Orphan X deals with his past

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz, Penguin Random House, $37

Gregg Hurwitz’s Evan Smoak is the prodigal son in this, his sixth episode, since he launched the character Orphan X. X is a uniquely trained one man army but he wants out of his role as a killing machine. The Nowhere Man who comes to the rescue when he’s asked.

Now Orphan X wants to retire from the violence he has delivered. Trouble is, retiring from the role isn’t as easy as handing in your notice. Alongside a young extraordinary computer and trainee in the Orphan programme he decides to seek out his own family who he hasn’t had contact with since he was dumped into care, and before he was then drafted into programme himself.

The critical finale leaves the reader in doubt as to whether Evan Smoak will return. At least he gets to discover peace when his quest for family ties brings closure.