Book: Orphan X

Author: Gregg Hurwitz
My Rating: 5 martinis

Hello again dear readers. If you are a lover of action packed thriller novels, buckle up! My husband and I watched John Wick: Chapter 3 the other night, and I was reminded how badly I wish that John Wick was based on books (because books are always better than the movies, y’all). Unfortunately, John Wick is an original screenplay. So, obviously, I went to the internet for help. And Reddit had a lot of suggestions for me. That’s how I ended up completely obsessed with Orphan X – a book and an author I had never heard of before.

So, I know I’m throwing a lot of movie references in here, but I really want you to get an idea of how this story feels. It’s very reminiscent of Jason Bourne meets The Equalizer. Evan Smoak is an assassin, adopted and trained from childhood to become the perfect weapon for the government. However, his father, Jack takes it upon himself to make sure that throughout Evan’s training, he keeps his humanity in tact with commandments like “never let an innocent die” and “never make it personal.”

Eventually, Evan ends up a freelancer, lending his skills to those in trouble. His cover identity as an importer living in a posh apartment building and dealing with HOA meetings, nosy neighbors – and a little boy who idolizes him just reiterates Evan’s humanness. When the past comes back to haunt him, not only is Evan in danger, but so are the people around him and he can’t break the tenth commandment: never let an innocent die.

This book was so interesting, and well written. The characters are all unique from his quirky neighbors, to his dad, to his clients and other underworld associates. I found myself laughing at Evan’s dry sense of humor and even his discomfort in domestic situations. This guy can take out a target in two seconds without breaking a sweat, but put him at a dinner table with an eight-year-old and his single mom and he is sweating bullets! The mystery is great, if not a teensy bit predictable. Really, the crowning glory of this book are the detailed and highly visual fight scenes. You can see them play out in your head, whether you know the first thing about fighting or not.

I was reading this in every spare moment I had, it was that good! And luckily, it’s part of a series so I can go on more missions with the deadly but lovable Evan Smoak. I must warn you, in case you didn’t infer this from my references to John Wick, The Equalizer, and Jason Bourne, it’s a book with a lot of murder and violence. So, if that is not your thing, be aware. However, if it is your thing, I cannot recommend this enough!

Krystle Goodman is a crazy cat lady, who loves to drink exorbitant amounts of coffee, and read a shocking amount of books. She lives in Benton with her husband Josh, her son Roman, and their two cats Roxanne and Abby. When she isn’t reading, you’ll find her cooking, painting, or watching true crime shows.  Watch for Krystle’s book reviews every other Friday. Send fanmail to: [email protected]

See more of Krystle’s reviews at www.mysaline.com/krystle.