In 2016, Gregg Hurwitz introduced readers to Evan Smoak, a highly-trained assassin who was plucked from a Baltimore orphanage at a young age and trained as part of a top-secret government program.
Since then, Evan–who unlike the rest of the recruits, was able to maintain his conscience–has broken from the Orphan Progam and now uses his unique set of skills to help those in need as the Nowhere Man, a vigilante for the less fortunate. Using the resources he amassed during his time with the Orphan Program, Evan comes to the aid of those with nowhere else to turn–asking for nothing in return.
Just two books in, Evan Smoak is perhaps the best new character the genre has seen since Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne. The third book in Hurwitz’s series, titled Hellbent, is scheduled to come out next January, and, thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Book Spy followers are getting an exclusive first look at the cover art!
Following Orphan X and The Nowhere Man, Hellbent follows Evan Smoak as he embarks on his most personal mission yet–to find and kill the man responsible for the death of his handler and father-figure, Jack Johns.
Check out the official plot details below:
Evan Smoak, Orphan X, was taken from a group home at age twelve and raised and trained as an off-the-books government assassin. After he broke with the Orphan Program, Evan disappeared and reinvented himself as the Nowhere Man, a man spoken about only in whispers and dedicated to helping the truly desperate.
But this time, the voice on the other end is Jack Johns, the man who raised and trained him, the only father Evan has ever known. Secret government forces are busy trying to scrub the remaining assets and traces of the Orphan Program and they have finally tracked down Jack. With little time remaining, Jack gives Evan his last assignment: find and protect his last protégé and recruit for the Orphan Program.
But Evan isn’t the only one after this last Orphan–the new head of the Orphan Program, Van Sciver, is mustering all the considerable assets at his disposal to take out both Evan (Orphan X) and the target he is trying to protect.
In the latest work in the #1 Internationally bestselling Orphan X series, Gregg Hurwitz delivers an engrossing, unputdownable thriller and one of his finest books yet.
Having read an early copy of Hellbent, I can confirm that it’s absolutely Gregg Hurwitz’s best work yet–which is really saying something considering The Nowhere Man is one of our top-ranked thrillers of the year and has been a huge hit with Book Spy followers.
So, what makes Hellbent the best Evan Smoak novel yet? For starters, to go along with nonstop action, Hurwitz packs a ton of emotion–and more than a few surprises–into the story.
In the first book (Orphan X, 2016) we saw Evan get out of his comfort zone by taking on a client that he didn’t necessarily trust and allowing her situation to become somewhat personal for him. Then, in The Nowhere Man, Evan finds himself in another unfamiliar situation when he’s kidnapped and held hostage–landing in the exact type of scenario someone might call him for help with.
In Hellbent, as stated in the plot synopsis, Evan is once again out of his element, this time by being forced to link up with Jack’s last recruit–which plays out in a brilliant, fun, and explosive way that fans will thoroughly enjoy. (Beyond that, you’ll have to wait several months for our official review.)
In the meantime, Hellbent is already available for pre-order wherever books are sold, so purchase your copy today and help spread the word that Evan Smoak is back in action on January 30th, 2018!