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With each new installment in the Orphan X series, author Gregg Hurwitz takes former government operative turned do-gooder Evan Smoak (a.k.a. the Nowhere Man) on another action-packed and personally challenging mission. And in the ninth book in the series, Lone Wolf, Evan continues to struggle with professional—but also personal—dilemmas.
The story finds the former black ops assassin taking on a different kind of mission when his half-brother’s daughter, Sophia, loses her beloved dog, Loco. While searching for the dog, he interrupts the murder of a tech genius—and while it’s too late to save Dr. Hill, he manages to save his teenage daughter from becoming a vicious killer’s second victim of the day. Determined to keep the scared, defenseless girl safe, he tracks the killer—known only as “the Wolf.” But his hunt leads him to tech billionaires who are fighting for control of our minds.
When the author first introduced Orphan X, he was an action hero on a mission. He could travel anywhere, take on anyone, and solve any problem. To Evan Smoak, the world was entirely black-and-white. People were good or bad—and he stopped the bad ones with his almost superhuman powers. But while those action-packed missions were certainly entertaining, what’s made this series worth reading, installment after installment, is the fact that Evan’s worldview seems to be challenged with each new adventure. Through the years, he’s questioned long-held beliefs. He’s been forced to make impossible decisions. He’s met the family he never knew. He’s befriended men who once would have been written off (or killed off) as bad men. And he’s considered that there could be more to life than just the mission.
The Evan of Lone Wolf is not the man he once was—and that’s what makes for such a remarkable series. It isn’t just brainless action with an unstoppable, unchanging, ever-predictable hero. While there’s plenty of action here, there’s also a captivating story, along with more moral dilemmas and some lighthearted humor. The cast of lovable characters continues to grow, too. And while some series simply run out of things to say and stories to tell after a few books, this one just seems to keep getting better.
If you’re a fan of straight-faced tough-guy action, this series isn’t for you. But if you appreciate action that challenges you, that makes you laugh, and that sometimes even warms your heart, you’ll love this frighteningly timely thriller.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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