THE NOWHERE MAN

The high-energy and hairy-chested sequel to Orphan X (2016).

Evan Smoak used to be Orphan X, a product of a “deep-black” Department of Defense project. Now that Evan’s on his own, he’s become the Nowhere Man with a bulging Swiss bank account, amazing killing skills, and the itch to rescue people who call for his help. Evan’s nemesis, Charles Van Sciver, is a fellow Orphan and mortal enemy with a mission to kill former Orphans because they know too much. Specifically, his “profoundly personal” mission is to kill Evan. So far, that’s standard good-guy vs. bad-guy fare with the promise of a high body count. But a couple of colorful characters add to the fun: Candy McClure, a superhot centerfold babe from the anterior and a Freddy Krueger look-alike from the posterior. For the latter she can thank Evan and a lot of hydrofluoric acid. Ouch! And there is René Cassaroy, who has the rare AB blood type and is obsessed with living forever. When the Need rages and gnashes inside him, his doctor infuses him with blood from captive children, part of his anti-aging regimen. To finance this Need, he wants Evan to wire him all his money. But Evan is no pushover; in a fight, his “body coiled and exploded into a Superman punch.” As an awestruck foe reports, “Guy was like a typhoon. It was pretty insane.” Give him a weapon, and he’s even worse: in one fight, Evan severs an enemy’s hand with piano wire. Evan dispatches a villain called the Great White Sark who lies in a heap, “his face and chest missing as if scooped out.…Impossibly, he wiggled.” When, late in the book, Van Sciver is asked if it’s OK to kill Evan if necessary, the answer by now should be obvious—go for it, but lotsa luck.

Thriller fans craving action and violence will enjoy this one.