Review: The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz

 Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this title thru NetGalley.

I love the Orphan X series, although books 6 and 7 (Prodigal Son and Dark Horse respectively) made me wonder if I would keep reading the new ones. But I am so happy that The Last Orphan (book 8) squashed that notion pretty damn quick: it grabbed me right away (well, after the Prologue) and kept me on the edge of my seat just like the early ones.

If you haven’t read any of these, start now with Book 1 and get ready to root for Evan Smoak, who may have been trained as an assassin but who was lucky enough to have a mentor who ingrained him with a strong code of ethics. Evan fled the black ops program that shaped him and now uses his skills to help those in trouble who need someone who can think quickly and creatively and act decisively to give the bad guys the punishment they’ve earned.

In Last Orphan when Evan tells Tommy, “I’m there…In the hurt.” I realized that Evan has a bit in common with another character I love, Martha Wells’ Murderbot. They’re both socially awkward, but dedicated to doing what they believe is right.

I’ve been fortunate to find several series that I enjoy re-reading and often find some new appreciation for the stories even the second or third (or eighth) time through. Orphan X is now one of those series. And book 8 has convinced me to give books 6 and 7 another chance…

As with most series, you technically won’t miss anything by not reading the short stories, but if you become an Orphan X fan, you won’t go wrong by tracking them down. I had to borrow them electronically from my public library - I’m hoping someday there will be more and they will be gathered together as a single volume.