Scan barcode
A review by thephdivabooks
Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz
5.0
Have you read any of the Orphan X books by Gregg Hurwitz? I hadn’t until I had the opportunity to read Prodigal Son which I learned is actually the sixth book in the series. Let’s just say that I will now be going back to read the other five because I have to read more about Evan Smoak!
Well I’ll start off with what you are probably wondering—how was it jumping into a series on book 6? Surprisingly, it wasn’t a problem at all! While I can’t speak for all five books before this, I certainly felt this story worked as a standalone.
The book opens with a young Evan Smoak, who we learn is an orphan who was taken from foster care at the young age of 12 and trained by Jack Johns, known as the Mystery Man, to be a deadly assassin that frankly seems super-human. Part of this stems from the fact that Evan’s more human traits (empathy, caring) to make him a government-sponsored killing machine. This was all through a secretive operation known as the Orphan Program.
After years as the assassin known as Orphan X, Evan has broken free and repurposed himself as an avenger of those in need. Now, Evan has left both of these persona behind to live the life that got taken from him when he was just a boy.
When a woman calling herself Veronica LeGrande reveals herself to be Evan’s mother who gave him up for adoption, she asks for help from the boy she abandoned many years ago. Her request seems strange—she asks him to help a man who was a resident at the same foster home that Evan lived in before he became Orphan X. This man, Andrew, is not an ordinary man. His life has put him directly in the path of a deadly assassin team, and Evan is his only hope. However, helping Andrew and Veronica may mean putting his own life and freedom on the line…
Fast-paced action and heart-pounding suspense—Prodigal Son is that perfect sort of escapist thriller where you can slip into a world much different from your own. I found Evan to be a surprisingly relatable character (I mean, as much as myself, a doctoral student quarantined at home can relate to a deadly orphan assassin), which wasn’t necessary but enhanced the book for me. I found this book had a surprising amount of emotion and sensitivity, and I really felt for this boy who was taught to disregard his desire to connect with other humans. Seeing him reclaim that as an adult was wonderful, until that phone call that launches this new adventure…
Thank you to Minotaur Books and Kaye Publicity for my copy. Opinions are my own.
Well I’ll start off with what you are probably wondering—how was it jumping into a series on book 6? Surprisingly, it wasn’t a problem at all! While I can’t speak for all five books before this, I certainly felt this story worked as a standalone.
The book opens with a young Evan Smoak, who we learn is an orphan who was taken from foster care at the young age of 12 and trained by Jack Johns, known as the Mystery Man, to be a deadly assassin that frankly seems super-human. Part of this stems from the fact that Evan’s more human traits (empathy, caring) to make him a government-sponsored killing machine. This was all through a secretive operation known as the Orphan Program.
After years as the assassin known as Orphan X, Evan has broken free and repurposed himself as an avenger of those in need. Now, Evan has left both of these persona behind to live the life that got taken from him when he was just a boy.
When a woman calling herself Veronica LeGrande reveals herself to be Evan’s mother who gave him up for adoption, she asks for help from the boy she abandoned many years ago. Her request seems strange—she asks him to help a man who was a resident at the same foster home that Evan lived in before he became Orphan X. This man, Andrew, is not an ordinary man. His life has put him directly in the path of a deadly assassin team, and Evan is his only hope. However, helping Andrew and Veronica may mean putting his own life and freedom on the line…
Fast-paced action and heart-pounding suspense—Prodigal Son is that perfect sort of escapist thriller where you can slip into a world much different from your own. I found Evan to be a surprisingly relatable character (I mean, as much as myself, a doctoral student quarantined at home can relate to a deadly orphan assassin), which wasn’t necessary but enhanced the book for me. I found this book had a surprising amount of emotion and sensitivity, and I really felt for this boy who was taught to disregard his desire to connect with other humans. Seeing him reclaim that as an adult was wonderful, until that phone call that launches this new adventure…
Thank you to Minotaur Books and Kaye Publicity for my copy. Opinions are my own.