The Last Orphan: The Thrilling Orphan X Sunday Times Bestseller (An Orphan X Novel)
£0.90
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
The electrifying new ORPHAN X adventure in the bestselling series – Evan Smoak returns with a mission which could cost him everything . . .
‘A stellar series, and the stories get better with each instalment’ DAILY MAIL
‘[A] witty, satisfying thriller’ SUN
__________
A heavily-armed counter-assault team, a convoy of tactical vehicles plus decoys, air support, a sedative more commonly used to knock out large animals, arm and leg restraints, a hood, mouthguard and a Secret Service Agent asking for a selfie.
This was not your average invitation to meet with the President.
But then Orphan X is not your average guest. The last survivor of the off-the-books programme that raised and trained him, Evan Smoak was sent around the world to do his government’s dirty work. Until he escaped.
Now once again in need of his particular skill-set, the President tracks him down and offers him a deal: kill a man she deems too dangerous or be executed himself.
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?
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 . . .
__________
‘As a crafter of wham-bam action and suspense, leavened with a healthy dose of humour, Hurwitz’s abilities are as fine-tuned as ever’ DAILY EXPRESS
Praise for the Orphan X series
‘Feels like a missile launch’ DAVID BALDACCI
‘Outstanding in every way’ LEE CHILD
‘Weapons-grade thriller writing’ GUARDIAN
‘An immensely entertaining adventure’ THE TIMES
*The Last Orphan: On The Sunday Times bestseller list February 2023*
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Additional information
| Publisher | Penguin (16 Feb. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 3106 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 345 pages |
by Kindle Customer
An enjoyable read with some interesting characters. Bit like a modernised version of 50’s hard boiled. Bargain at 99p. Would read more in the series at same price. Not otherwise.
by The Avid Reader
Loved it, from start to finish. I wish I hadn’t read all the books, so I could be starting out fresh with the first one again. These books are getting funnier, Evan is getting cooler. Joey is just amazing. Love the dog. There’s no doubt in my mind that these incredible tales of heroics are getting better with each iteration. I’m loving it that a one time Orphan adversary is making regular appearances…or I should say, “regular, memorable appearances”.
A definite strength, with each book in the Orphan series, is in the dialogue – this can make or break a book, but Horowitz has a definite knack for expanding the development of a character through the way he/she speaks.
We get the added bonus, with Smoak, of a line tapping straight into the mind of the main protagonist; even his stumbles and bumbles reveal so much, including his difficulty in traversing the puzzling domain of “the normals”. Evan has learned and is still learning, tormented by his would-be side-kick, Joey, who loves nothing more than to flaunt her naked feet at him at any opportunity she can sieze.
These books are gripping, amusing, action-packed, unputdownable treats for a hungry mind. Never stop writing this series. Smoak is a total legend. My only complaint is that writers never write fast enough. 10/10. Every. Single. Time.
by Gustavus Adolphus
Excellent characters, well acquainted old ones and genuine doubts as what what Evan or the other characters would do. Enjoyed it.
by graham sams
Fast moving read, I liked it.
by jean a.
Couldn’t put it down
by healthysean
A heavily-armed counter-assault team, a convoy of tactical vehicles plus decoys, air support, a sedative more commonly used to knock out large animals, arm and leg restraints, a hood, mouthguard and a Secret Service Agent asking for a selfie.
This was not your average invitation to meet with the President.
But then Orphan X is not your average guest. The last survivor of the off-the-books programme that raised and trained him, Evan Smoak was sent around the world to do his government’s dirty work. Until he escaped.
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?
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 . . .
This story is a bit differently and a bit slower than previous efforts., especially halfway through the book. Evan Smoak, known as Orphan X due to his background of being trained as a governmental assassin, is known on the streets as the “Nowhere Man”, someone who is committed to righting wrongs…if he can be reached.
Early on, Evan is confronted with some hard unique dilemmas. Should he kill Luke Divine for the President and his personal freedom even though Divine doesn’t fit the usual profile of the “bad guys” he seeks? Should he violate his personal code for his freedom? Should he risk his future by disappointing the president? Indeed, can he kill a person who might need it but has not crossed Smoak’s personal code? The choices he makes as the action and thrills build to a climax leads to a series of suspenseful encounters with those he is sworn to protect, those he hunts, and those who hunt him. Evan is supported by many of his background characters including Joey and Candy but ultimately, it is he who must choose his future.
Usually one of the fastest paced authors and characters, and four stars as quite a bit slower for a while, but picks up at the end. Love Dog the Dog !
by Jim
It has to be just like, looking at a film as you read ????????
by MR B.
Gregg Hurwitz can definitely construct a good sentence, but the Orphan-X books seem to be increasingly devoted to exploring the inner psychology of characters at the expense of the actual thrills I expect to read in a thriller. At some points I found myself skipping several pages and never felt I had to go back because I thought I’d missed something important to the story.
Add to that the frequent reminders that he lives in a high tech apartment with ‘poured concrete’ worktops, ‘living wall’ etc, etc…which I have read over and over again in these books, and one struggles to find much actual action.
So, overall I liked the idea of the plot and the ongoing story of Evan Smoke, and I find the composition to be of a high standard, but the experience as a whole left me feeling underwhelmed.
Here’s my suggestion to Mr Hurwitx: Take all the psychological navel-gazing sections and reduce them by 50%; then use that save space to add a little more action. Then I think you’d have a great book.
If you want to write ‘Catcher in the Rye’ for the 21st century, then don’t to do so and pitch it as an action thriller.