Antihero

The Nowhere Man's toughest mission to date ... no killing

The first few chapters give great background on the main character and his motivation for those new to the series. It served as a great refresher for those returning. The background on the victim helped in the future understanding of her words, requests, and actions.  

The last male figure in Evan’s life that I can recall is laid to rest. Evan is left with the women in his life and Dog (mini-spoiler: he almost got a name other than Dog). The training Evan was giving about respecting women plays heavily in this story, along with those on retaining his humanity despite the work he was trained to do. This, I believe, led to the break with his work and the creation of the Nowhere Man missions. To say this mission, to save the unknown woman, put Evan to the test would be an understatement. There were many “firsts” and many things he was not trained for, all hitting him at once. We saw Evan be more human. Without really realizing it, Evan has created a family, something he never really had.

Through the heavy, difficult topics, there were bits of relief. One that stuck with me was Evan trying to go on a date. He didn’t know what to talk about, so he talked about his new boots. 

I admire how the character, Anca, could be so … charitable…I am not sure I want to use that word, but no others come to mind. For all the horrors she experienced, she made Evan promise not to kill the perpetrators. I like Evan doing his best to keep his word to Anca, despite almost losing his life. Anca’s strength of character and conviction was beyond my words. 

Evan continues to look out for his niece, person Josephine “Joey” and they stumble a bit with a lack of experience, but make it through. It was endearing. 

Evan made peace with all of his female relationships and was stronger for it.

But … Evan is still Evan, he did kickbutt, both online (with a little help) and IRL. He showed great restraint in not killing some of those he came up against. There was not just one mission; there were several with similar, comparable themes. There was a lot to keep up with, but I didn’t feel overwhelmed or anything. 

There were several contemplation points that I appreciated. Sparking conversations with those around me. While there is violence, drugs, porn, and bullying, there was also forgiveness, empathy, and genuine caring for others. 

Aside from bringing the culprits to justice, Evan was able to avoid going to prison or the hospital (barely) … again. 

I am looking forward to the next mission. And maybe Dog’s new name *smile*

Thank you so much #NetGalley, #MacmillanAudio, for the opportunity to have a listen and share my thoughts.

Happy Reading!