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judithdcollins's review
5.0
A MASTER STORYTELLER!
Greg Hurwitz returns with a favorite series (Orphan X), DARK HORSE, with the famous leading man. This seventh installment in the series may be Evan Smoak's (Nowhere Man) most emotional, challenging, and dangerous case yet.
Full of heart, action, and thrills. Since the first book, I have been a fan and would not miss an episode.
If you have read the previous books in the series, you know Orphan X was a government assassin for an Orphan Program. After leaving the program, he changed his name to The Nowhere Man to help those in need with a devoted phone number. 1-855-2-NOWHERE - A way to give back on his journey to redemption.
"When the devil wants to dance with you, you better say never."
—Immortal Technique
Hurwitz has cleverly pitted Evan against a complex man who darkly resembles himself with a mix of good and evil.
This time around, he comes in contact with a South Texas drug lord, Aragon Urrea. His eighteen-year-old daughter, Anjelina, has been kidnapped by the Mexican cartel.
He is on the fence, trying to decide if he wants to help this criminal. However, even though this man is evil, he also helps people in need, somewhat like his past.
Aragón Urrea is a complicated man. This mission is very personal for Evan. Should he get his daughter back? This is a question he often has asked of himself. So we have the "Dark Man" (kidnapped the daughter), Aragon, and Evan. This Dark Man is highly dangerous, and he has the girl.
DARK HORSE delves into the underbelly of humanity with drug pins, drugs, opioids, cartels, and the big and greedy pharmaceutical companies.
Evan has to do a lot of soul-searching about his past and present while involved in this adrenaline-fueled suspense thriller that packs a punch. Evan has kept people at a distance and tried not to allow himself to love or care.
Evan has maintained his humanity since the beginning despite his arsenal of lethal skills, as confusing as it sometimes is for him, which makes you root for him.
As always, I love Mia (neighbor) and the district attorney and single mother to Peter he has been involved with, who faces a life-threatening surgery. They are not aware of his past. There are also others in his life, such as the hacker, Joey (recruit), that has become like a daughter.
Lines are blurred. Evan has learned to keep up his wall. Those who need to be saved. What would they think of his past?
Evan is pulled in with struggles from evil and good and its extremes. His dark past and the people he has learned to care for. He also has OCD tendencies, antisocial behavior, and his need to have control over his world, but at the same time, he has to separate business and personal struggles in his life.
Due to its complex emotions, which are deeply felt, this series sets itself apart from other crime action series. Beautiful prose, Hurwitz keeps this series fresh with engaging content while adding to his leading man's action, suspense, and deeply felt emotions.
This series appeals to a broad audience, both male and female readers. You learn to care about Evan and hate to see him struggling with his extreme emotions. Another cliffhanger looks like there will be more Orphan X, and I look forward to the next MISSION in this superb and gripping series!.
As always, Scott Brick delivers an outstanding performance as the audiobook narrator. Spellbinding and engaging—highly recommend.
Any reader who enjoys intelligent crime thrillers with substance, both plot and character-driven; Greg Hurwitz's Orphan X has it all!
A special thank you to #Minotaur #MacmillanAudio and #NetGalley for an ARC e-book and audiobook.
Blog Review Posted:
#JDCMustReadBooks | @JudithDCollins
My Rating:
Greg Hurwitz returns with a favorite series (Orphan X), DARK HORSE, with the famous leading man. This seventh installment in the series may be Evan Smoak's (Nowhere Man) most emotional, challenging, and dangerous case yet.
Full of heart, action, and thrills. Since the first book, I have been a fan and would not miss an episode.
If you have read the previous books in the series, you know Orphan X was a government assassin for an Orphan Program. After leaving the program, he changed his name to The Nowhere Man to help those in need with a devoted phone number. 1-855-2-NOWHERE - A way to give back on his journey to redemption.
"When the devil wants to dance with you, you better say never."
—Immortal Technique
Hurwitz has cleverly pitted Evan against a complex man who darkly resembles himself with a mix of good and evil.
This time around, he comes in contact with a South Texas drug lord, Aragon Urrea. His eighteen-year-old daughter, Anjelina, has been kidnapped by the Mexican cartel.
He is on the fence, trying to decide if he wants to help this criminal. However, even though this man is evil, he also helps people in need, somewhat like his past.
Aragón Urrea is a complicated man. This mission is very personal for Evan. Should he get his daughter back? This is a question he often has asked of himself. So we have the "Dark Man" (kidnapped the daughter), Aragon, and Evan. This Dark Man is highly dangerous, and he has the girl.
DARK HORSE delves into the underbelly of humanity with drug pins, drugs, opioids, cartels, and the big and greedy pharmaceutical companies.
Evan has to do a lot of soul-searching about his past and present while involved in this adrenaline-fueled suspense thriller that packs a punch. Evan has kept people at a distance and tried not to allow himself to love or care.
Evan has maintained his humanity since the beginning despite his arsenal of lethal skills, as confusing as it sometimes is for him, which makes you root for him.
As always, I love Mia (neighbor) and the district attorney and single mother to Peter he has been involved with, who faces a life-threatening surgery. They are not aware of his past. There are also others in his life, such as the hacker, Joey (recruit), that has become like a daughter.
Lines are blurred. Evan has learned to keep up his wall. Those who need to be saved. What would they think of his past?
Evan is pulled in with struggles from evil and good and its extremes. His dark past and the people he has learned to care for. He also has OCD tendencies, antisocial behavior, and his need to have control over his world, but at the same time, he has to separate business and personal struggles in his life.
Due to its complex emotions, which are deeply felt, this series sets itself apart from other crime action series. Beautiful prose, Hurwitz keeps this series fresh with engaging content while adding to his leading man's action, suspense, and deeply felt emotions.
This series appeals to a broad audience, both male and female readers. You learn to care about Evan and hate to see him struggling with his extreme emotions. Another cliffhanger looks like there will be more Orphan X, and I look forward to the next MISSION in this superb and gripping series!.
As always, Scott Brick delivers an outstanding performance as the audiobook narrator. Spellbinding and engaging—highly recommend.
Any reader who enjoys intelligent crime thrillers with substance, both plot and character-driven; Greg Hurwitz's Orphan X has it all!
A special thank you to #Minotaur #MacmillanAudio and #NetGalley for an ARC e-book and audiobook.
Blog Review Posted:
#JDCMustReadBooks | @JudithDCollins
My Rating:
stevem0214's review against another edition
4.0
The Orphan X series is a great shoot 'em up series. If you're looking to tear apart the plot and piece it all back together, don't bother...you're gonna be disappointed. But it you're looking for a thrill ride and a good characters, you've found the right place. These books are just fun! In this one Evan takes on a horrible cartel...for a slightly less horrible bunch that you find yourself pulling for.
fotoshopguy52's review
4.0
3.5 stars. Some fine passages with good action, intrigue and well-needed comic relief, but not as gripping as previous versions. Also, way too much graphic violence at the end of the book. I can't help but get the feeling that this series has almost run its course, so I would not mind the next novel (assuming there is one) to be the final chapter, and after reading the Epilogue, I could easily see that being the case.
cojack's review
4.0
Another fun entry for this series. I like that Hurwitz is dedicating less page space to explaining/describing every piece of machinery, weaponry, technology, etc. He continues to mine the concept of family, commitment, love, and generational pain...but really it's all about the mission and how he's going to get out of the seemingly inescapable situations he finds himself in. The cliffhanger at the end of the previous book wasn't explained here at all, and it looks like it might be picked up in the next book. Anyway, this is page-turning fun. I like the audiobooks, but the narrator (Scott Brick) really ramped up the melodrama in this one and took it over the top too many times. I laughed at out loud at some serious moments just because he almost sounded like he could be a Simpsons' character.
ETA: Hurwirtz made Joey far too annoying in this book. Barely tolerable. Such a waste because she’s a great foil for Evan.
ETA: Hurwirtz made Joey far too annoying in this book. Barely tolerable. Such a waste because she’s a great foil for Evan.
bianca89279's review
4.0
I couldn't resist finding out what Evan Smoak was up to.
As it's the case with each book in the series, he gets tangled up in hair-raising, improbable sounding, action-packed and high body count rescue expeditions.
My favourite parts of the books are the ones where Evan deals, better said, tries to deal with complicated emotions brought on by dealing with people he's getting emotionally attached to. Hurwitz's writing is at its best when it comes to anguish, qualms, ambiguity and moral conundrums.
I'm finicky and easily bored, I don't like guns or violence - it's a small miracle that I read all seven books in the series.
I'll probably read no. 8 in the Orphan X series.
As it's the case with each book in the series, he gets tangled up in hair-raising, improbable sounding, action-packed and high body count rescue expeditions.
My favourite parts of the books are the ones where Evan deals, better said, tries to deal with complicated emotions brought on by dealing with people he's getting emotionally attached to. Hurwitz's writing is at its best when it comes to anguish, qualms, ambiguity and moral conundrums.
I'm finicky and easily bored, I don't like guns or violence - it's a small miracle that I read all seven books in the series.
I'll probably read no. 8 in the Orphan X series.
pilebythebed's review against another edition
4.0
The sixth book in Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series, Prodigal Son, ended with an explosive cliffhanger. But given we now have Dark Horse, book 7 in this continually enjoyable action series, it is really no spoiler to say that Evan Smoak, aka Orphan X, aka The Nowhere Man, survived. The real impact of the explosion is not physical but to the carefully organised life of the super-agent as he ignores his agreement with the US Government to lay low and takes on another spectacularly dangerous mission.
While bringing in some Mexican labour to help with his repairs, Smoak gives his number out and is soon meeting with the head of a drug cartel whose daughter has been kidnapped by a rival, more aggressive cartel. Smoak is not keen to work for a bad guy but over time the two come to an understanding about the future of the business and he agrees to the rescue. At the same time, Smoak’s relationship with both his downstairs neighbour Mia and with his teenage protégé Joey are moving into a different level, leaving him feeling vulnerable and a little confused. None of which helps when his mission involves infiltrating the ruthless and violent Leon compound and getting both himself and the teenage Anjelina out alive.
Following this set up is the usual fare that readers expect from this series - Smoak trying to live within his “commandments” and juggle his secret life with the life that he wants to lead, lots of high tech weapons, brutal fights and a plan that comes apart almost as soon as it is put into motion, particularly thanks to a great mid-narrative twist And as always the action scenes are well constructed, the tension remains high and Smoak ends up learning a think or two about how to be more human.
Over seven books Hurwitz has found ways to up the level of difficulty for Smoak. And while readers by now know that no matter how high that level of difficulty is that Smoak is likely to succeed, the enjoyment in this series is always in watching how and how he develops along the way. And for those keeping track on the fact that Smoak was pardoned on the basis that he stopped being the Nowhere Man, don’t worry – Hurwitz has not forgotten - providing another “To Be Continued” epilogue.
While bringing in some Mexican labour to help with his repairs, Smoak gives his number out and is soon meeting with the head of a drug cartel whose daughter has been kidnapped by a rival, more aggressive cartel. Smoak is not keen to work for a bad guy but over time the two come to an understanding about the future of the business and he agrees to the rescue. At the same time, Smoak’s relationship with both his downstairs neighbour Mia and with his teenage protégé Joey are moving into a different level, leaving him feeling vulnerable and a little confused. None of which helps when his mission involves infiltrating the ruthless and violent Leon compound and getting both himself and the teenage Anjelina out alive.
Following this set up is the usual fare that readers expect from this series - Smoak trying to live within his “commandments” and juggle his secret life with the life that he wants to lead, lots of high tech weapons, brutal fights and a plan that comes apart almost as soon as it is put into motion, particularly thanks to a great mid-narrative twist And as always the action scenes are well constructed, the tension remains high and Smoak ends up learning a think or two about how to be more human.
Over seven books Hurwitz has found ways to up the level of difficulty for Smoak. And while readers by now know that no matter how high that level of difficulty is that Smoak is likely to succeed, the enjoyment in this series is always in watching how and how he develops along the way. And for those keeping track on the fact that Smoak was pardoned on the basis that he stopped being the Nowhere Man, don’t worry – Hurwitz has not forgotten - providing another “To Be Continued” epilogue.
elizpeace's review
4.0
OVERALL:
A new mission (unwanted but taken) to help kingpin drug dealer rescue his kidnapped daughter. This book I felt was one of the darkest and disturbing of them all. I still randomly think about some of the brutal scenes, feeling uncomfortable. If you are interested Mia and Evan’s relationship, it clearly grows, but the air time for them, or that aspect of Evan’s life is sparse. That being said, if you like Evan and Joey’s relationship, that is a very real and poignant part of the book.
15 SECOND “WHAT’S THIS ABOUT”:
Evan Smoak is alive and rebuilding his base. Per the usual, he a mission finds him, and he cannot say no. Evan’s client is a man who walks a serious line between good and bad, and Evan can see himself in some of these actions. Also per the usual, Evan has to do some crazy ass shit that doesn’t seem possible to survive, but does! While also navigating (sometimes unsuccessfully) some heavy issues with Joey and Mia.
My favorite part:
Joey’s remodel :)
A new mission (unwanted but taken) to help kingpin drug dealer rescue his kidnapped daughter. This book I felt was one of the darkest and disturbing of them all. I still randomly think about some of the brutal scenes, feeling uncomfortable. If you are interested Mia and Evan’s relationship, it clearly grows, but the air time for them, or that aspect of Evan’s life is sparse. That being said, if you like Evan and Joey’s relationship, that is a very real and poignant part of the book.
15 SECOND “WHAT’S THIS ABOUT”:
Evan Smoak is alive and rebuilding his base. Per the usual, he a mission finds him, and he cannot say no. Evan’s client is a man who walks a serious line between good and bad, and Evan can see himself in some of these actions. Also per the usual, Evan has to do some crazy ass shit that doesn’t seem possible to survive, but does! While also navigating (sometimes unsuccessfully) some heavy issues with Joey and Mia.
My favorite part:
Joey’s remodel :)
chazmo1431's review
3.0
Dark Horse is the latest installment in the Orphan X series. I have read all the books which helped with my enjoyment of the book. This is not really a standalone- too much reference to the past books.
Evan Smoak is Orphan X – he was part of a secret government program which took orphans and turned them into killing machines. He is out of the business and helps people as the Nowhere Man.
His latest mission is to help a cartel boss find his daughter. In each book you must suspend belief and watch Evan take on the bad guys. This one was way over the top and went a little too far. I had a tough time enjoying the over-the-top actions.
We did get to see all the characters which was fun. Thisone was just supremely far fetched. I will try the next one and see.
If you have read the Orphan X series this one will keep you up to date. This was readable but very average compared with previous books.
Evan Smoak is Orphan X – he was part of a secret government program which took orphans and turned them into killing machines. He is out of the business and helps people as the Nowhere Man.
His latest mission is to help a cartel boss find his daughter. In each book you must suspend belief and watch Evan take on the bad guys. This one was way over the top and went a little too far. I had a tough time enjoying the over-the-top actions.
We did get to see all the characters which was fun. Thisone was just supremely far fetched. I will try the next one and see.
If you have read the Orphan X series this one will keep you up to date. This was readable but very average compared with previous books.
therolling_ladder's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0