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Quick answer: If you liked Orphan X, read Gregg Hurwitz's The Nowhere Man, then Killing Floor, The Gray Man, The Bourne Identity and The Terminal List. All are fast thrillers about lone operators with deadly skills and a conscience.
Gregg Hurwitz's 2016 thriller introduces Evan Smoak, a former government assassin raised in a secret programme, who now helps people in desperate trouble and is known as the Nowhere Man. It is slick, tense and full of ingenious gadgets. The books below offer similar lone-wolf thrillers and covert-operative stories.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Nowhere Man | Gregg Hurwitz | Adult | the next Orphan X book |
| Killing Floor | Lee Child | Adult | action thriller |
| The Gray Man | Mark Greaney | Adult | assassin on the run |
| The Bourne Identity | Robert Ludlum | Adult | the amnesiac assassin |
| The Terminal List | Jack Carr | Adult | Navy SEAL revenge |
| American Assassin | Vince Flynn | Adult | Rapp origin |
| Transfer of Power | Vince Flynn | Adult | American action |
| The Day of the Jackal | Frederick Forsyth | Adult | procedural assassination |
| Rain Fall | Barry Eisler | Adult | Japanese assassin |
| The Monkey's Raincoat | Robert Crais | Adult | Elvis Cole start |
| The Lions of Lucerne | Brad Thor | Adult | Secret Service thriller |
| Persuader | Lee Child | Adult | Reacher undercover |
| The Hunt for Red October | Tom Clancy | Adult | submarine thriller |
| Red Dragon | Thomas Harris | Adult | profiler thriller |
| The Matarese Circle | Robert Ludlum | Adult | rival agents |
1. The Nowhere Man by Gregg Hurwitz
Evan Smoak faces a dangerous man from his past. Fast and sleek.
Best for: the next Orphan X book.
2. Killing Floor by Lee Child
Jack Reacher arrives in a Georgia town and is arrested for murder. Fast and tough.
Best for: action thriller.
3. The Gray Man by Mark Greaney
A hit man becomes a hunted target. Fast, brutal and global.
Best for: assassin on the run.
4. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
A man with no memory discovers he is a trained killer. A classic that shaped modern thrillers.
Best for: the amnesiac assassin.
5. The Terminal List by Jack Carr
A SEAL returns from a mission to find his family killed. Violent and gripping.
Best for: Navy SEAL revenge.
6. American Assassin by Vince Flynn
A young man recruited after a terrorist attack becomes an operative. Fast and gripping.
Best for: Rapp origin.
7. Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn
Mitch Rapp saves the White House from terrorists. Fast and violent.
Best for: American action.
8. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
An assassin plans to kill Charles de Gaulle. Detailed and tense.
Best for: procedural assassination.
9. Rain Fall by Barry Eisler
John Rain, a half-Japanese hitman, is hired in Tokyo. Stylish and well researched.
Best for: Japanese assassin.
10. The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
A wisecracking Los Angeles detective takes a missing-person case. Fast and funny.
Best for: Elvis Cole start.
11. The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor
A Secret Service agent investigates a presidential kidnapping. Page-turning.
Best for: Secret Service thriller.
12. Persuader by Lee Child
Reacher goes undercover to take down a criminal. Tough and tense.
Best for: Reacher undercover.
13. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
A Soviet submarine captain may defect. Dense and gripping.
Best for: submarine thriller.
14. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
An FBI agent consults Hannibal Lecter to catch a killer. Dark and precise.
Best for: profiler thriller.
15. The Matarese Circle by Robert Ludlum
Two enemy agents team up against a conspiracy. Fast and long.
Best for: rival agents.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Orphan X: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
For more Hurwitz read The Nowhere Man and the rest of the Orphan X series. For tough lone heroes choose Lee Child, Mark Greaney or Jack Carr. For classic espionage pick Ludlum or Forsyth. For American counter-terror read Vince Flynn or Brad Thor. Orphan X is slick and fast, so these picks suit readers who like gadgets and clean plotting. Orphan X has been optioned for film and television several times, and the series now runs to many books, so readers who enjoy the first have plenty to follow. Audiobooks are narrated by Scott Brick. Hurwitz's books are quick, plotty and structured around clear missions, so they suit readers who like clean, tense chapters. If you want a female lead, try Gillian Flynn or Lisa Gardner. If you want more gadgets, Mark Greaney and Daniel Silva are good. Audiobooks are widely available.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Orphan X about?
Evan Smoak, a former government assassin, helps people in trouble as the Nowhere Man.
Who wrote it?
Gregg Hurwitz.
When was it published?
2016.
How many Orphan X books are there?
Several. Check current listings for the latest count.
Do I need to read in order?
It helps, since the plot builds.
Is it violent?
Yes, with fights and killings.
Is Evan Smoak like Jack Reacher?
Both are lone fixers, but Evan uses technology and planning.
What should I read next?
Try The Nowhere Man or Killing Floor.
Is Orphan X a series?
Yes, with several books following Evan Smoak, plus a spin-off featuring other characters.
Is the main character a Bourne-style assassin?
Yes, but he now uses his skills to help people.