Robert lives in North East England. He works in Recruitment by day, and is usually to be found knee deep in a pile of books as a reader and reviewer by night. He has recently signed with The Blair Partnership, and his debut crime novel, What Falls Between the Cracks was released in Spring 2018.
Evan Smoak a.k.a Orphan X, is a former government assassin, now reborn as the Nowhere Man, helping those who have nowhere else to turn. His untraceable number is passed only to the select few; people who are out of options, beyond the help of the authorities.
When a caller turns out to be his mentor Jack Johns; it’s not only Jack whose life is in danger. There are those who want to erase the Orphan program, and those who graduated through it. Jack tasks Evan with protecting the last Orphan he took under his wing, a young girl named Joey. But Evan isn’t the only person looking for them. Charles van Sciver, head of the Orphan program, has a score to settle with Evan, and will do whatever it takes to bury both him, and the recruit Jack has trusted him to protect.
If Bond and Bourne had a lovechild, Evan would be that end product. We’re treated to a superb combination of suspense, action, and plot twists from cover to cover. It's not all about explosions and bullets though. There's a real human side to Evan, one he's trying to connect with after having his childhood drilled out of him by the Orphan program. The relationship that develops between him and Joey is both touching, and humorous, as he does his level best to help her get away from the kind of life he’s resigned himself to.
Gregg Hurwitz has created a fabulous character, and isn't afraid to put him in some horrendous situations, all in the name of entertaining his readers. The series has been extended for several more books, optioned by Bradley Cooper, and I for one can't wait to see where Evan ends up next.
