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Interviews

‘I read Stephen King under the bed with a flashlight’: 21 Questions with Gregg Hurwitz

The Recital

A SHORT STORY FROM THE WORLD OF ORPHAN X 
 
The Orphan Program—which recruited and trained off-the-books assassins for the government—was responsible for creating some of the world’s most dangerous individuals. 
 
Evan Smoak, also known as Orphan X, is one of the few still surviving. 
 
Josephine “Joey” Morales was the last recruit of the program, now a world-class hacker. 
 
Still a teenager, trying to learn how to live as a normal person in the world, she sends Evan on his most unusual mission yet for which he must recruit some of the most elusive and deadly individuals: Candy McClure (Orphan V), Tommy Stojack (black market gunsmith), and Arragón Urea (former drug kingpin). 
 
Their help doesn’t come free. 
 
But Evan will face whatever danger he has to help Joey face her own greatest fears in The Recital.

Gregg Hurwitz is the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Evan Smoak thrillers Orphan X, The Nowhere Man, Hellbent, Out of the Dark, Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, Dark Horse and The Last Orphan. He is also the author of You're Next, The Survivor, Tell No Lies and Don't Look Back. He lives with his family in LA, where he also writes for the screen, TV and comics.

The Orphan Program—which recruited and trained off-the-books assassins for the government—was responsible for creating some of the world’s most dangerous individuals. Evan Smoak, also known as Orphan X, is one of the few still surviving. Josephine “Joey” Morales was the last recruit of the program, now a world-class hacker. 
 
Still a teenager, trying to learn how to live as a normal person in the world, she sends Evan on his most unusual mission yet for which he must recruit some of the most elusive and deadly individuals: Candy McClure (Orphan V), Tommy Stojack (black market gunsmith), and Arragón Urea (former drug kingpin). Their help doesn’t come free. But Evan will face whatever danger he has to help Joey face her own greatest fears in The Recital.

Lone Wolf

One of the world's best-loved heroes Evan Smoak, otherwise known as Orphan X, returns in an all-new thrilling adventure 
 'Put Jack Reacher and Jason Bourne into a blender. Add one drop of nitro-glycerine and three of sulphuric acid. Switch on, and don't be surprised if the lid blows off. You've just mixed your first Orphan X' Richard and Judy Book Club Pick 
 ---- 
EVERY LIFE HAS ITS PRICE 
 
 She’s known as the Wolf: an assassin working through a kill list with cool efficiency. 
 Then someone gets in her way: Evan Smoak. 
 First, he refuses to conveniently die. 
 Then he stops her killing others. 
 Evan has the Wolf’s measure. He met plenty like her in a former life. 
 But not since he's had so much to lose. 
 And the powers behind her are bigger than he could possibly imagine. 
 
 The Wolf's got Evan in her sights. 
 She won’t stop. It’s kill – or be killed. Cat and mouse. 
 And Evan has one fatal weakness. 
 His humanity . . . 
 ---- 
Praise for the Orphan X series 
 
 'Feels like a missile launch' DAVID BALDACCI 
 
 'Outstanding in every way' LEE CHILD 
 
 'Weapons-grade thriller writing' GUARDIAN 
 
 'An immensely entertaining adventure' THE TIMES

As Orphan X, Evan Smoak has fought international crime syndicates, faced the world's most powerful people and even brought down a President. 
 
This time, his task is a little girl who's lost her dog. 
 
Not a mission Evan embraces with enthusiasm. But this tiny job quickly explodes into his biggest pursuit yet, with gut-wrenching personal stakes. 
 
Pushed to his limit, Evan must hunt down a mysterious female assassin known only as the Wolf- seemingly a mirror of Evan himself. Matched skill for skill, instinct for instinct, Evan must outwit an opponent who will literally stop at nothing to destroy him...

The Thrilling Orphan X Sunday Times Bestseller

The Last Orphan

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
The electrifying new ORPHAN X adventure in the bestselling series - Evan Smoak returns with a mission which could cost him everything . . . 
 
'A stellar series, and the stories get better with each instalment' DAILY MAIL 
 
'[A] witty, satisfying thriller' SUN 
__________ 
 
A heavily-armed counter-assault team, a convoy of tactical vehicles plus decoys, air support, a sedative more commonly used to knock out large animals, arm and leg restraints, a hood, mouthguard and a Secret Service Agent asking for a selfie. 
 
This was not your average invitation to meet with the President. 
 
But then Orphan X is not your average guest. The last survivor of the off-the-books programme that raised and trained him, Evan Smoak was sent around the world to do his government's dirty work. Until he escaped. 
 
Now once again in need of his particular skill-set, the President tracks him down and offers him a deal: kill a man she deems too dangerous or be executed himself. 
 
Evan must decide whether to accept. He's spent years trying to atone for his former life. But if by taking on the mission he must betray the very principles he now lives by, what is left? 
 
One thing becomes clear to the President soon enough: no one should ever try to force Evan's hand. Because putting Orphan X in an impossible spot only makes him more dangerous . . . 
 
__________ 
 
'As a crafter of wham-bam action and suspense, leavened with a healthy dose of humour, Hurwitz's abilities are as fine-tuned as ever' DAILY EXPRESS 
 
Praise for the Orphan X series 
 
'Feels like a missile launch' DAVID BALDACCI 
 
'Outstanding in every way' LEE CHILD 
 
'Weapons-grade thriller writing' GUARDIAN 
 
'An immensely entertaining adventure' THE TIMES 
 
*The Last Orphan: On The Sunday Times bestseller list February 2023*

wham-bam action and suspense, leavened with humour

Praise for The Last Orphan-

The Last Orphan is pulse-pounding, heart-stopping, and thought-provoking. I loved it

Meg Gardiner,  No. 1 New York Times bestselling author

The Last Orphan is a top-notch thriller and action packed joyride. Readers will not want to put it down

Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling  author

As a crafter of wham-bam action and suspense, leavened with a healthy dose of humour, Hurwitz's abilities are as fine-tuned as ever

Hurwitz gives his seventh Orphan X thriller an epic scope, writing with verve and color . . . A crackerjack thriller

Nonstop action and relentless pacing are matched in The Last Orphan by deeply philosophical and powerfully emotional undertones

A stellar series, and the stories get better with each instalment. [Evan Smoak is] the man you want in your corner when justice is needed

Orphan X blows the doors off most thrillers I've read and catapults the readers on a cat-and-mouse that feels like a missile launch. Read this book. You will thank me later

Orphan X is his best yet - a real celebration of all the strengths Gregg Hurwitz brings to a thriller

Orphan X is most exciting new series character since Jack Reacher. A page-turning masterpiece of suspense

Mind blowing! A perfect mix of Jason Bourne and Jack Reacher

Dark Horse

The electrifying new adventure in the Sunday Times bestselling series - in which Orphan X faces his most challenging mission ever . . . 
 
'A series character to rival Reacher' INDEPENDENT 
 
'Gregg Hurwitz has outdone himself. Readers will get whiplash . . . The action strikes like lightning' LUIS URREA, Pulitzer finalist for The Devil's Highway 
_______ 
 
Can you remain a good man when you help a bad one? . . . 
 
Former government assassin Orphan X, Evan Smoak broke free to use his skills to help the good but powerless. But what if the person asking for help is neither? 
 
When the daughter of a Texan crime boss is kidnapped by a ruthless drugs cartel, he asks Evan to rescue her. 
 
The girl is innocent of her father's crimes. 
 
But in taking the case is Evan crossing a line? 
 
To find out he must break into an impregnable Mexican fortress. 
 
Then somehow get her out alive . . . 
_______ 
 
Praise for the Orphan X series 
 
'Feels like a missile launch' DAVID BALDACCI 
 
'A stellar series, and the stories get better with each instalment' DAILY MAIL 
 
'Outstanding in every way' LEE CHILD 
 
'Weapons-grade thriller writing' GUARDIAN 
 
'A stellar series, and the stories get better with each instalment' DAILY MAIL 
 
'An immensely entertaining adventure' THE TIMES 
 
 
Sunday Times bestseller, February 2023

Nonstop action and relentless pacing are matched by deeply philosophical and powerfully emotional undertones. Unlike comparable series that tend to lose steam after several instalments, this series just gets better as it evolves

Hurwitz gives his seventh Orphan X thriller an epic scope, writing with verve and color . . . A crackerjack thriller that briskly enhances the legend of Orphan X

The Orphan X series has always been about moral ambiguity and the razor-thin line separating right from wrong, but this novel takes Evan even farther down the dark road than he's been before . . . Evan Smoak is one of thrillerdom's most compelling characters, and Hurwitz keeps revealing new aspects of his complex personality. Another sure-fire hit

Sheer escapist fantasy . . . Sharp, stylish prose, an immensely entertaining adventure

Orphan X is the most exciting thriller I've read since The Bourne Identity ... A new thriller superstar is born!

Orphan X is not good. Orphan X is great. Whatever you like best in a thriller - action, plot, character, suspense - Orphan X has it

A new series character to rival Reacher . . . anyone reading Orphan X won't be surprised that a cadre of peers, from Tess Gerritsen to Lee Child, have lined up to praise it

Bestseller Hurwitz melds non-stop action and high-tech gadgetry with an acute character study in this excellent series opener . . . Evan Smoak is an electrifying character

In terms of plot, characters, suspense and innovation, Orphan X is outstanding . . . I've always thought that one reason for Tom Clancy's success was the endless detail he provided about military hardware, and that the James Bond novels benefited from the loving attention Ian Fleming devoted to the martinis, expensive cars and gorgeous women he so admired. Hurwitz outdoes both writers . . . Orphan X is a smart, stylish, state-of-the-art thriller. It's also the start of a series, one that might give Lee Child's Jack Reacher books a run for their money

A masterpiece of suspense and thrills . . . Turn off the real world and dive into this amazing start to a new series

THE HERO 
Evan Smoak: former off-the-books assassin - code name Orphan X. His world is divided into those who deserve his help and those who've brought his singular brand of justice upon themselves. 
 
THE VICTIM 
A desperate father reaches out. His teenage daughter Anjelina has been kidnapped by a brutal criminal cartel and spirited over the border into Mexico. And while money is no object, Evan soon realises that his prospective client's past is as clouded and compromised as his own. 
 
THE MISSION 
If Evan is going to put his life on the line to rescue Anjelina, he must first decide whether he can act on behalf of a bad man. And even then, up against the men who are holding his daughter, there will be no guarantee of success...

An Orphan X Short Story

The Intern

PRE-ORDER A THRILLING SHORT STORY FEATURING ORPHAN X 
 
The Nowhere Man is a figure shrouded in secrecy-a near legendary figure who helps the truly desperate, those with nowhere else to turn who are lucky enough to be able to reach out to him. When darkness closes in, the Nowhere Man is your last, best hope. 
 
Before he was the Nowhere Man, Evan Smoak was a highly trained government operative known to a few as Orphan X. But he now lives by hiding in plain sight, keeping his head down and his eyes clear. So when a local summer intern for a tabloid news site finds herself trailing an aggressive reporter into a crime zone, things go terribly awry. The only person who can help her is a man with the background and the skills of the Nowhere Man. 
 
From New York Times bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz comes an electrifying, original story in his "nerve-shredding" internationally #1 bestsellling Orphan X series.

The Nowhere Man is a figure shrouded in secrecy-a near legendary figure who helps the truly desperate, those with nowhere else to turn who are lucky enough to be able to reach out to him. When darkness closes in, the Nowhere Man is your last, best hope. 
 
Before he was the Nowhere Man, Evan Smoak was a highly trained government operative known to a few as Orphan X. But he now lives by hiding in plain sight, keeping his head down and his eyes clear. So when a local summer intern for a tabloid news site finds herself trailing an aggressive reporter into a crime zone, things go terribly awry. The only person who can help her is a man with the background and the skills of the Nowhere Man. 
 
From New York Times bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz comes an electrifying, original story in his "nerve-shredding" internationally #1 bestsellling Orphan X series.

The Nowhere Man

The No. 1 Bestselling The Nowhere Man is a thrilling, pulse-pounding ride for readers and the hero of Orphan X . . . 
 
'THE PACE NEVER LETS UP' DAILY MAIL 
 
 
THEY TRAINED HIM TO HUNT. NOW HE'S THE HUNTED . . . 
 
A former government military asset code-named Orphan-X, Evan Smoak works as the Nowhere Man out to protect the helpless. 
 
Until the night it all goes wrong. 
 
Ambushed, drugged and kidnapped, Evan wakes in a locked room. He's outnumbered and outgunned. His captors are sure they've outsmarted him. 
 
But they've got it all wrong. 
 
He's not locked up with them. 
 
They're locked up with him . . . 
 
___________ 
 
'MEMORABLE AS ALL HELL' JAMES PATTERSON 
 
'A DIZZYING RIDE' TESS GERRITSEN

He was once called Orphan X. 
 
As a boy, Evan Smoak was taken from a children's home, raised and trained as part of a secret government initiative buried so deep that virtually no one knows it exists. But he broke with the programme, choosing instead to vanish off grid and use his formidable skill set to help those unable to protect themselves. 
 
One day, though, Evan's luck ran out . . . 
 
Ambushed, drugged, and spirited away, Evan wakes up in a locked room with no idea where he is or who has captured him. As he tries to piece together what's happened, testing his gilded prison and its highly trained guards for weaknesses, he receives a desperate call for help. 
 
With time running out, he will need to out-think, out-manoeuvre, and out-fight an opponent the likes of whom he's never encountered to have any chance of escape. He's got to save himself to protect those whose lives depend on him. Or die trying . . . 
 
The Nowhere Man delivers another masterclass in hi-octane thriller writing. A rare thing, The Nowhere Man is better than the original!

Gregg Hurwitz

NO GREATER FRIEND 
Evan Smoak is the guy you want on your side. A former government black ops assassin, he'll be there for you in your darkest hour - and he'll rain hell and thunder on those who caused your pain. 
 
NO WORSE ENEMY 
A lone wolf operator, Evan can't afford to lose any of the few people he likes and trusts. But when Tommy Stojack, Evan's loyal, long-time gunsmith and armourer, betrays him, it's war. 
 
Because a good assassin keeps his friends close, but his weapons closer . . .

Gregg Hurwitz

Books by Gregg Hurwitz

Series by Gregg Hurwitz

An Orphan X Novel8 Books

Rains Brothers2 Books

Articles featuring Gregg Hurwitz

‘I read Stephen King under the bed with a flashlight’: 21 Questions with Gregg Hurwitz

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