Review of "Nemesis: An Orphan X Novel" by Gregg Hurwitz

In this 10th book in the 'Orphan X' series, assassin Evan Smoak reluctantly hunts Tommy Stojack, his armorer and one-time friend.

*****

When Evan Smoak was a scrawny twelve-year-old living in an orphanage, he was removed and placed in a black ops program that trained orphans to be highly skilled assassins. Evan was dubbed Orphan X.



After doing his assassin job for many years, Orphan X left the black ops program and set himself up as 'The Nowhere Man', a badass who helps people in trouble.



Evan now resides in a tricked out, completely secure Los Angeles penthouse, his cover story being that he imports industrial chemicals. (Evan's interactions with his neighbors, like Mrs. Rosenbaum - who insists on drawing Evan into social gatherings - is a hoot.)



Tommy Stojack - a grizzled gunsmith and armorer - has been supplying Evan with weapons, customized vehicles, protective gear, and so on for 15 years, but Tommy is now on Evan's blacklist.



The rift occurred when Evan learned that Tommy supplied weapons to a psychopathic female assassin called the Wolf, who'd garroted a teenage girl and tried to kill Evan with a .357 Magnum revolver and a Savage 110 sniper rifle and an SUV with an unyielding front bumper. Tommy hadn't told Evan he was arming the Wolf, which Evan considers a declaration of war by omission.



Evan decides to give Tommy one last chance to explain himself, and drives to the gunsmith's Las Vegas armory. There Evan is ambushed by a group of assassins, and Evan kills most of them and gets away.



Meanwhile, gunsmith Tommy Stojack is fulfilling an old promise to a soldier called Delmont Hickenlooper Sr. (Hick), who was killed in the Middle East. Tommy had promised Hick to help his son Delmont Jr. if the need arose, and it has. Junior called Tommy to say he was involved with the death of some Mexicans in a town called Calvary, and he needs Tommy's assistance.



Tommy hares off to Calvary, and finds Junior living with a ragtag white power militia called the 'Calvary Liberty Guard', who profess hate for Blacks, Mexicans, Jews, Muslims, etc. Tommy makes it his mission to help Junior while also attempting to show the militia youths the error of their ways.



When Evan discovers Tommy's whereabouts, he follows the armorer to Calvary, planning to kill him.



In Calvary, things get very complicated between Orphan X, Tommy, the militia, and the Sheriff's Department. As always, Evan encounters bullies and corrupt cops, who desperately hope 'The Nowhere Man' is an urban legend.

The story provides plenty of opportunity for the author's well-choreographed fight scenes; shootings; stabbings; broken bones; caved in eye sockets; crushed tracheas; and so on.



Concurrent with all this, Evan has a situation with his 17-year-old mentee Josephine (Joey), who was also trained by the Orphan program. College student Joey is an extraordinary computer hacker who's made well-meaning but unfortunate memes about 'oppressed women.' Evan and Joey have a falling out about this, but Joey nevertheless uses her computer skills to assist with Evan's missions.



For readers familiar with the series, there's a great scene with beautiful Candy McClure (aka Orphan V), who has a complicated history with Orphan X.



Both Evan and Joey have changed over the course of the series, as they've strived to fit in with 'normal' society. The Orphans are making progress. Among other things, Orphan X has learned to take care of his aloe plant called Vera....



.....and Joey has come to love her Rhodesian ridgeback called Dog.



This is an excellent addition to the Orphan X series, well written and exciting.

I had both the digital book and the audiobook, narrated by Scott Brick, who does a fine job.

Thanks to Netgalley, Greg Hurwitz, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for copies of the book.

 Rating: 4 stars