Nemesis
An Orphan X Novel
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4.4 • 1.1K Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
No greater friend. No deadlier enemy.
The explosive new novel in the New York Times bestselling Orphan X series is flipping the acclaimed series on its head. Find out why series superfans and new readers alike are calling it a “knockout” (firstCLUE).
Evan Smoak is a highly trained former government assassin who has survived for years by keeping his circle to a few trusted confidants and a strict code he calls “The Ten Commandments.” But when Evan suddenly finds himself at odds with his oldest friend, all the rules he lives by shatter—and the consequences are murderous.
Tommy Stojack might be Evan's best friend in the world. He’s a gifted gunsmith who has created much of Evan's own weapons and combat gear. But now, he has apparently crossed one of Evan's hardest lines and their argument explodes into open warfare. Now Evan has no choice but to track and face down his only friend.
In the meantime, Tommy has left town in order to honor his own promise to help a dead friend's son. While Tommy is fighting to save the son with everything he’s got, Evan arrives with vengeance in mind.
But as deadly as the former Orphan X is, there is an even more dangerous threat about to arrive on the scene. The only question left is will any of them get out alive.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A perceived betrayal sets an ethical assassin against his closest colleague in this action-packed thriller. When government assassin Evan Smoak and his best friend, Tommy Stojack, have a falling out over a breach of Smoak’s lifelong code, the situation turns deadly. But as Smoak—aka Orphan X—hunts down his longtime armorer, he also must deal with a white supremacist threat that menaces their small and vulnerable innermost circle—as well as the nation at large. A master of the genre, Gregg Hurwitz knows how to ratchet up the deadly tension in this politically aware thriller. As Hurwitz deftly sets his beloved series hero against one of his own—and a lethal new threat—he expertly creates a powerful and scary dynamic sure to reverberate with breathless readers. With its intense and terrifying action, Nemesis kept us up all night, waiting for the stunning reveals that have come to epitomize Orphan X.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hurwitz's boilerplate 10th thriller featuring master assassin Evan Smoak (after Lone Wolf) offers more of the same—for better and worse. Smoak's traumatic youth, during which he was plucked from foster care at 12 by the U.S. Department of Defense and trained as "an expendable human weapon," set him up for a friendless adulthood. In his work as a private mercenary, however, he established a close connection with arms manufacturer Tommy Stojack. Their bond is threatened when Smoak learns that Stojack sold weapons to the Wolf, Smoak's nemesis, who used Stojack's artillery to try to assassinate Smoak. Devastated, Smoak tells Stojack that he's crossed a red line, setting the stage for a duel to the death the next time they meet. Their impending confrontation is complicated by the arrival of hit men, whose motivations and employer remain obscure, though they seem to be targeting Stojack, or somebody close to him. Hurwitz delivers serviceable action and a few surprises, but stilted prose ("If morning dawned again, it would dawn on the vast, great, true resonant promise of a future that was anyone's to force") and an air of resignation bring this down. It's strictly for the series' most dedicated fans.
Customer Reviews
Nemesis
This is the best book in the Orphan X series! Evan is more “real” in this one and even more lethal. The short interlude with Joey, Evan and Dog somehow adds to the mix of Evan’s feelings that are shown when he thinks he is betrayed by Tommy. If the reader wants to read the books in this series, I recommend starting at the beginning and rushing to this even if it takes a year.
Ok. Not great.
I’ve read all the books in the Orphan X Series, this one is not his best. Very slow at times, then a too abrupt ending.
Sad departure
Simply not at the same level of the previous novels.