helped pull me into the main story.  And there is a hilarious subplot involving Evan’s neighbors that really help lighten things up.

Parts of the book bump into AI and social media.  Given the conversation we’ve had even in the few weeks since this book came out, it is both timely and a bit scary how predictive it is.  I do wonder if it will be dated in a few years.  But that’s just a reason to read the series now.

As with most thrillers, this book has more language and violence than in the books I typically pick up.  In fact, the language felt excessive at times.  Maybe it’s just that I’ve forgotten how much there is in these books.

Overall, the writing in these books is lyrical.  I can’t help but marvel at how descriptions are handled and some of the phrases used even as I’m racing to the next heart stopping scene.

There’s a reason I can’t get enough of the Orphan X books.  Lone Wolf will keep you turning pages until you come to the last one.  I’ll definitely be back for more.

And do check out the rest of the Orphan X books.