John Milton
thriller
Series · thriller
Orphan X
The Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz has 17 known books (17 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Orphan X (2016). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Damage Man. The next announced book, Last Man Standing, is due 9 February 2027.
- Books
- 17 known books (11 novels + 6 short stories)
- Published
- 17
- First published
- 2016
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Thriller
- Last checked
Start here: Orphan X (2016) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Orphan X
Orphan X opens Gregg Hurwitz's series in 2016, introducing Evan Smoak -- taken from a Baltimore foster home at twelve, raised inside a black-budget government program, and trained into the deniable assassin Orphan X -- as he goes rogue and reinvents himself as the Nowhere Man, helping people with nowhere else to turn. It runs 400 pages and is the first of the numbered novels that tell one continuous, spoiler-heavy story.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Orphan X - Book 2:
Buy a Bullet
Buy a Bullet is the first of Hurwitz's short digital-only stories slotted between the numbered Orphan X novels, published on 11 October 2016 at position 1.5. Like the other between-volume stories, it fleshes out supporting characters such as Joey Morales and is optional reading -- new readers can skip straight from novel to novel. It runs a brief 16 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Buy a Bullet - Book 3:
The Nowhere Man
The Nowhere Man, published 17 January 2017, is the second Orphan X novel, continuing Evan's halting attempts to build a normal life in his fortress-like L.A. condo while the Orphan Program's other graduates close in. It runs 400 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Nowhere Man - Book 4:
Hellbent
Hellbent (2018) is the third Orphan X novel, built like the rest of the series around a propulsive rescue-or-revenge mission while slowly filling in Evan Smoak's traumatic backstory and his found family of fellow orphans. It runs 416 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hellbent - Book 5:
The Intern
The Intern, released 18 December 2018, is another of Hurwitz's short digital-only between-volume stories, numbered 3.5 in the series and fleshing out supporting characters like Joey Morales. Optional but part of the complete timeline, it runs 16 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Intern - Book 6:
Out of the Dark
Out of the Dark, from 2019, is the fourth Orphan X novel, continuing the series' throughline of hyper-competent tactical violence paired with a genuine engagement with trauma and found-family themes. It runs 424 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Out of the Dark - Book 7:
Into the Fire
Into the Fire, published 28 January 2020, is the fifth Orphan X novel, one of the numbered entries that build continuously on Evan Smoak's fractured past with the Orphan Program and the mysterious Prophet targeting him. It runs 464 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Into the Fire - Book 8:
The List
The List, from August 2020, is a between-volume short story numbered 5.5 in the series, part of the optional digital-only strand that fills in supporting characters without advancing the main numbered novels' plot. It runs 44 pages, longer than most of Hurwitz's other short stories in this format.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The List - Book 9:
Prodigal Son
Prodigal Son, published 26 January 2021, is the sixth Orphan X novel and one of the longer entries in the series at 504 pages, continuing Gregg Hurwitz's mix of propulsive mission-driven plotting and Evan's slow-building emotional backstory.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Prodigal Son - Book 10:
Dark Horse
Dark Horse (2022) is the seventh Orphan X novel, published 8 February that year, keeping to the series' pattern of a rescue-or-revenge mission woven around Evan Smoak's continuing attempts at a normal life. It runs 432 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dark Horse - Book 11:
The Last Orphan
The Last Orphan, from 2023, is the eighth Orphan X novel, one of the numbered entries that must be read in publication order since the series tells one continuous story building on earlier books. It runs 352 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Last Orphan - Book 12:
The Recital
The Recital, released 7 November 2023, is a between-volume short story numbered 8.5, part of the optional digital-only strand -- Buy a Bullet, The Intern, The List and The Code among them -- that fleshes out supporting characters alongside the main novels. At 82 pages it's one of the longer entries in that format.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Recital - Book 13:
Lone Wolf
Lone Wolf, published 13 February 2024, is the ninth Orphan X novel, continuing the series' emotional throughline of Evan's found family of neighbors and fellow orphans alongside its trademark tactical violence. It runs 416 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Lone Wolf - Book 14:
Nemesis
Nemesis, from 11 February 2025, is the tenth Orphan X novel -- its slug is kept distinct in this catalogue from unrelated novels sharing the same title elsewhere. It runs 481 pages, continuing the series' mythology of the Orphan Program's other graduates.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Nemesis - Book 15:
The Code
The Code, published 2 September 2025, is the latest of Hurwitz's between-volume short stories, numbered 10.5 and issued digital-only like The List and The Recital before it. It runs 46 pages and, like the others in that strand, is optional reading that fills in supporting characters.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Code - Book 16:
Antihero
Antihero, published 10 February 2026, is the eleventh Orphan X novel, continuing Evan Smoak's story ahead of the next full novel, Last Man Standing, confirmed for 2027. It runs 366 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Antihero - Book 17:
The Damage Man
The Damage Man, published 1 September 2026, is the latest Orphan X short story, numbered 11.5 between Antihero (11) and the next full novel, Last Man Standing (12). Evan Smoak agrees to help a desperate father find his estranged son, a case that turns personal as it brushes against Evan's own birth father. It runs 64 pages and, like the earlier between-volume stories, is optional reading that fills in supporting threads rather than the main numbered plot.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Damage Man
About the Orphan X series
Evan Smoak was taken from a Baltimore foster home at twelve, raised inside a black-budget government program, and trained into Orphan X — an off-the-books assassin so deniable that even the CIA barely admits he exists. When the Orphan Program turns on him, Evan goes rogue, reinvents himself as the Nowhere Man, and starts using his lethal skill set to help people with nowhere else to turn: for a single favor and a phone number passed hand to hand, he'll make one impossible problem disappear. Gregg Hurwitz — who has written for Marvel Comics and consulted with the FBI and Navy SEALs on his research — builds each book around a propulsive rescue-or-revenge mission while slowly filling in Evan's own traumatic backstory and the Orphan Program's other, more dangerous graduates.
What sets the series apart from similar lone-assassin thrillers is its emotional throughline: Evan's halting, often very funny attempts to build a normal life in his fortress-like L.A. condo, his found family of neighbors and fellow orphans, and a genuine engagement with trauma and found-family themes alongside the trademark hyper-competent tactical violence. It's a good fit for readers who loved the Jason Bourne premise but want more interiority and a slower-building mythology across the series.
Frequently asked questions
How many Orphan X books are there?
There are 11 full novels as of Antihero (2026), plus five digital-only short stories (Buy a Bullet, The Intern, The List, The Recital, The Code) — 16 titles in total.
What order should I read the Orphan X books in?
Publication order, starting with Orphan X (2016). The series is continuous, following Evan Smoak's past and relationships across every book.
Do I need to read the Orphan X short stories?
No, they're optional extras that mostly follow supporting character Joey Morales, but they fit chronologically at the half-numbers (1.5, 3.5, 5.5, 8.5, 10.5) between the numbered novels if you want the full timeline.
Is the Orphan X series finished?
No, it's ongoing. Gregg Hurwitz has published a new full novel almost every year since 2016, and the 12th, Last Man Standing, is already scheduled.
When is the next Orphan X book coming out?
The next release is the short story The Damage Man (1 September 2026), followed by the 12th full novel, Last Man Standing, on 9 February 2027.
If you like the Orphan X series
Reading order last verified .