hecklyx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
eternan's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
farzana_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
elinacre's review against another edition
5.0
yow!! this dude is SUCH a talented author. every time, i'm blown away by the descriptions of places, characters, emotions, bonkers assassin-y action-y fight stuff... SO GOOD. there were some seriously touching scenes between evan and joey, evan and peter, aragon and belicia; hurwitz is a god of words. how is this series not on netflix yet??? more smoak, pleeeease!
huckster's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
echan's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-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? Yes
3.5
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz is a multi-layered novel that is full of tension. Although this latest release is the seventh installment in the Orphan X series, it can be read as a standalone. However, I recommend all of the novels in this terrific series.
Evan Smoak’s latest adventure as The Nowhere Man involves infiltrating a drug cartel in order to rescue Aragón Urrea’s eighteen-year-old daughter Angelina. Evan wrestles with his conscience before agreeing to work for Urrea since he is an “unconventional businessman” who is also on the wrong side of the law. Evan is surprised by how much he likes Aragón but The Nowhere Man will walk away if his prospective client does not agree to his terms. They are sometimes locked in a battle of wills, but Urrea’s love for his daughter means he will do anything to ensure her safe return.
Since Evan is far from home, he relies heavily on Joey Morales’ mad computer skills for a deep dive on Urrea and the cartel leader, Raul “The Dark Man” Montesco. Evan bluffs his way into Montesco’s trust but rescuing Angelina will be a delicate operation with little room for error. He comes up with an audacious but extremely dangerous plan to bring Angelina safely back home.
Evan is at odds with Joey who wants to stretch her wings but only with his approval. He is also very worried about his neighbor and romantic interest, Mia Hall. Evan does not want to make promises he cannot keep nor does he want to become even more emotionally involved with her and her wonderful nine-year-old son Peter. Despite the danger he is facing while rescuing Angelina, he is quite reflective about his personal life. Will what he discovers about himself help Evan make a decision about Mia and Peter during an unexpected crisis?
Dark Horse is a thrilling novel that is action-packed. Evan puts the skills he learned from his mentor and the Orphan program to good use during his daring rescue attempt. He and the regular cast of characters retain their appeal as they continue to grow and evolve. The secondary characters are well-developed even though many of them are impossible to like. With Evan’s bold rescue plant set into motion, Gregg Hurwitz brings this nerve-wracking novel to a bloody yet satisfying conclusion. The jaw-dropping epilogue will leave old and new fans of the Orphan X series impatiently awaiting the next installment.
Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz is a multi-layered novel that is full of tension. Although this latest release is the seventh installment in the Orphan X series, it can be read as a standalone. However, I recommend all of the novels in this terrific series.
Evan Smoak’s latest adventure as The Nowhere Man involves infiltrating a drug cartel in order to rescue Aragón Urrea’s eighteen-year-old daughter Angelina. Evan wrestles with his conscience before agreeing to work for Urrea since he is an “unconventional businessman” who is also on the wrong side of the law. Evan is surprised by how much he likes Aragón but The Nowhere Man will walk away if his prospective client does not agree to his terms. They are sometimes locked in a battle of wills, but Urrea’s love for his daughter means he will do anything to ensure her safe return.
Since Evan is far from home, he relies heavily on Joey Morales’ mad computer skills for a deep dive on Urrea and the cartel leader, Raul “The Dark Man” Montesco. Evan bluffs his way into Montesco’s trust but rescuing Angelina will be a delicate operation with little room for error. He comes up with an audacious but extremely dangerous plan to bring Angelina safely back home.
Evan is at odds with Joey who wants to stretch her wings but only with his approval. He is also very worried about his neighbor and romantic interest, Mia Hall. Evan does not want to make promises he cannot keep nor does he want to become even more emotionally involved with her and her wonderful nine-year-old son Peter. Despite the danger he is facing while rescuing Angelina, he is quite reflective about his personal life. Will what he discovers about himself help Evan make a decision about Mia and Peter during an unexpected crisis?
Dark Horse is a thrilling novel that is action-packed. Evan puts the skills he learned from his mentor and the Orphan program to good use during his daring rescue attempt. He and the regular cast of characters retain their appeal as they continue to grow and evolve. The secondary characters are well-developed even though many of them are impossible to like. With Evan’s bold rescue plant set into motion, Gregg Hurwitz brings this nerve-wracking novel to a bloody yet satisfying conclusion. The jaw-dropping epilogue will leave old and new fans of the Orphan X series impatiently awaiting the next installment.
markw88's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mojoshivers's review against another edition
5.0
If there are such things as bottle episodes for books series, this would be it. It was a clear one-off adventure but it still managed to feel important in the overall development of Evan and his associates/family.
I'd even go so far as to say that the "main" plot of helping out a Cartel leader with a heart of gold get his wayward daughter back and earn him a little more redemption, is less the "A" storyline and more the "B" storyline. I mean, yeah, it had all the gunplay and traditional action/adventure elements, but it felt less central to the book as a whole.
Much more pressing was Mia's seizure and subsequent surgery, as well as Joey's entreaty for independence. That felt more in keeping with Orphan X's development into a well-rounded person, one more capable of separating what he does for a vocation from who he is as a person. Those two plot elements felt like what the book is centered around, the idea of The Nowhere Man becoming more part of a unit as opposed to a lone wolf.
Overall, an excellent book.
I'd even go so far as to say that the "main" plot of helping out a Cartel leader with a heart of gold get his wayward daughter back and earn him a little more redemption, is less the "A" storyline and more the "B" storyline. I mean, yeah, it had all the gunplay and traditional action/adventure elements, but it felt less central to the book as a whole.
Much more pressing was Mia's seizure and subsequent surgery, as well as Joey's entreaty for independence. That felt more in keeping with Orphan X's development into a well-rounded person, one more capable of separating what he does for a vocation from who he is as a person. Those two plot elements felt like what the book is centered around, the idea of The Nowhere Man becoming more part of a unit as opposed to a lone wolf.
Overall, an excellent book.
pivany's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0