“A shocking stunner in every way. The perfect thriller.” ―Robert Crais
When darkness closes in―he’s your last, best hope. Evan Smoak returns in Gregg Hurwitz’s #1 international bestselling Orphan X series.
“Prepare to get Smoaked.” – Benjamin Thomas
When darkness closes in―he’s your last, best hope. Evan Smoak returns in Gregg Hurwitz’s #1 international bestselling Orphan X series.
Taken from a group home at age twelve, Evan Smoak was raised and trained as part of the Orphan Program, an off-the-books operation designed to create deniable intelligence assets―i.e. assassins. Evan was Orphan X. He broke with the Program, using everything he learned to disappear and reinvent himself as the Nowhere Man, a man who helps the truly desperate when no one else can. But now Evan’s past in the Orphan Program is reaching out to him.
Someone at the very highest level of government has been trying to eliminate every trace of the Orphan Program by killing all the remaining Orphans and their trainers. After Evan’s mentor and the only father he ever knew was killed, he decided to strike back. His target is the man who started the program and who is now the most heavily guarded person in the world: the President of the United States.
But President Bennett knows that Orphan X is after him and, using weapons of his own, he’s decided to counter-attack. Bennett activates the one man who has the skills and experience to track down and take out Orphan X―the first recruit of the program, Orphan A.
With Evan devoting all his skills, resources, and intelligence to find a way through the layers of security that surround the President, suddenly he also has to protect himself against the deadliest of opponents. It’s Orphan vs. Orphan with the future of the country―even the world―on the line.
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Orphan X is one of my favorite characters and series!
This really should be a movie franchise. It’s that good. Going up against the President of the United States; not to mention a criminal organization, Orphan X has the odds stacked pretty high in this one. Under extreme pressure, lethal circumstances with dire consequences, you really get to see who Evan Smoak is. He shines under these kind of “pressure cooker” type situations. Gregg Hurwitz has mastered the character revelation of Orphan X.
In each book you get to see more about the infamous Orphan program the President is trying so hard to eradicate. In Out of the Dark we meet Orphan A, the program’s very first highly trained asset. I was also pleased to see the return of Orphan V, a.ka. Candy McClure, make a return appearance.
Can’t wait to where Hurwitz takes the rest of this series!


Gregg Hurwitz is the critically acclaimed, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of 20 novels, including OUT OF THE DARK (2019). His novels have been shortlisted for numerous literary awards, graced top ten lists, and have been published in 30 languages.
He is also a New York Times Bestselling comic book writer, having penned stories for Marvel (Wolverine, Punisher) and DC (Batman, Penguin). Additionally, he’s written screenplays for or sold spec scripts to many of the major studios, and written, developed, and produced television for various networks. Gregg resides in Los Angeles.