THE NOWHERE MAN: AN ORPHAN X NOVEL by Gregg Hurwitz / Z-View

THE NOWHERE MAN: AN ORPHAN X NOVEL by Gregg Hurwitz

First sentences…

A naked selfie.

      It starts with that.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Evan Smoak was a child with no family. Raised in a secret government off-the-books program, Evan and other children like him became known as Orphans. Evan was Orphan X.

As children the Orphans were trained to become the ultimate assassins. As adults, they were perfect for black bag assignments. Able to kill with their hands, or any weapon, the Orphans possessed every strategy to covertly and alone complete a mission. The added bonus, if caught or killed, because they had no family, the government had plausible deniability.

Orphan X became legendary among the Orphans and their handlers. Outside of the program, Orphan X was someone spoken about in whispers.

Finally, Evan Smoak had enough of the killing. He escaped and set up a new life. Instead of taking lives, he saved them. Smoak found people with nowhere to turn and rescued them.

Smoak is aware that in just a few days a young woman will be taken from a cargo ship and sold as a sex slave.  Smoak’s plan to rescue her goes sideways when he is kidnapped.

Smoak wakes from his drugged stupor to discover he’s in a remote mountain mansion. He’d been out long enough that he’s not sure he’s even in the United States.  René Peter Cassaroy kidnapped Smoak to gain access to his considerable bank account.  Cassaroy has a squad of trained mercenaries, 24 hour camera and audio surveillance, guard dogs and snipers.   Come Monday morning, Smoak will give him access and then be set free.

Yeah, right.

Smoak knows that it will take all of his skills and training to overcome the odds and escape.  Plus the clock is ticking.  He needs to not only escape but do so in time to save the young woman on the cargo ship.

The clock is ticking.

+++

I love that Smoak was kidnapped not because he was an Orphan, but because of his wealth. 

René Peter Cassaroy doesn’t provide a physical challenge.  It’s his brains (and mercenaries) that make him so dangerous.  Cassaroy would make a great James Bond villain.

It’s interesting to see how Smoak’s mind works and that each set-back makes his escape (or survival) less likely.  And if he doesn’t escape, the girl is doomed.

And if that wasn’t enough, Hurwitz ups the ante.  To say more would be to say too much.

Rating: