The inside cover page of NEMESIS features a huge X, which is perfect as this is the 10th installment in Gregg Hurwitz's stellar Orphan X series. It also proves to be the most personal mission yet for Evan Smoak.

On the dedication page, Hurwitz includes a poignant quote from Tommy Stojack: "A friend's a person who's right when they tell you you're wrong." Tommy is Evan’s best friend who supplies him with much of his special weaponry throughout the series.

"The final act is unrelenting and makes the first two-thirds of the novel seem like a walk in the park by comparison. I found the denouement to be satisfying and even a tad heart-wrenching."

Since Orphan X was literally created by a black-ops government agency, he is programmed to live by a mission statement that includes numbered commandments. However, he is about to break one of them: Rule #4: Never make it personal. Evan never thought he would be tasked with finding and stopping a friend who has become a traitor. He will struggle like we have never seen before, and the likelihood of his success is impacted by this mission.

Throughout NEMESIS, there is a secondary storyline involving Josephine “Joey” Morales as she is attempting to adapt to college life. Because, like Evan, she was not raised with the typical socialization skills of a normal person, this will not be easy for her. As much as I enjoy reading about Joey, I was distracted whenever she showed up as I was so eager to get back to Agent X and his intense narrative.

Readers who have followed Evan's progress over the previous nine novels will recognize that he does not have many close friends. In fact, it could be said that Tommy is his only one, which makes reading this book a special treat. We get to see a different side of Evan, a more subdued and introspective version of the Nowhere Man who continuously battles his inner self over this unique, nightmarish mission.

The final act is unrelenting and makes the first two-thirds of the novel seem like a walk in the park by comparison. I found the denouement to be satisfying and even a tad heart-wrenching. It is good to see characters like Evan --- who calls to mind other lone-wolf protagonists like Lee Child's Jack Reacher, Brad Thor's Scot Harvath, and Reed Farrel Coleman's Nick Ryan --- actually exhibit their human side. That distinction makes NEMESIS a truly memorable read.