Buy a Bullet cover

Buy a Bullet

Orphan X #1.5 • Book 1

by Gregg Hurwitz

Narrated by Scott Brick

4.18 ABR Score (9.9K ratings)
★ 3.92 Goodreads (6.1K) ★ 4.39 Audible (3.9K)

Why Listen to This Audiobook?

Scott Brick makes this origin story feel like watching a weapon learn it has a conscience.

  • Great if you want: a tight, propulsive thriller with a moral undercurrent
  • Listening experience: short and relentless — burns through in a single sitting
  • Narration: Brick's clipped precision is perfect for Smoak's controlled intensity
  • Skip if: you need full novel length to feel satisfied

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About This Audiobook

When former government assassin Evan Smoak encounters a battered young woman in a Northern California coffee shop, his carefully constructed new identity as the mysterious Nowhere Man faces its first true test. The woman lives under the brutal control of a powerful predator, trapped in a web of violence and fear with no apparent escape. Smoak must decide whether to maintain his anonymity or risk exposure to save someone who desperately needs the particular set of lethal skills he's spent years trying to leave behind. As he navigates this dangerous rescue mission, the stakes escalate beyond a simple extraction into something far more personal and deadly.

Scott Brick's commanding narration perfectly captures the tension between Smoak's calculated professionalism and his emerging humanity. His measured delivery mirrors the protagonist's methodical approach while building suspense through subtle shifts in tone and pacing. Brick's performance brings visceral immediacy to the action sequences and emotional weight to quieter character moments. The audio format amplifies Hurwitz's precise prose, allowing listeners to experience the psychological chess match between predator and protector in real time, making every tactical decision and moral choice feel urgent and consequential.