Evan Faces a Conflicting Mission
While I do read my share of non-Cozy mysteries and thrillers, Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series still stands out, at least in my mind. But I enjoy them, and I only wish I could get to them closer to when they release. Case in point, The Last Orphan came out in February, and I’m just now getting to it, despite the cliffhanger the last book left us with.
If you are new to the series, you could jump in here. Enough background is given to put the story in context. However, I’ll always be encouraging you to read a series in order, and this series is no exception. While there are no explicit spoilers, there are references to things that have come before that are best experienced in context.
The basics you need to know - Evan Smoak is a highly skilled assassin trained under a now disbanded black ops project. He left the program and now works to help those who are in desperate straits, trying to keep his location off the radar.
This is especially true since, once again, the US Government is supposed to be tracking him down to arrest him. Only he doesn’t know it until it is too late. When he is given an ultimatum, he does his own research into the assignment. Will he find a reason to pursue it?
Yes, I’m being incredibly vague here. Part of that is because it takes a while for the story to unfold. Don’t get me wrong, we get some good action to kick things off, but the main plot isn’t set up until we are a ways into the story. And part of it is because I enjoyed watching this unfold and think it is best to see it unfold unspoiled.
Once we get into the heart of the story, it provides some interesting dilemmas for Evan, and I enjoyed seeing how he approached things. And, of course, we got plenty of action along the way.
These are some of the more violent books I read. Honestly, they could be toned down a little, although this isn’t quite as graphic as the last book in the series. There’s a bit of foul language as well, so keep that in mind before you give them a try.
Evan is an interesting main character. He’s not always used to dealing with others because of his background. We’ve been watching him grow in that area. I’m not sure we saw too much of that growth here as in some other books, but I did still enjoy many of his interactions. I also feel like some of his other relationships are regressing.
For the life and death stakes the book has, I really enjoy the humor sprinkled throughout. This isn’t a laugh a page book, but there is enough to break the tension and help round out the characters.
The writing is wonderful as always. Whether it is creating the characters, describing the action, or contemplating what Evan is dealing with, it pulls you in.
Yes, this book ends with you wanting to know what happens next in Evan’s life, although it isn’t the same stakes cliffhanger as we’ve had in the last couple of books. If you are a fan, you’ll set down The Last Orphan ready for the next in the series.
Read the rest of the Orphan X series.
I both love and hate when a novel ends with a cliffhanger. It's hard to wait a year for the next installment of the series to be published. Great review!
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