Usually I fall into Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X books. I needed a push on this one and I am thinking it had everything to do with the subject matter.

AI - the people who conjure it, who understand how to weaponize it and use it to harm and destroy without any pause, thought, care or concern. Because they can and because they will, It is terrifying and it is all laid out with corrupted logic in Lone Wolf.

There are several story lines that sometimes merge but mostly keep Evan Smoak, The Nowhere Man, on the edge every minute. Familial interactions are a whole new twist along with a deadly female adversary who is pushing Evan to Hell and back. Joey Morales, IT person extraordinaire, plays a larger role with many more pages dedicated to where she is in her seventeenth year and just how sophomoric a computer genius can behave. Bottom line - she’s scared, terrified of losing the only person “who gets her”.

Evan is going through his own pile of crap and it it taking him apart piece by piece. This is not how he has ever been portrayed and I would like to say that it enhances his humanity but it doesn’t - it just makes him like the rest of us but with a different skill set - disappointed and confused and completely relatable.

An Orphan X book means, clear out everything that needs doing because once you open the book you are not putting it down and Lone Wolf was no different except that brought in a worthy adversary. There was a very tight chess game going on and at times I wondered if Hurwitz’s was thinking about writing an ending to to this series. Extremely well done while exploring the scary topics of today. Many thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy. ( )

Evan Smoak, once a black ops assassin, is now a person who helps anyone in trouble. But this mission is not like any other he has ever taken part in. He is helping to find a dog. You heard me, a lost dog. But this dog leads to an unusual murder and Evan may have finally met his match with this assassin.

Orphan X is truly one of the best characters on the market. He is a cross between Jack Reacher and Batman.

I loved finding out about Evan’s family in this one and how it affected him! Makes me see a whole new side of this character!

Now, this is part of a series. I have read them all. They are stand alone. However, this one did not really explain his past. And it is a good, strange, weird past. So, read this but go back and pick up all of them. You won’t be sorry!

I just love Orphan X. And there cannot be a better narrator than Scott Brick. He is the best ever! He makes Orphan X come alive.

Need a great, action packed series…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

After a jolting, execrable meeting with his birth father, Evan Smoak vanishes. Joey manages to track him down, but Evan is shaken and uncertain. Advised to “start small,” he goes in search of a missing dog. [It turns out that the dog, Loco, belongs to his half-brother’s daughter, Sofia.]

But the dog hunt leads to a murdered man, an assassin seemingly with skills equal to his own, and rival billionaires using advanced artificial intelligence to manipulate people and open up markets for their respective companies. The assassin, Karissa Lopatina, is determined to eliminate her victim’s daughter [who saw her face] and Evan.

Add Hugh, Lorilee, and the others in the Castle Heights condo building . . . is it more than the Nowhere Man can handle?

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Orphan X returns in this, the ninth adventure in the series [with sufficient backstory to orient readers new to the series]. Readers are pulled into the telling of the tale from the outset; strong characters and non-stop action keep the pages turning at lightning speed.

Over the course of the series, Evan has evolved; here readers will see the continuation of Evan’s character development as he struggles with relationships. And both Evan and Joey find themselves dealing with both emotion and vulnerability.
The unfolding story places a spotlight on Joey as she becomes an integral part in the telling of this tale; readers will enjoy seeing her take center stage in much of the narrative.

Thought-provoking and Filled with unexpected twists and turns, this narrative places a spotlight on the real-world issues of technology and artificial intelligence. This unputdownable installment of Evan’s story is a must-read, especially for fans of the series.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#LoneWolf #NetGalley ( )

It all began with a dog. The Nowhere Man takes on the unlikely mission on finding his niece’s lost dog and ends up getting more than he bargained for. And I don’t mean the mutt or getting hit by an old woman, but also getting caught in a murder plan and the world of AI. With the help of his sidekick Joey, the computer whiz and some of his usual band of helpful characters, his mission becomes much more dangerous.

As the series progresses, Evan Smoak is trying to become more human, more sociable and helping find the dog is a small step. I enjoy the progression of his growth, but really enjoy when he is in his element and doing what he does best, assassinate the bad guys. This has it all and is fast paced and emotional, and gutsy. Loved it. ( )