Description:

In the next explosive novel in this New York Times bestselling series, Evan Smoak, having lived his life by the assassin’s Ten Commandments, finds himself at odds with his oldest friend in the world, where principles are in conflict with honor, no rules hold―and no one may get out alive.

Evan Smoak was once a highly successful black ops assassin known as Orphan X, dedicated to a rigid set of operational rules. Even after going deep underground and remaking his life, Evan remains dedicated to his unbreakable code. But for the first time in his life, those principles have put him on a collision course with the man who might be his best friend in the world, Tommy Stojack.

Stojack, a gifted gunsmith who has created much of Evan’s own weapons and combat gear, has apparently crossed one of Evan’s sharply delineated lines. When Evan decides to have it out with Tommy, Evan is ambushed by a skilled crew of killers determined to take him down. But Evan is hard to kill and the dispute explodes into open warfare between Evan and Tommy. Now Evan has no choice but to track down and face his only friend.

In the meantime, Tommy has already left town in order to honor an old promise to a Navy friend who died in his arms. His mission is to help his dead friend’s son. In a depressed rural area, with conflicts flaring up everywhere, that son could be responsible for the death of an innocent. And while Tommy is trying to keep him and his friends alive, Evan arrives with vengeance in mind.

But as deadly as the former Orphan X is, Evan isn’t even the most dangerous threat to arrive on the scene.

Adele’s Review:

Starting a new Orphan X novel is like opening the Christmas present you’ve waited for all year. A new installment in a stellar series is a like devouring a delicious sweet treat in book form. Once you start, you can’t stop.

This reviewer has devoured every novel and short story in the Orphan X series, loved each one, and rated them all five stars–until now. It pains me to say that I didn’t love Nemesis as I’d hoped. I guess I’ve been spoiled by extraordinary. Nemesis is my least favorite Orphan X novel.

I thought long and hard about why this novel didn’t resonate with me, and here it is: Tommy takes center stage for a large part of the book, and we read considerably less than usual about Evan Smoak. Tommy is a great secondary character, and I’ve always enjoyed Evan’s interactions with him. As a central character, Tommy is not as compelling. His vernacular, in particular, grows tiresome. His unique way of speaking is fun to read in small doses, but not so endearing page after page.

Tommy is Evan’s friend, and perhaps his only real friend in the world. When Evan declares war on Tommy in Nemesis for an infraction only Evan seems to view as logical, my ability to suspend my disbelief broke down. Evan also picks a fight with Joey, his teenage hacker friend who is more like an adopted niece to him than an ally. There are numerous antagonists for Evan to battle, and the cameo return of beautiful but deadly Orphan V is a point of interest.

Gregg Hurwitz works everything out for his readers by the end of the book, of course, and I look forward to future installments in the series. My hope is the next Orphan X novel is another extraordinary five-star read this fan will happily devour.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6916440661

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D1PFNNY6