Lone Wolf opens more personally than any other book in Gregg Hurwitz’s New York Times bestselling Orphan X series — assassin Evan Smoak is in rough shape, an emotional mess at the conclusion of The Last Orphan, where Hurwitz leaves Evan knocking on the door of the man who may be his biological father.
“And then here, this tiny case comes along — a missing dog, something easy to get him back on his feet,” Hurwitz says. “But of course that’s not how it works in Orphan X’s life, and the mission quickly explodes into the biggest one yet.”
Truer words may never have been spoken. It’s a case in which Evan finds himself battered between twisted AI technocrat billionaires, a mysterious female assassin, and very personal high stakes.
The path of this story follows the “swallowed the spider to catch the fly” model, Hurwitz says.
Which is basically to say that in Lone Wolf, Evan may be in over his head. In this Q&A with BookTrib, Hurwitz talks more about the 9th book in his fan-favorite Orphan X series, the characters he can’t let go, and what readers can look forward to next.
The series — and this book — has required extensive research. What can you share about some of the difficult — or fun — things you learned for Lone Wolf, perhaps specifically related to AI, which features in this book.
I spend months doing research. I went to Vegas to visit one of my consultants, a world-renowned sniper and armorer, who got me onto every gun I write about, from Benelli combat shotguns to custom 1911 pistols. I trained — badly in mixed martial arts, familiarizing my face with the training mat, and even went undercover into a mind-control cult once. I talked to guys who have led operations that you’ve seen on CNN, who have gone into hostile territory, under deep cover, and played offense in some of the most dangerous theatres in the world. I’ve blown up cars on demolition ranges and swam with sharks — anything to give the reader a front-row seat to the action. As for AI, I was able to talk to leading experts in the field from a variety of angles. It was fascinating to dive into this starting years ago, before AI became the main conversation everyone is having.
Although I imagine there’s a certain comfort in returning to Evan every year, keeping a bestselling series going is a formidable feat. What brings you back each year — and in what way does Evan continue to surprise you?
One of my favorite things about writing Evan Smoak is the way he changes across the stories. When he was first taken out of the foster home, his handler and father figure told him, “The hard part isn’t turning you into a killer. The hard part is keeping you human.” As much as the Orphan X books are a thriller series, they’re also about Evan’s process of learning what it means to be human.
I really enjoy the relationship between Evan and Joey in this book. Can you share a little about how you continue to craft their dynamic and why her character is important to the series.
I was planning to kill Joey at the end of Hellbent! You can see right in the book where her death was supposed to happen. But when I got there, I just couldn’t do it. Her energy, her vulnerabilities, her humor all bring out so many facets of Evan. She’s become one of the most important characters in the series, and is a big part of Evan’s learning to speak “the strange language of intimacy.”
Writing a series is different today than it used to be — more and more, each book needs to be a standalone, even when readers are attached to a character, a book gets missed for some reason or another. How do you strike that precarious balance between satisfying loyal fans and enticing new readers to jump aboard?
At this point it happens naturally. I always make sure to reset the world for new readers coming aboard but I also move the series along in a bigger way for ongoing readers. I try to make sure each book ends on a note of completion… but then I turn over another card that serves as a cliffhanger for what’s to come. So, it’s a bit of a balancing act.
This character — and series — is primed for TV. I read that it was optioned a few years ago — and then likely stalled by the Writers and Actors’ strikes this past year. Is there anything you can tell us about developments, if any, on this front?
No – but exciting news coming soon!
What can you share about what you’re working on next? Safe to assume it’s the 10th book in this series?
I’m neck-deep in #10. Can’t wait for readers to see what I have planned. There will be a moment of culmination in the tenth Orphan X book, after which nothing will be the same.
