Nemesis: An Orphan X Novel

Hurwitz’s boilerplate 10th thriller featuring master assassin Evan Smoak (after Lone Wolf) offers more of the same—for better and worse. Smoak’s traumatic youth, during which he was plucked from foster care at 12 by the U.S. Department of Defense and trained as “an expendable human weapon,” set him up for a friendless adulthood. In his work as a private mercenary, however, he established a close connection with arms manufacturer Tommy Stojack. Their bond is threatened when Smoak learns that Stojack sold weapons to the Wolf, Smoak’s nemesis, who used Stojack’s artillery to try to assassinate Smoak. Devastated, Smoak tells Stojack that he’s crossed a red line, setting the stage for a duel to the death the next time they meet. Their impending confrontation is complicated by the arrival of hit men, whose motivations and employer remain obscure, though they seem to be targeting Stojack, or somebody close to him. Hurwitz delivers serviceable action and a few surprises, but stilted prose (“If morning dawned again, it would dawn on the vast, great, true resonant promise of a future that was anyone’s to force”) and an air of resignation bring this down. It’s strictly for the series’ most dedicated fans. (Feb.)