Gregg Hurwitz Books in Order (Updated September 9, 2026)

Gregg Hurwitz writes action thrillers, psychological suspense, comics, screen stories, and young adult fiction. His best known creation is Evan Smoak, the former government assassin known as Orphan X and the Nowhere Man, but his earlier work includes the four-book Tim Rackley series and standalones such as You’re Next, The Survivor, Tell No Lies, and Don’t Look Back.

The cleanest way through Hurwitz’s bibliography is to keep Orphan X and Tim Rackley in their own series, then read the remaining thrillers as standalones. Orphan X is designed so individual books can work on their own, but Evan’s relationships and personal development make publication order the stronger long-term experience.

Pick your Gregg Hurwitz entry point

1. Start with Orphan X if you want Hurwitz’s main modern action-thriller series and the beginning of Evan Smoak’s continuing story.
2. Start with The Kill Clause if you want Tim Rackley, a darker four-book U.S. Marshals sequence built around vengeance, justice, and family.
3. Start with You’re Next or The Survivor if you want a high-stakes standalone thriller before committing to a series.
4. Start with The Rains if you want Hurwitz’s separate young adult apocalyptic series.

Orphan X books with the story behind every title

Gregg Hurwitz’s own recommended series order runs from Orphan X through Antihero. The novels follow Evan Smoak as he tries to use the skills forced on him by the secret Orphan Program to help people who have nowhere else to turn.

1. Orphan X (2016): Evan Smoak is introduced as a former black-program assassin who now operates as the Nowhere Man, answering desperate calls from people who need help outside the normal system.
2. The Nowhere Man (2017): Evan becomes the captive rather than the rescuer when a criminal organization targets him, forcing him to escape while concealing the deeper secrets of his identity.
3. Hellbent (2018): A final message from Evan’s mentor Jack Johns gives him a new mission involving a young woman connected to the Orphan Program and forces Evan to protect someone from the system that created him.
4. Out of the Dark (2019): Evan decides to target one of the most powerful men in the United States after tracing the destruction of the Orphan Program back toward the highest levels of government.
5. Into the Fire (2020): Evan answers what should be a straightforward Nowhere Man request, but each person he eliminates reveals another layer of danger behind the original problem.
6. Prodigal Son (2021): A woman claiming a deeply personal connection to Evan pulls him toward questions about his own origins while another threat develops around advanced technology and assassination.
7. Dark Horse (2022): Evan accepts a mission from a powerful man whose daughter has been kidnapped, creating an uneasy alliance between the Nowhere Man and a client whose own life operates outside ordinary law.
8. The Last Orphan (2023): Evan faces pressure from the government and is pushed toward a mission whose target forces him to decide how much compromise his personal code can survive.
9. Lone Wolf (2024): A seemingly ordinary search for a missing dog draws Evan into a dangerous world of wealth, surveillance, artificial intelligence, and a professional killer operating with very different rules.
10. Nemesis (2025): Evan’s loyalty to the people he has allowed into his life collides with one of his most difficult personal conflicts, making friendship and betrayal as important as the mission itself.
11. Antihero (2026): Evan reaches another turning point in his attempt to balance the Nowhere Man mission with a normal life, then a captive young woman named Brooke Hawthorne draws him into an operation controlled by a meticulous and dangerous architect.

The novels can often be understood individually, but the emotional arc is cumulative. Mia, Peter, Joey, Tommy, Candy, Aragón, and the surviving connections to Evan’s Orphan past become more meaningful when the books are read from the beginning.

Why Orphan X works better in publication order

Evan begins the series as someone who has built his entire life around control, isolation, and rules. Each later book tests those boundaries by adding people he cares about and forcing him to decide whether protecting them makes him stronger or more vulnerable.

Jumping directly into a later novel will still provide an action thriller, but it reduces the impact of Evan’s relationships with characters such as Joey and Mia and the long-running consequences of the Orphan Program.

Orphan X short stories and bonus missions

Hurwitz has also published shorter Orphan X material. These pieces are optional and should supplement the novels rather than replace them.

1. Buy a Bullet (2016): A shorter Evan Smoak mission expands the early Orphan X period and gives readers another compact example of how the Nowhere Man responds when someone needs help.
2. The Intern (2018): A short Orphan X story places the series’ skills and moral choices into a smaller mission that can be read between the full novels.
3. The List (2020): Evan becomes involved in another concentrated threat whose shorter form makes it useful supplemental reading during the middle of the series.
4. The Code: Another Orphan X short story that extends the Nowhere Man world without functioning as a numbered novel.
5. The Recital (2023): Joey Morales takes a particularly important role while Evan, Tommy Stojack, Candy McClure, and Aragón Urrea connect the story to the wider recurring cast.
6. The Damage Man: A later short Orphan X mission adds another compact case for readers who want every piece of Evan Smoak fiction.
7. Orphan X: A Mysterious Profile to the OX Stories (2025): This supplemental publication is best treated as bonus Orphan X material rather than another numbered Evan Smoak novel.

Exact placement of the short pieces matters much less than novel order. New readers can finish several novels first and then use the stories as additional missions between larger books.

Tim Rackley books from vengeance to Last Shot

Before Orphan X, Hurwitz wrote four connected thrillers centered on U.S. deputy marshal Tim Rackley. The series is darker and more personally focused than Evan Smoak’s mission-driven structure, with Tim’s marriage and family remaining central throughout.

1. The Kill Clause (2003): Tim Rackley’s daughter is murdered, and the failure of the justice system pushes the deputy U.S. marshal toward a secret vigilante organization called the Commission.
2. The Program (2004): Tim returns to operational work to retrieve the daughter of a powerful producer from a manipulative cult and must go undercover inside a system designed to break individual identity.
3. Troubleshooter (2005): The leader of a violent biker gang escapes custody, and Tim’s pursuit becomes intensely personal when his pregnant wife Dray is attacked.
4. Last Shot (2006): Tim hunts escaped Recon Marine Walker Jameson, whose violent campaign against a pharmaceutical company creates an adversary whose training can match Tim’s own.

Read all four in order: unlike many Orphan X missions, Tim Rackley’s family and career move through one continuing arc. Last Shot is the final Tim Rackley novel.

Hurwitz before Tim Rackley: the first three thrillers

1. The Tower (1999): Psychopathic killer Allander Atlasia escapes an extreme-security prison and begins a personal killing campaign while damaged former FBI profiler Jade Marlow tries to stop him.
2. Minutes to Burn (2001): Navy SEALs and scientists reach the Galápagos and confront a predatory biological threat that turns an expedition into a survival battle.
3. Do No Harm (2002): Emergency-room chief David Spier must treat a vicious attacker as a patient, and the medical duty he cannot abandon leaves his hospital and the people around him exposed to further violence.

These books are independent of one another and can be read in any order, although publication order shows Hurwitz moving from serial-killer suspense into biological action and medical thriller territory.

The standalone thriller run after Tim Rackley

1. The Crime Writer (2007), published as I See You in the UK: Crime novelist Drew Danner wakes after brain surgery with no memory of whether he murdered his former fiancée and must investigate himself as if he were one of his own fictional suspects.
2. Trust No One (2009), published as We Know in the UK: Nick Horrigan is dragged into a national-security crisis that reconnects him with the traumatic event that destroyed his family life twenty years earlier.
3. They’re Watching (2010), published as Or She Dies in the UK: Failed screenwriter Patrick Davis receives recordings proving that someone is secretly watching him and his wife, then becomes trapped in a coercive game controlled by unseen opponents.
4. You’re Next (2011): Mike Wingate’s apparently stable family life is threatened by people connected to a childhood past he cannot remember, forcing him to seek help from a dangerous friend from foster care.
5. The Survivor (2012): Former soldier Nate Overbay is preparing to end his own life when armed robbers storm a bank, giving him an unexpected reason to fight and drawing him into a final effort to protect the people he loves.
6. Tell No Lies (2013): Counselor Daniel Brasher accidentally receives threatening messages intended for other people and becomes the link between victims targeted by a calculating killer.
7. Don’t Look Back (2014): Newly single mother Eve Hardaway joins an adventure trip in Mexico and becomes stranded in a remote landscape with a predator willing to kill to protect a secret.

These seven books do not share characters. Read them by publication year if you want Hurwitz’s development as a thriller writer, or choose whichever premise interests you most.

Alternate titles that can make the Hurwitz shelf look larger

• The Crime Writer and I See You: Different-market titles for the same novel about Drew Danner investigating whether he committed murder.
• Trust No One and We Know: Different titles for the same Nick Horrigan conspiracy thriller.
• They’re Watching and Or She Dies: Different titles for the same Patrick Davis surveillance thriller.

Check the protagonist and premise before buying both editions. These are title changes, not sequels.

The Rains young adult books in order

Hurwitz also wrote a separate young adult science-fiction and survival sequence. It has no connection to Tim Rackley or Orphan X.

1. The Rains (2016): Brothers Chance and Patrick Rain face a terrifying transformation affecting adults in their community and must protect younger survivors as familiar people become threats.
2. Last Chance (2017): The brothers’ survival struggle continues as the danger established in The Rains expands and the remaining young survivors search for a way to fight back.

Order matters: Last Chance is the continuation of The Rains and should always be read second.

The Delivery is a separate Gregg Hurwitz novella

• The Delivery (2026): A standalone novella that sits outside Orphan X and Tim Rackley, giving readers a shorter Hurwitz thriller without requiring knowledge of either recurring series.

Hurwitz himself has recommended The Delivery as one possible next read for people who finish Orphan X and want to explore his work outside Evan Smoak.

Gregg Hurwitz novels by publication year

1999 to 2006

1. The Tower (1999): Hurwitz’s early serial-killer thriller pits an escaped psychopath against a former FBI profiler with his own psychological damage.
2. Minutes to Burn (2001): A military-science expedition in the Galápagos becomes a battle for survival against an evolving biological threat.
3. Do No Harm (2002): A doctor’s professional obligation to treat a dangerous patient creates escalating consequences inside and outside the hospital.
4. The Kill Clause (2003): Tim Rackley’s grief over his daughter’s murder introduces the four-book series and its conflict between justice and vengeance.
5. The Program (2004): Rackley enters a cult-like organization undercover to retrieve a young woman trapped inside its system of control.
6. Troubleshooter (2005): A biker-gang escape puts Rackley into a manhunt that becomes personal when his wife is targeted.
7. Last Shot (2006): Rackley’s final novel sends him after a highly trained fugitive conducting a violent campaign against a pharmaceutical company.

2007 to 2014

8. The Crime Writer (2007): Drew Danner becomes both investigator and suspect after waking with no memory of the murder he may have committed.
9. Trust No One (2009): Nick Horrigan’s past returns when federal agents force him into a crisis involving a nuclear facility and hidden political secrets.
10. They’re Watching (2010): Patrick Davis discovers that hidden cameras and threatening instructions are turning his private life into a controlled experiment.
11. You’re Next (2011): An abandoned child’s forgotten past threatens the adult family life he spent years building.
12. The Survivor (2012): Nate Overbay’s planned final day is interrupted by a bank robbery and transformed into a violent chance to protect his family.
13. Tell No Lies (2013): Anonymous death threats that arrive in the wrong place make counselor Daniel Brasher part of a killer’s pattern.
14. Don’t Look Back (2014): Eve Hardaway must survive both a remote Mexican wilderness and a man determined to protect his secret.

2016 to 2026

15. Orphan X (2016): Evan Smoak begins the Nowhere Man mission and the series that becomes Hurwitz’s central thriller franchise.
16. The Rains (2016): Hurwitz opens a separate young adult survival series involving brothers facing a terrifying transformation of the adults around them.
17. The Nowhere Man (2017): Evan is captured and must survive being the target instead of the rescuer.
18. Last Chance (2017): The Rains story continues directly as the young survivors confront the next stage of the threat.
19. Hellbent (2018): Evan receives a final mission tied to Jack Johns and another young survivor of the Orphan Program.
20. Out of the Dark (2019): Evan turns his attention toward the powerful people responsible for destroying the program that made him.
21. Into the Fire (2020): A Nowhere Man request expands through multiple layers of enemies instead of ending with the first target.
22. Prodigal Son (2021): Evan’s search for answers about his own past becomes inseparable from a new technological threat.
23. Dark Horse (2022): Evan works for a powerful client to recover a kidnapped daughter while navigating the client’s own criminal world.
24. The Last Orphan (2023): Evan’s code comes under pressure when government demands and a morally complicated target collide.
25. Lone Wolf (2024): A small personal favor opens into a dangerous investigation involving technology, wealth, and another elite killer.
26. Nemesis (2025): Evan’s personal relationships become central as loyalty and conflict threaten the fragile life he has built around the missions.
27. Antihero (2026): Evan responds to Brooke Hawthorne’s captivity and confronts an operation whose architect treats the Nowhere Man as a threat that must be eliminated.
28. The Delivery (2026): This standalone novella gives readers a separate short-form thriller outside the Orphan X continuity.

Which Gregg Hurwitz books are actually connected?

Orphan X is one continuing Evan Smoak series. Reading it from Orphan X through Antihero gives the strongest character arc.

Tim Rackley is a separate four-book sequence beginning with The Kill Clause and ending with Last Shot.

The Rains and Last Chance form a separate two-book young adult story.

The remaining major adult thrillers are standalones. Similar themes such as damaged protagonists, family protection, conspiracies, tactical violence, and moral pressure do not place them in the same continuity.

A new-reader route after Orphan X

Readers who finish Evan Smoak and want to see the range of Hurwitz’s earlier thrillers can use this route:

1. The Delivery (2026): Use the short standalone novella as a quick transition away from Evan Smoak.
2. The Survivor (2012): Move into a standalone centered on an ex-soldier whose worst day unexpectedly becomes a reason to keep fighting.
3. You’re Next (2011): Follow with a family-protection thriller driven by an adult protagonist’s missing childhood history.
4. The Kill Clause (2003): Start Tim Rackley’s four-book series if you want another recurring action protagonist.
5. Tell No Lies (2013): Try a more psychological standalone built around anonymous threats and an ordinary professional pulled into a killer’s plan.
6. Don’t Look Back (2014): Finish the sampler with wilderness survival and a protagonist who has to become resourceful under extreme pressure.

Current Orphan X release status

As of September 9, 2026, Antihero is the eleventh Orphan X novel and the latest full-length Evan Smoak installment.

Gregg Hurwitz continues to identify Orphan X as his main ongoing novel series. The official order currently runs through Antihero.

Gregg Hurwitz books in order FAQ

What Gregg Hurwitz book should I read first?

Start with Orphan X if you want his main continuing series. Start with The Survivor or You’re Next if you prefer a standalone.

Do Orphan X books have to be read in order?

Individual missions can often stand on their own, but publication order is strongly recommended because Evan’s relationships, personal history, and attempts to build a normal life develop continuously.

What is the latest Orphan X book?

Antihero, published in 2026, is the latest full-length Orphan X novel as of this update.

How many Tim Rackley books are there?

There are four: The Kill Clause, The Program, Troubleshooter, and Last Shot.

Will there be another Tim Rackley novel?

Hurwitz has said there are no current plans for another Rackley novel. Last Shot remains the final book in the sequence.

Are The Crime Writer and I See You different books?

No. I See You is an alternate-market title for The Crime Writer.

Are Trust No One and We Know different novels?

No. They are different titles for the same Nick Horrigan thriller.

Are They’re Watching and Or She Dies the same book?

Yes. Or She Dies is the UK title for the novel published as They’re Watching in the United States.

Where does The Delivery fit?

The Delivery is a 2026 standalone novella. It is not an Orphan X or Tim Rackley installment and can be read independently.

The cleanest Gregg Hurwitz reading plan

Read Orphan X from Orphan X through Antihero in publication order. Add the shorter Evan Smoak stories as optional bonus material rather than interrupting the novels every time a short piece appears.

Read Tim Rackley separately from The Kill Clause through Last Shot, then treat The Tower, Minutes to Burn, Do No Harm, and the later standalone thrillers as independent books.

If you want Hurwitz beyond adult action thrillers, read The Rains before Last Chance for his two-book young adult series, and use The Delivery whenever you want a short standalone thriller.