Part of Orphan X
First published 2027
Evan Smoak operates as the Nowhere Man, taking calls on an encrypted line from desperate people who have exhausted all other options. The former government assassin known as Orphan X has built his post-black-ops life around five simple words: "Do you need my help?" He completes each mission and disappears without a trace. But years of this work have stripped away pieces of his humanity, leaving him questioning whether he can ever live a normal life. When Brooke Hawthorne calls his number, she presents a case that will test everything Evan believes about justice. The young woman is trapped in a criminal operation run by professionals, held captive in a scheme darker than most. Extracting Brooke triggers the attention of Boz, a calculating mastermind who has spent years constructing something terrible. Boz sees the Nowhere Man as a direct threat to his work and will not allow that threat to continue. Evan must protect Brooke, safeguard the few people he cares about, and defend the narrow concept of justice that still drives him. The mission will demand everything he has.
Genres: suspense, crime, adult, adult-fiction, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, gritty, intense, morally-complex, suspenseful
Tropes: anti-hero, found-family, lone-wolf-protagonist, protection-mission
Period: contemporary
448 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: kidnapping, murder, violence