the setup…
Evan Smoak is The Nowhere Man, literally. He’s the product of a mysterious elite training program where young orphans are selected to leave their lives, undergo rigorous development for life and emerge as lethal assassins. It purportedly is part of a secret government initiative but Evan later had reason to question its mission. He was known as Orphan X before he decided to leave the program and learned that wasn’t a possibility, forcing him to take extreme measures to disappear and cloak himself in anonymity. Now he takes on projects to help the innocent, leaving it up to these victims to sort of pay it forward by giving out his secret number to only one person. They only know him as The Nowhere Man.
the heart of the story…
I don’t know what I was expecting (I went into the story blind) but this went well beyond anything I’d imagined! Others have compared it to Jason Bourne mixed with some other high octane action characters or series and they’re all correct. The story opens with his first mission, mixed with flashbacks to his trainer who had a profound impact on him, and I got a strong sense of who he was, what drives him and, of course, how utterly formidable he was as an avenger. I couldn’t help but root for him, especially when bad actors from the program come after him. His latest innocent proves a challenge as he vacillates between trusting her and not. I did the same.
the narration…
I’ve enjoyed Scott Brick’s performances before but this was different. It’s like he got under the skin of the character and became him. His voice will forever be Evan in my mind because his interpretation was dead on!
the bottom line…
I’ve not touched on even a small portion of everything going on in this story. It’s non stop action, thrills, intrigue and mystery. It all kept me breathless and edgy as it was impossible to predict what was around the next corner. I loved that in the midst of all this excitement was lots of insight into Evan the man and his humanity. It provides lots of balance and helped me form a connection and bond to him. The ending left me wanting to immediately jump into the next book, on audio of course. This was much, much more than I’d anticipated, and that’s a good thing.
Book Info
- Release Date: January 19, 2016
- Series: Orphan X #1
- Narrator: Scott Brick
- Audio Length: 11 hours, 15 minutes
- Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Blue Mood Café 
I’m so glad you loved Orphan X too. It’s surprising, isn’t it? The writing and character just pull you right in and then take you for a ride of a lifetime. I have the ebook and audio version of this one and the other few that I haven’t read yet. I started at 6. Read 7. And have the ARC of #8. Hopefully I can back track soon. Excellent review!
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Thank you, Tessa💜 You described my reading experience to a T! The series was selected as our next group read so it’s one a month. I hope you can backtrack, too.
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Thrilled that you liked this book and Evan Smoek! Such an exciting series and I loved each and every one of the books.
Excellent review too, Jo!
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Thanks, Marialyce💜 This was a great start!
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How was the wedding?
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I’m so excited you enjoyed them, too. Somehow I bought them all (audio) and then read them all Dec 21-Feb 22. I’m definitely rooting for Evan. He has a small similarity to Reacher. Interestingly Scott Brick narrates both series and I enjoy his narration a lot.
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Now that you mention it, there are similarities to Reacher! I’ve collected all the books, too.
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Glad you loved it, Jonetta! Can’t belive I read something before you 😉
I definitely need to continue with this series so I don’t leave too big a gap between drinks!
He’s an interesting character to read about/listen to that’s for sure!
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Thank you, Suzanne💜 I’ve held off reading/listening to the series, hoping one of my groups would finally choose it for a group read and finally one did! I’ll be listening to one a month!
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That is such a good idea! I should keep going. I have the tiny ebook to get to, I think they call it #1.5. A complex and interesting character!
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Ohhh I’m fully intrigued now! Fab review. xx
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Thank you, Yvo💜 This is a wild ride!
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Excellent review, Jonetta! I loved the sound of this one. I’ve been looking for an edge-of-the-seat thriller for quite some time. This fits the bill completely. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you and you’re welcome, Debjani💜 It definitely fits what you’re looking for.
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Wonderful review, Jo. I am so glad you enjoyed this one. I have read all of them and although I shouldn’t, I can’t help but love Evan. He is always trying to do right and pay back for all the bad he did. I can’t wait to get to the ARC of the next one.
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