Evan Smoak / Orphan X Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of Evan Smoak/Orphan X Books
Orphan X | (2016) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Buy a Bullet (Short Story) | (2016) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
The Nowhere Man | (2017) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Hellbent | (2018) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
The Intern (Short Story) | (2018) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Out of the Dark | (2019) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Into the Fire | (2020) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
The List (Short Story) | (2020) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Prodigal Son | (2021) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Dark Horse | (2022) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
The Last Orphan | (2023) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
The Recital (Short Story) | (2023) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Lone Wolf | (2024) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Nemesis | (2025) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Buy a Bullet is first in chronological order. |
The Orphan X series is a thriller series which began publication in 2016. Author Gregg Hurwitz is a New York Times Bestselling Author of 18 books, and is also a New York Times bestselling comic book writer, having written Wolverine and Punisher stories for Marvel as well as Batman and Penguin stories for DC comics. Many of his books have been nominated for numerous awards, as well as shortlisted twice for Best Novel of the Year by International Thriller Writers.
Hurwitz has written, developed and produced for television and written screen plays for the adaptations of many of his books. He is scheduled to write the film adaptation of Orphan X, his latest series in 2017. He is known for in-depth, and sometimes unorthodox research into his writing subjects. He has even gone as far as sneaking onto demolition ranges with Navy SEALS, going undercover into cults and swimming with sharks.
Hurwitz’s series Orphan X begins with a self-titled first book focused on Evan Smoak. At the age of 12, Evan was enrolled in “the Orphan Program.” Founded in the 1990s, the Orphan program was US program aiming to train orphans as assassins for government agencies. With no ties to family or the outside world, the orphans of the program were perfect operatives who could provide plausible deniability and be removed and executed without anyone noticing in the event of a mistake. As part of the program, Evan Smoak, or Orphan X, is trained to kill without being seen and live in the shadows. His fellow assassins in the Orphan project are hidden from him and his only real connection to the organization is his trainer and mentor, Jack, who is like a father to him.
Jack, Evans handler and mentor, has trained him differently than the other members of the Orphan program. He teaches Evan “The Ten Commandments” for their missions, which Evan learns and masters but Jack wants something different for Evan. He wants Evan to keep his humanity while mastering his skills as an assassin. Jack becomes a close friend and father figure to Evan. His approach to Evan’s training and growing up make it impossible for Evan to simply be a mindless killer.
Evan becomes an expert in martial arts, weaponry, acting, reading people, and the ability to blend in anywhere he goes. He lives his life killing for the government until he decides that enough is enough. He no longer wishes to kill for a government who views him as expendable but he knows that in order to leave the program without being executed, he must disappear without a trace. He uses his knowledge, skills, and massive bank account to disappear where he can live his life on his own terms. Setting up an intricate network of safehouses, vehicles, weapons, and identities’, he goes off the grid. As a parting gift to himself, he sets up multiple bank accounts connected to the treasury’s printing press to ensure that he never runs out of money. After realizing that he has unlimited resources and nothing to do, he becomes the Nowhere Man or “the Man with no Name.” His mission is to help the least fortunate and most desperate people out of their harsh circumstances.
To his neighbors, Evan is a seemingly quiet consultant of some sort living a quiet life in his penthouse condo. As the Nowhere Man, Evan is able to utilize his skills and unlimited financial resources to help those in desperation with nowhere else to turn. He chooses who he works with based on his own personal code. When a victim reaches out to him by phone, they only hear the words “Do you need my help?” He works in secret using only a pay-it-forward model as payment. Each person who enlists his help must give his contact information to another person in need of his services. The Nowhere man becomes a legendary vigilante, known to only help those in the most desperate need.
In the first book, Evan is going about his life as the Nowhere Man and finds himself working with a woman in the midst of a life-and-death situation. She faces dire consequences as the result of her overwhelming gambling debt and in an act of desperation, reaches out to the Nowhere Man for help. As he assists her, Evans life is turned upside down when he discovers that he has been found by the new conductors of the Orphan program, and is being hunted by their leader who clearly has a personal knowledge of his past and vendetta against him. Evan must face the reality that departing from a secret government program designed to kill in secret, means a life in hiding. He will undoubtedly always be looking over his shoulder for those who are hunting him.
The first book, Orphan X, leads us through Evan’s transformation from orphan, to Evan Smoak, into the Nowhere Man through a series of flashbacks that intertwine with his current project. From a helpless orphan, to a trained killer, to a vigilante for justice, Evan must reconcile his past with his present while helping his client and remaining hidden from the Orphan program operatives.
The next book in the series, “The Nowhere Man” finds Evan continuing his vigilante mission. His new client, the victim of a child sex ring, compels Evan to not only save her, but to take down the entire operation. In the meantime, he learns another helpless victim is trapped in a shipping container. If she reaches her destination before Evan can rescue her, she will be doomed to a life in the sex trade.
In the meantime, Charles Van Sciver, the head of the Orphan program is still on the hunt for Evan. He and his operatives are looking for leads and begin closing in when Evan encounters a new obstacle. Evan is captured by and taken to a secluded and heavily-guarded mansion by a businessman named Renee while the operatives of the Orphan program are closing in on his location. With the clock ticking, Evan has to rely on his skills and training to escape in time to help an innocent victim. The book follows his thought process as he refers back to his training in the Orphan program to escape his captors while evading Van Scriven and the other members of the Orphan program.
The Orphan X series continues to follow Evan, a.k.a. the Nowhere Man through his journeys as a vigilante and operative on the run from the Orphan program. The series is published by St. Martins Press and consists of 2 books with the newest scheduled for release in January 2018. Warner Bros. has purchased the film rights for the movie(s) based on the series. The film will be produced by 22nd and Green, the production company owned by Bradley Cooper, the likely star of the film and author Gregg Hurwitz will write the screenplay.
Book Series In Order » Characters »
I just finished the latest Orphan X, Lone Wolf. Evan and Joey’s relationship continues to grow and Gregg Hurwitz’s use of humorous situations makes the book funny as well as exciting!
One of the best series ever….can’t wait for the next book in 2024. The narrator of the audio series is incredible.
I am on book #5 (not counting the short stories listed) and thoroughly enjoy Evan Smoak and his messy life. Has anyone seen that a movie was made?
beats jack reacher series love the books a huge fan of orphan x
I happened to run across “Hellbent” in the supermarket bookshelf and I am HOOKED on this character! I could not put this book down. Looking forward to reading about this character from the very beginning as Orphan X! I just know I’m in for a great ride!