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Evan Smoak's most complex mission yet - with his usual skills off the table, how can he bring vengeance for those who most need it? Sometimes two wrongs do make a right . . .
Once a black ops assassin for the government known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak broke with the program and went deep underground, using his operational rules and skills to help the truly desperate with nowhere else to turn.
When Luke Devine, one of the most powerful men in the world, has a psychological crisis, Evan flies to the East Coast to help him.
While there, he learns of a young woman who was kidnapped off the New York City subway, clearly in danger and in need of aid. With no name and few clues, Evan and his team track down the missing woman, who was assaulted and abandoned. Evan offers his help - and sets out finding the young men responsible.
But the woman insists that Evan abandon his usual methods - no vengeance and, in particular, no killing.
Which will prove no easy feat given the mounting incoming threats from all sides. In a mission that takes Evan from coast to coast, from the poorest corners of society to the richest, Orphan X must figure out a way to protect the innocent, avenge the victimized, and balance justice with a measure of mercy.
Gregg Hurwitz 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
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17 books in catalog
High-stakes thriller fiction gained a major hallmark with the introduction of Evan Smoak, a secret operative turned vigilante hero known to the world as The Nowhere Man. Author Gregg Hurwitz built an expansive literary body of work surrounding this operative, beginning with the novel Orphan X, which established a blend of covert action, technical precision, and moral dilemma.
Born on August 12, 1973, in San Francisco County, California, Hurwitz has authored dozens of bestselling thrillers published in 33 languages. His output spans standalone suspense novels, long-running action series, young adult thrillers, comic book storylines, and feature film scripts.
Hurwitz earned his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and completed a Master of Philosophy at Trinity College, Oxford. His academic training in English literature provided a foundation for a versatile writing career that quickly expanded beyond traditional prose publishing. Over his career, he has served as Co-President of International Thriller Writers (ITW) and written scripts for major Hollywood studios and television networks, including the screenplay for the 2017 film The Book of Henry and the feature film Sweet Girl, along with a movie adaptation of Orphan X.
In addition to prose thrillers, Hurwitz has established himself in the comic book industry. He has written storylines for DC Comics and Marvel Comics featuring characters such as Batman, Punisher, and Wolverine, as well as original anthologies like NewThink and Knighted for AWA. He has also produced award-winning documentaries and written op-eds aimed at addressing political and cultural polarization.
Hurwitz's writing is characterized by meticulous research, fast-paced narrative pacing, and deep character psychology. His thrillers frequently center on highly trained individuals operating under strict personal codes while navigating moral ambiguity, government corruption, and personal redemption. By combining tactical realism with emotional stakes, his stories explore the psychological toll placed on heroes fighting against formidable forces.
Orphan X
