Prodigal Son

The explosive and thrilling Sunday Times bestseller

By: Gregg Hurwitz

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Brought to you by Penguin.

Pre-order Prodigal Son, the thrilling new Orphan X book from bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz

He can escape anything. Except his own past . . .

'Evan. It's your mother. I heard you help people . . '

Evan Smoak used to be known as Orphan X: a figure as elusive as a rumour, until he came to the rescue of those who most desperately needed his help. The kind of help no one else could provide. The kind that caused concern in the corridors of power.

As a boy he'd been plucked from a foster home and trained as an off-the-books assassin inside a top secret US government programme.

Which is why, even forced into early retirement, he dare not trust the phone call. Nor the caller claiming to be his mother. Asking him to protect a complete stranger who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

None of it stacks up. Yet it bears the tell-tale signs of the secret world that made him. And from inside it, a deadly new threat to the nation's security.

But this time the danger is more personal than he could have ever imagined. Because blood runs deep ...
Praise for Orphan X

'Outstanding in every way' LEE CHILD

'Weapons-grade thriller writing' GUARDIAN

'A stellar series, and the stories get better with each instalment' DAILY MAIL


© Gregg Hurwitz 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
'An immensely entertaining adventure' THE TIMES

Critic reviews

There is a 'this time it's personal' feel to this latest in the violent, classy series and the action never flags

Frightening Tech

An excellent story, highlighting AI & warfare. Makes one think about the ethics involved. Whether it will get out of hand & the possibility of ensuing catastrophe.

well below usual standards

too much angst, too much back story about characters nobody cares about.

I liken it to recent James Bond movies, just too much "caring"

Interesting story, astonishing ending

Spoiler alert:
I cannot believe the ending of this book. For 6 books now we've followed Evan, trying to be a human, craving companionship and relationships. Finally he finds his only relatives in the world, and then leaves them in a crappy house in a dreadful neighborhood and doesn't share any of his millions with them. I couldn't believe it, what was Gregg Hurwitz thinking??? It's possible something happens in the next book, but most of them tie up quite neatly at the end. Evan is looking for responsibility and he now has 3 people/families that he could connect with and make a life, but he chooses to keep "working". It's the way to keep the franchise going, but sometimes you need to know when to stop. Ultimately unsatisfying and unbelievable.