Prodigal Son by Gregg Andrew HurwitzMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is not a paid review and thank you to NetGalley for the advance look.
There is not much more to say. I believe that Gregg Hurwitz has taken over the mantle of best thriller writer out there. His Orphan X series is a study in excellence and growth. Excellence because the quality and consistency is on display from the start of the series though what is now book #6. Growth because, Evan Smoak, Orphan X is nowhere near the man he was in book one. It takes an author of skill to mature and grow a character as convoluted as X. Hurwitz succeeds masterfully.
At the end of book 5, Into the Fire, Evan had just made a deal with the President of the United States to stop his activities as the Nowhere Man. That is until his Roamzone rings and on the other end is a voice of a woman that tells him that she is his mother. Which brings us to Prodigal Son, unsettled by the phone call and trying his best to ignore it, Evan tries his newfound retirement and is frankly, bored. So, when the phone rings again with the same caller, he decides to take the plunge.
Meanwhile, a impound lot worker witnesses a murder and is now on the run. The problem is that the murder wasn't done with just any ordinary weapon, but a miniature drone that looks like a wasp. Tying the two together, Evan's mother asks him to help Andre, the impound worker. What transpires from these two very different story arcs is what will be the best thriller of 2021.
We also learn a lot more about Evan Smoak and the where's and why's of how he came to be left at the orphanage as a baby, as well as a deeper look into his time there and eventual recruitment to be part of the Orphan program.
No spoilers here but if you are in the mood for evil scientists, hellfire missiles, super smart tiny drones and one heck of a cliffhanger ending. Look no further. Pick up Orphan X and get reading. That way you will be ready for Prodigal Son when it hits the shelves.
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