Hellbent (Hurwitz novel)

Hellbent is a thriller novel written by American author Gregg Hurwitz.It was Hurwitz's third book in Orphan X series, preceded by The Nowhere Man (2017), and was followed by Out of the Dark (2019).^[1]

In the novel, Evan Smoak, the legendary former government assassin, finds himself on a personal mission to protect the daughter of his murdered mentor, Jack Johns.^[2] The book was released on January 30, 2018, by Minotaur Books. The audiobook is narrated by American voice actor Scott Brick.^[3]

Evan Smoak receives a final call from Jack Johns during a dark hour. Jack dies when his house explodes from a gas bomb, Evan feels a great loss. He knows the men who killed his friend want him too, he finds a package Jack left in a safe. It has a name and a small photo inside, the name is Joey Morales. She is a young girl with a bright mind for math.

Men in suits follow Evan, he kills them in a park near the river at night. He meets Joey at her school, she is a hacker and is fast with code. Joey does not trust him in the hall, he tells her Jack sent him to save her. The killers are Orphans from the new program, they use tech to find every move he makes.

Evan takes Joey to a room, he gives her food and a laptop. A man named Draker is the leader in the field, he is stern and acts on every order from the top. Evan visits Mia for a short time, he cannot stay long. He looks for a hard drive Jack hid, it holds the names of bad men. Joey finds a signal points to a camp in the hills.

Evan buys gear for a fight, he gets body pads and rounds for his rifle, they move to a motel. Evan watches the door while Joey works on her screen, a team finds their room. Evan uses a flash bang to blind the squad in the hall, he drives a fast car through a thin alley. Joey keeps her eyes shut during the turn, they hide in a junk yard. Evan fixes a leak in the fuel tank with tape. Joey talks about her past and the pain, she was an Orphan too but she ran away early.

Evan sees a drone in the sky, he shoots it down with one shot. He calls a man he knows from the old days for aid. He needs a large truck, Van Sciver kills a witness in a flat. He is closing in on the Nowhere Man and the girl.

Evan sets a trap at a warehouse, he uses gas and wire to hold the ground. The Orphans arrive in black vans, they have night vision and guns. Evan fights them in the dark near the crates, he uses a knife to take out the first two. Joey shuts down their comms with a virus, the team cannot talk to each other on site.

Evan finds the drive in a steel box, he escapes through a hatch on the roof. Joey is waiting in the truck. They drive to a cabin in the woods to hide, Joey looks at the files. The data shows a list of boys in the program to save, the leader is a man in the Cabinet. He wants to wipe the slate clean with a fire.

Evan knows he must kill this man to end it, he leaves Joey with a gun for safety. He walks to the house, he kills the guards at the gate with ease. Draker is inside the hall with a blade, he waits for Evan for blood, they fight on the stairs with fists and steel. Evan takes a hit but he does not stop, he kicks Draker through a glass wall the killer falls to the floor and dies.

Evan finds the leader in his office, the man begs for his life and money. Evan does not listen to him or his lies, he ends the man who killed his teacher. He burns the files on the desk, he takes Joey away from the scene. He buys her a house in a quiet town, she will be safe there from the bad men. Evan returns to his own home, he looks at the photo of Jack with a sigh. Evan waits for the next call on his phone, he knows he is the only one who helps the lost.

• Evan Smoak (Orphan X): The man who walks alone and helps those with no hope.
• Charles Van Sciver: A man from the old days who still hunts Evan.
• Jack Johns: Evan's teacher who dies in a blast at his house.
• Tommy Stojack: A man who helps Evan with gear and guns.
• Jordan Thornhill (Orphan R): A killer from the program who is sent to find Evan.
• Jim Harville: A man with a dark past.
• Giovanna: A woman who knows the cost of the life Evan leads.
• Mia Hall: Evan's neighbor who wants a normal life with him.
• Peter Hall: Mia's son who likes to talk to Evan.
• Lorilee Smithson: A woman with a role in the high-rank group.
• Melinda Truong: A name on the list of bad names.
• Candy McClure: A woman who knows the tech of the program well.
• Ida Rosenbaum: A woman who lives in the same house as Evan.
• Tim Draker (Orphan L): A lethal man who waits for Evan with a blade.
• David Smith: A man with a generic name but a real threat.
• Josephine "Joey" Morales: A young girl with a fast mind for math and code.
• Xavier Orellana: A man caught in the traps of the bad men.
• Jonathan Bennett: A man with a high rank and a cold heart for the Orphans.
• Benito Orellana: Xavier who is also in danger.
• Paul Delmonico: A man who knows too much for his own good.
• Shane Shea: A man in the field for the program.

Hellbent was well received by critics, including a starred review from Booklist, whose David Pitt claimed Hellbent called it "a great novel, perhaps the darkest in the series so far".^[4] Kirkus Reviews said the novel is "as well-done as the rest of the series and bloody good fun".^[5] BookReporter's claimed, Hurwitz is "incapable of writing badly", praising the characters and plot.^[6] Publishers Weekly noted that Hellbent includes some genre clichés but concluded that the novel should please fans.^[7]

In a review for the audiobook, Booklist highlighted how narrator Brick "pulls listeners into the story and forces us to pay attention; like Hurwitz’s first-class writing, Brick’s narration offers no easy place at which to put the book aside. We’re stuck, riveted, until the final scenes."^[3]

Booklist included Hellbent on their list of the top ten crime novels of 2018.^[8]

• Official website