The Damage Man
Once the U.S. government’s deadliest off-the-books assassin, Evan Smoak was known only as Orphan X. He broke free from the Program, vanished, and reinvented himself as The Nowhere Man — the last hope for those with nowhere else to turn.
When Evan has a chance encounter with a desperate father named Rusty, he agrees to help find Rusty’s estranged son, who has fallen in with the wrong people — violent, unforgiving men who will stop at nothing to get their way. What looks like a straightforward rescue quickly spirals into something far more dangerous and personal.
At the same time, Evan is forced to confront the one ghost he’s never been able to escape: the birth father who abandoned him. In a world where every move could be his last, Orphan X will finally have to face the past he buried—if he can survive the deadly present.
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Gregg Hurwitz
Gregg Hurwitz is a master of heart-pounding suspense, creating thrilling, high-stakes narratives that keep readers on the edge of their seats. With a career spanning multiple genres, Hurwitz is best known for his gripping crime thrillers, including the Orphan X series, which has earned him a dedicated global following. His books are not just fast-paced action-packed reads, but profound explorations into morality, redemption, and the shadows of the human psyche.
Born and raised in the United States, Gregg Hurwitz’s early fascination with storytelling led him to pursue a career that would span beyond writing novels to include screenwriting and graphic novels. This versatility has infused his work with a cinematic quality that’s evident in every page—characters who feel as though they could jump from the page into action-packed scenes, and plots that unfold with the precision of a high-octane thriller. Whether he’s delving into the mind of an assassin or exploring the depths of human resilience, Hurwitz masterfully builds tension while balancing moments of deep introspection.
Orphan X
In a world where shadows linger and justice comes at a steep price, the Orphan X series thrusts readers into a high-stakes narrative centered on Evan Smoak—a man with a past he can never escape. Trained as part of a covert government program that recruits children to become deadly operatives, Evan has long since broken free, but his past is never far behind. Now, operating under the alias "The Nowhere Man," he is determined to use his unique skill set to help those who have nowhere else to turn.
Orphan X consists of eleven primary books, and includes five additional books that complement the series but are not considered mandatory reads and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of three more books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
