Brilliance Audio Review of Hellbent by Gregg Hurwitz Orphan X #3

Today I'm reviewing the Audio edition of Hellbent by Gregg Hurwitz #3 in the Orphan X series my favorite.
Enjoy!

ASIN: B078X21X5M
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Release Date: 1-30-2018 
Length: 12.5 hours
Source: Purchase Audible
Buy It: Audible/Chirpbooks

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

Evan Smoak - government assassin gone rogue - returns in Hellbent, an engrossing, unputdownable thriller from Gregg Hurwitz, the latest in his #1 international bestselling Orphan X series.

Taken from a group home at age twelve, Evan Smoak was raised and trained as an off-the-books government assassin: Orphan X. 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 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 assets at his disposal to take out both Evan (Orphan X) and the target he is trying to protect.

My Audio Review:

Hell Bent
Orphan X #3
Gregg Hurwitz

Wow don’t try to catch your breath in this non-stop action-packed murder a minute chilling thriller staring everyone’s favorite Robin Hood assassin, Evan Smoak. Evan is deadlier than usual in this installment of the Orphan X series and the audience gets to experience his more inhuman side as he sets out to enact retribution for the death of Jack Johns, his handler/father figure, we do however see some pieces of the kinder/gentler Evan Smoak as he interacts with his on again off again love interest Mia and her son Peter. There are some other real stand out characters in this read especially the young hacker Orphan reject, Joey, a troubled teenaged would be assassin who’s a jumble of hormones, emotions and heartbreak and Evan’s pal Tommy makes some incredible cameos in Hellbent too. Then there are Evan’s foes one deadlier than the next and one that will rock readers worlds when they learn who is really giving the orders and pulling the strings. Fans of non-stop action thrillers, of this author and this series will not be able to put this down.

Narration:
Listeners have Scott Brick to thank for the audio being the best choice for this and all the Orphan X novels, his deep sonorous voice is the perfect choice for Evan and he rocks the other voices too whether it’s a young girl, a frightened victim or a soulless killer plus he puts just the right emotion or lack thereof in just the right places and leaving his audience wrapped around that iconic voice.

Evan Smoak was once a government sanctioned killer but broke from the program when he started having a conscience and questioning his orders. His handler and father figure Jack helped him disappear and Evan reinvented himself as The Nowhere Man, a man who helps those who have nowhere else to turn. But when his untraceable Nowhere Man phone rings it’s not someone who needs help it’s Evan’s nemesis, Van Sciver the new head of the Orphan program. He’s calling to taunt Evan letting him watch Jack’s final moments and letting him know they’re turning over every rock to find and kill Evan. Fired up with a rage he’s never experienced before Evan sets out to eliminate everyone who had a hand in Jack’s death and find out why Jack was a target of the program he once belonged to. But first he must fulfill one last request from Jack, find a retrieve a certain package then the killings will begin.

About the author:
GREGG HURWITZ is the New York Times bestselling author of more than fifteen novels, including The Nowhere Man. His novels have been shortlisted for numerous literary awards, graced top ten lists, and have been published in 30 languages. He is also a New York Times bestselling comic book writer, having penned stories for Marvel (Wolverine, Punisher) and DC (Batman, Penguin). Additionally, he’s written screenplays for or sold spec scripts to many of the major studios (The Book of Henry), and written, developed, and produced television for various networks. Gregg resides in Los Angeles.