The Nowhere Man (Orphan X Series #2)

by Gregg Hurwitz

Overview

Evan Smoak returns in The Nowhere Man, the sequel to Orphan X, from New York Times bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz.

Who is THE NOWHERE MAN?

He is spoken about only in whispers. He comes to those in greatest need of his protection. There is no enemy he cannot fight. He lives by his own code. He takes no prisoners. His name is Evan Smoak.

Taken from a group home when he was young, Evan was raised and trained as an Orphan, an off-the-books black box program designed to create the perfect deniable intelligence asset: An assassin. Evan was Orphan X—until he used everything he’d learned to disappear and reinvent himself as the Nowhere Man. But now, his new life has been interrupted by a surprise attack from an unlikely source. Captured, drugged, and spirited off to a remote location, Evan finds himself heavily guarded from everything he knows. His captors think they have him trapped and helpless in a virtual cage, but they do not know that they’re dealing with one of the deadliest, most resourceful men on earth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250845542
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/14/2021
Series:	Orphan X Series , #2
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	54,704
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

GREGG HURWITZ is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including the #1 international bestseller Orphan X, the first in a series of thrillers featuring Evan Smoak. He has also written young adult novels: The Rains and its sequel, The Last Chance. Hurwitz's books have been shortlisted for numerous literary awards, graced top ten lists, and have been translated into twenty-eight languages.

Hurwitz is also a New York Times bestselling comic book writer, having penned stories for Marvel (Wolverine, The Punisher) and DC (Batman). Additionally, he has written screenplays for many major studios and written, developed, and produced television for various networks.

Hurwitz resides in Los Angeles with two Rhodesian ridgebacks.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/14/2016
Evan Smoak (aka the Nowhere Man), who used to be an assassin for the Orphan Program, a covert U.S. government agency, now lives in a fortified penthouse overlooking Los Angeles, in bestseller Hurwitz’s stellar sequel to 2016’s Orphan X. Evan masquerades as an importer of industrial cleaning supplies, but he’s actually atoning for his murderous past by saving persons in need of help. He only asks that each rescued person refer him to someone else who needs his services. Despite meticulous efforts to maintain his cover, Evan faces many enemies who wish him grievous harm. One of them is Charles Van Sciver, the most brutal of the Orphans, who’s now running the program and is on a mission to hunt down former members of the organization. Evan’s efforts to elude Van Sciver and company will keep readers on the edge of their seats, but it’s Hurwitz’s engaging, sympathetic characters who place this thriller above the pack. 100,000 first printing; author tour. Agent: Lisa Erbach Vance, Aaron Priest Literary Agency (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Nowhere Man:

“Superb on all levels and a must-read for all thriller fans.” —Providence Journal

"Beautifully rendered... genius at work." —Winnipeg Free Press

“Hurwitz knows how to put the reader deep in the mind of his hero as the pace never lets up.” —Associated Press

“Will keep readers on the edge of their seats… Hurwitz’s engaging, sympathetic characters place this thriller above the pack.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A brilliant sequel. As good as Orphan X was, this is an even better novel, mostly because of its more claustrophobic setting, its captivating villain, and the way the author keeps ratcheting up the danger, including one really clever twist near the end of the book. Where there’s Smoak, there’s fire—and plenty of it.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Fans of Jack Reacher will love Evan Smoak, a man who will do anything to aid the innocent (something he never was).” —Library Journal


Praise for Orphan X:

“Orphan X is the most gripping, high-octane thriller I've read in a long, long time. Hang onto your seat because Gregg Hurwitz will take you on a dizzying ride you'll not soon forget!” —Tess Gerritsen

“Exciting and mind blowing! A perfect mix of Jason Bourne and Jack Reacher, ex operative Evan Smoak turns on the action and shows off all the right moves as he sets out to help the downtrodden, and perhaps save his own humanity along the way.” —Lisa Gardner

“This thriller [is] top-notch.... Turn off the real world and dive into this amazing start to a new series.” —Associated Press

“The most exciting thriller I’ve read since The Bourne Identity. Fans of Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, and Jason Bourne will LOVE Evan Smoak, and the deadly, secret world of the Orphan Program. A new thriller superstar is born!” —Robert Crais

“Orphan X blows the doors off most thrillers I’ve read and catapults the reader on a cat-and-mouse chase that feels like a missile launch. Read this book. You will thank me later.” —David Baldacci

From the Publisher

08/01/2016
Hurwitz had a national best seller (sold to 16 countries) with Orphan X, whose eponymous protagonist is Evan Smoak, trained in a black box orphan program aimed at creating assassins whose existence can be denied and dedicated to helping those with nowhere else to turn. Now he's been captured, drugged, and hidden away by order of the new head of the Orphan program, who intends to have him eliminated.

Library Journal

2017-01-23
The high-energy and hairy-chested sequel to Orphan X (2016).Evan Smoak used to be Orphan X, a product of a "deep-black" Department of Defense project. Now that Evan's on his own, he's become the Nowhere Man with a bulging Swiss bank account, amazing killing skills, and the itch to rescue people who call for his help. Evan's nemesis, Charles Van Sciver, is a fellow Orphan and mortal enemy with a mission to kill former Orphans because they know too much. Specifically, his "profoundly personal" mission is to kill Evan. So far, that's standard good-guy vs. bad-guy fare with the promise of a high body count. But a couple of colorful characters add to the fun: Candy McClure, a superhot centerfold babe from the anterior and a Freddy Krueger look-alike from the posterior. For the latter she can thank Evan and a lot of hydrofluoric acid. Ouch! And there is René Cassaroy, who has the rare AB blood type and is obsessed with living forever. When the Need rages and gnashes inside him, his doctor infuses him with blood from captive children, part of his anti-aging regimen. To finance this Need, he wants Evan to wire him all his money. But Evan is no pushover; in a fight, his "body coiled and exploded into a Superman punch." As an awestruck foe reports, "Guy was like a typhoon. It was pretty insane." Give him a weapon, and he's even worse: in one fight, Evan severs an enemy's hand with piano wire. Evan dispatches a villain called the Great White Sark who lies in a heap, "his face and chest missing as if scooped out.…Impossibly, he wiggled." When, late in the book, Van Sciver is asked if it's OK to kill Evan if necessary, the answer by now should be obvious—go for it, but lotsa luck. Thriller fans craving action and violence will enjoy this one.

Kirkus Reviews