Out of the Dark (Orphan X, #4)

by Gregg Hurwitz

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4★⎮I was fortunate enough to have begun listening to this series only a few months after the fourth installment was released and while I still had momentum from binging the first three books. Out of the Dark felt like the ending of a series, even though I'm told there will be more installments to come. If it wasn't the end of the series, I can only assume that Out of the Dark was the closing of a major plot arc.

Out of the Dark provides us with satisfying closure. If it was the end of the series, it would be a great final installment. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that Hurwitz is continuing this series and I can't wait for more Evan Smoak, but I have to wonder what's next. This installment concluded the major conspiracy storyline that was set into motion several books ago. With that concluded, what will Evan do now? Will there be fallout from the major events of this installment? Or will Hurwitz pick at one of the loose threads from The Nowhere Man?

With the main character still very much in play, there are plenty of options for further installments. I would like to see Evan go back to the beginning and continue his vigilante justice, on a smaller scale. Out of the Dark is the culmination of three books worth of events and it took place on a grand/national stage (in D.C.). The change of pace and setting was nice, but I'd like to see Evan back in his loft, helping everyday people.

Out of the Dark had a theme of government conspiracy and that's not really my jam, just because I've already read so much like it. This installment actually seemed more like a generic spy thriller, which is exactly what I didn't want. It was the complete opposite of the first book. Out of the Dark turned Evan Smoak into Jack Reacher type character and took away a lot of what I loved about him in the previous installments. I mean, he was still very much himself in the way that he did things, but it was almost like he was pretending to be a Jack Reacher type. He was doing Jack Reacher things in an Evan Smoak away, if that makes sense.

This is definitely a series worth returning to, possibly even pre-ordering. It has so much potential that I could see it going on for a very long time. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in "spy thrillers", but tired of the same old same. Evan Smoak is a breath of fresh air and Hurwitz's writing is unbeatable!