afox98's review against another edition
4.0
4 1/2 stars. This series is one of the most consistently outstanding thriller series I’ve ever read. Evan Smoak has been The Nowhere Man since he ceased being Orphan X, an assassin raised and groomed in a secret US government program. But now he’s decided he wants to be done with The Nowhere Man too and just live as Evan once this final mission is done. He gets a call from Max Merriweather, whose cousin Grant has died and left him a thumb drive bearing secrets about some dangerous men he worked around. Max knows he’s in over his head and he and Evan dig into what Grant was involved in. But the deeper they dig, the more dangerous it gets, and even Evan is challenged like he hasn’t been on previous missions. The cast of characters is interesting and the characters complex, and I find Evan’s group of helpers to be especially fun to read about. Highly recommended if you like suspense, intrigue, and a touch of grit, all dashed with some humor.
littlemisselvis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really enjoyed this one. Series has managed to avoid being repetitive so far. Easy escapist reading.
andrealynn524's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
12grace4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
elinacre's review against another edition
5.0
OH DANG. i took foreeeeever to get through this one, not because it was sloggy or dull but because this series is SO GOOD i want it to laaaaaaast! evan smoak wants to help one more person, then retire from full-time bad-assery and try to just be a regular dude. just when he thinks the case is all wrapped up, he finds out the bad guys are wayyy badder than expected because of course they are, but evan kicks butt because of course he does. i can't get enough of this series: the action and adrenaline, the psychological and emotional tug of war between sniper/assassin evan and the evan who has human feelings of fierce love and desire to protect, the charming quirky crew of evan's building.
chris_davies's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
Into the Fire by Gregg Hurwitz is an adrenaline fueled thriller with pulse-pounding action and a skilled assassin turned vigilante. In this latest outing in the Orphan X series, former government black ops assassin Evan Smoak aka the Nowhere Man and Orphan X answers the phone and accepts what he plans to be his final case.
Max Merriweather has no idea what his murdered cousin Grant was involved in, but he wants to honor his last request. Quickly discovering that Grant is not the only victim, Max escapes undetected with what could possibly contain answers for his many questions. Fearing for his life, he has a fortuitous encounter that leads to the Nowhere Man. Examining the thumb drive Grant handed over to his cousin right before his death, Evan knows exactly why Grant was murdered. With the help of teenage hacker and friend, Joey Morales, they quickly discover the identity of the people who are hunting Max. But is there more to this tangled web of illegal activities than Smoak and Morales believe?
Evan is finally at the point where he believes he has atoned for his past. Although he does not have a clear vision of his future, he is ready to leave behind the Nowhere Man and live a normal life. Due to his past, he has few social skills so traversing his very involved homeowners' association is quite tricky. So are his attempts to navigate his awkward relationship with his neighbor D.A. Mia Hall and her son Peter.
Max is the failure of the Merriweather family and he is definitely persona non grata with his relatives. He has yet to recover from the failure of his marriage which only adds to his feelings of worthlessness. Despite the danger that awaits him around every corner, Max wants to honor his (reluctant) promise to Grant. But will he emerge from this quest unscathed?
Evan is self-confident he can eliminate the threat on Max's life and he methodically begins gathering information on his targets. With Joey's invaluable assistance, he zeroes in on the suspects and sets up reconnaissance. An unexpectedly dangerous encounter results in a concussion but Evan does not have time to stop for his recovery. Battling his head injury's extremely worrisome symptoms, the Nowhere Man is unstoppable as he methodically and ruthlessly sets out to vanquish Max's foes. Unfortunately, once one risk is removed, another takes its place. Has the Nowhere Man finally met his match? Or will he, Joey and Max completely uncover the labyrinth of corruption in time to prevent another deadly plot devised by the bad guys to evade detection and capture?
With non-stop action, unanticipated twists and exhilarating turns, Into the Fire is a riveting and suspenseful mystery. Evan is a complex character with a surprising need to make up for his past which weighs rather heavily on his conscience. Max is a sympathetic client whom Evan offers encouragement and suggestions to shore up his non-existent self-confidence. Despite Evan's encounters with numerous obstacles and deadly encounters, Gregg Hurwitz brings this electrifying thriller to a dramatic, hair-raising conclusion. This brilliant installment in the Orphan X series ends with a shocking phone call that will leave fans breathlessly anticipating the next adventure starring Evan Smoak.
Into the Fire by Gregg Hurwitz is an adrenaline fueled thriller with pulse-pounding action and a skilled assassin turned vigilante. In this latest outing in the Orphan X series, former government black ops assassin Evan Smoak aka the Nowhere Man and Orphan X answers the phone and accepts what he plans to be his final case.
Max Merriweather has no idea what his murdered cousin Grant was involved in, but he wants to honor his last request. Quickly discovering that Grant is not the only victim, Max escapes undetected with what could possibly contain answers for his many questions. Fearing for his life, he has a fortuitous encounter that leads to the Nowhere Man. Examining the thumb drive Grant handed over to his cousin right before his death, Evan knows exactly why Grant was murdered. With the help of teenage hacker and friend, Joey Morales, they quickly discover the identity of the people who are hunting Max. But is there more to this tangled web of illegal activities than Smoak and Morales believe?
Evan is finally at the point where he believes he has atoned for his past. Although he does not have a clear vision of his future, he is ready to leave behind the Nowhere Man and live a normal life. Due to his past, he has few social skills so traversing his very involved homeowners' association is quite tricky. So are his attempts to navigate his awkward relationship with his neighbor D.A. Mia Hall and her son Peter.
Max is the failure of the Merriweather family and he is definitely persona non grata with his relatives. He has yet to recover from the failure of his marriage which only adds to his feelings of worthlessness. Despite the danger that awaits him around every corner, Max wants to honor his (reluctant) promise to Grant. But will he emerge from this quest unscathed?
Evan is self-confident he can eliminate the threat on Max's life and he methodically begins gathering information on his targets. With Joey's invaluable assistance, he zeroes in on the suspects and sets up reconnaissance. An unexpectedly dangerous encounter results in a concussion but Evan does not have time to stop for his recovery. Battling his head injury's extremely worrisome symptoms, the Nowhere Man is unstoppable as he methodically and ruthlessly sets out to vanquish Max's foes. Unfortunately, once one risk is removed, another takes its place. Has the Nowhere Man finally met his match? Or will he, Joey and Max completely uncover the labyrinth of corruption in time to prevent another deadly plot devised by the bad guys to evade detection and capture?
With non-stop action, unanticipated twists and exhilarating turns, Into the Fire is a riveting and suspenseful mystery. Evan is a complex character with a surprising need to make up for his past which weighs rather heavily on his conscience. Max is a sympathetic client whom Evan offers encouragement and suggestions to shore up his non-existent self-confidence. Despite Evan's encounters with numerous obstacles and deadly encounters, Gregg Hurwitz brings this electrifying thriller to a dramatic, hair-raising conclusion. This brilliant installment in the Orphan X series ends with a shocking phone call that will leave fans breathlessly anticipating the next adventure starring Evan Smoak.
mojoshivers's review against another edition
5.0
After closing off its first major story arc with book 4, the Orphan X begins what looks to be a new arc with book 5. Given that the last arc had scope nationwide in nature, it only made sense this book would be more local—less Orphan X and more Nowhere Man.
To me this series always had dual focuses, one being the CIA top secret program cleaning up after itself by eliminating all its former agents and the other being the local Equalizer-style protection cases Evan took on as he sought to balance the ledger against all the innocent lives he took as one of those former agents. Both focuses had their place and it was always interesting how each book was kind of a balancing act between both the A and B plots.
This book was definitely almost all Nowhere Man, with Max’s case taking up 90% of the story. Gone for the most part were any other concerns outside of L.A. It took adjusting but I liked the change as it left room for the conspiracy against Max and the city to be bit more labyrinthine and take a bit longer to connect all the parties involved. And it made for the sustained concussion damage Evan takes early on to be more impactful. Had this been National in nature, he could’ve taken a few days off to heal. Keeping it local meant no break in the action and that Evan just didn’t have the luxury of time to heal.
I don’t expect this singular focus to keep up in the next book. The surprise phone call at the end of the book saw to that. But for now this was a good palate cleanser before we get back to the more traditional one plot for the assassin and one plot for the guardian angel set-up that is the hallmark of the Orphan X series.
To me this series always had dual focuses, one being the CIA top secret program cleaning up after itself by eliminating all its former agents and the other being the local Equalizer-style protection cases Evan took on as he sought to balance the ledger against all the innocent lives he took as one of those former agents. Both focuses had their place and it was always interesting how each book was kind of a balancing act between both the A and B plots.
This book was definitely almost all Nowhere Man, with Max’s case taking up 90% of the story. Gone for the most part were any other concerns outside of L.A. It took adjusting but I liked the change as it left room for the conspiracy against Max and the city to be bit more labyrinthine and take a bit longer to connect all the parties involved. And it made for the sustained concussion damage Evan takes early on to be more impactful. Had this been National in nature, he could’ve taken a few days off to heal. Keeping it local meant no break in the action and that Evan just didn’t have the luxury of time to heal.
I don’t expect this singular focus to keep up in the next book. The surprise phone call at the end of the book saw to that. But for now this was a good palate cleanser before we get back to the more traditional one plot for the assassin and one plot for the guardian angel set-up that is the hallmark of the Orphan X series.
kobuscpt's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bookhawk's review against another edition
4.0
Into the Fire maintains the high octane pace of the earlier books in the Evan Smoak Orphan X series. Hurwitz does a great job with action scenes and the Robin Hood/Jack Reacher theme of helping those who need it. This was generally a pretty great book in the action thriller genre with the only retraction being a concern that it could be the last book in the series. Recommended for those who like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp series or Mark Dawson’s John Milton series.