Gregg Hurwitz has outdone himself with Nemesis, a pensive and explosive knock-down-drag-out of a thriller that will leave you more drained than one of Orphan X’s high-end bottles of vodka after a tough mission. It’s an emotional, action-packed, turning point kind of story that will make you think about friendship, morality, and humanity while enjoying merciless violence and brutal battles to the death.
Evan Smoak is pissed off with his friend and armorer Tommy Stojack, feeling that Tommy has crossed a line and sold weapons to some bad people who did bad things with them. When Evan goes to Tommy’s shop to confront him, he’s ambushed by half a dozen men trying to kill him. They are unsuccessful and now Evan wants to kill Tommy even more than before. Meanwhile, Tommy has traveled to a rural community to help the son of an old Army buddy whose dying wish was for Tommy to look after his kid. And the kid is in a ton of trouble, spouting racist ideology and taking part in the murder of innocent people. Evan tracks Tommy down to this small town, learns about the murders, and determines this group deserves to die along with Tommy. To add fuel to the already white-hot fire, a group of assassins have been hired to take out Tommy. It all comes to a head with a violent collision of forces with the only question being who will survive this deadly encounter of extremely capable operators.
There is a ton happening in Nemesis. The feud between Evan and Tommy takes center stage and is distressing enough to witness good friends on the warpath to kill each other rather than hash things out peacefully. Then add the continuously worsening, gut wrenching details of the rural racist group that Tommy is trying to advise and possibly hold accountable for their heinous actions, imbecilic views and senseless decisions. And then throw in Evan’s “niece” Joey’s crisis born out of good intensions and trying to fit in with a group of women at college, only to find she’s played an unwitting part in a spread of hurtful information. But wait, there’s more. There’s a group of savagely depraved assassins gleefully taking out their targets and setting their sights on Tommy. It’s a lot to take in.
But holy schnikes, it is outrageously fantastic and beautifully executed. Each story line connects with the others and comes together perfectly. Along the way, you’ll feel the full gamut of emotions and have strong opinions on the actions of every individual and what you believe the consequences should be. Additionally, Evan starts to show some vulnerability and cracks in the façade of his Orphan X/Nowhere Man persona. Does it mean he’s becoming more flexible and more human? Time will tell. But for now, it’s more than enough to witness him kicking ass, evaluating his actions, searching his feelings and doing what he does best – helping innocents in need and righting the wrongs they have experienced. Entertaining and intriguing as hell. A brilliant continuation of this exceptional, must-read series.
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Purchase Nemesis
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Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
