Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I jump way ahead and look at one of top thrillers releasing in the start of 2026 with the powerful and intense read, Antihero by Gregg Hurwitz.

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Last week I had a lot of fun examining my most anticipated books for the second half of 2025 (one for fantasy/science fiction and one for other genres).  While there are still some other great books coming out this year that I intend to highlight in future Waiting on Wednesday posts, for a bit of variety this week I’m going to look at one of my most anticipated books from early 2026 with the next intriguing entry in Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series.

Hurwitz is a highly talented thriller author who excels at creating complex, character-driven thrillers that often feature some brilliant, unique elements to them.  I am a particular fan of the author’s Orphan X books, which has become a must-read series for me each year.  Following Evan Smoak, a former elite government assassin turned infamous vigilante of last resort, the Orphan X novels are a ton of fun, and I love the great blend of intense action and dramatic character interactions that Hurwitz envisions each book.

There have been some truly outstanding entries in this series so far, including (Out of the Dark, Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, Dark Horse, The Last Orphan and Lone Wolf), all of which are very impressive in their own way.  However, I must give particularly attention to the latest entry in the series, Nemesis, which was one of the better books I read in the first half of 2025.  Nemesis ended on an exceptionally powerful and tragic note (which I may never forgive Hurwitz for), and I felt this was one of the most impressive entries in the series.  As such, I am extremely eager to see how the series will continue going forward.

Luckily for me and other Hurwitz fans, we’ve got some early details about the next Orphan X book, Antihero.  Set for release in February 2026, Antihero will be the 11^th book in the Orphan X series and will set the protagonist on another compelling and intense mission.  This time, Evan will need to show utmost restraint and mercy while he tries to help a young woman in trouble, all while dealing with intense grief and anger following the events of Nemesis.

Plot Synopsis:

In the latest in this New York Times best-selling series, Evan Smoak takes on his most complex mission yet–one where he has to not only protect but also avenge, and find a way to balance vengeance with mercy.

Once a black ops assassin for the government known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak broke with the program and went deep underground, using his operational rules and skills to help the truly desperate with nowhere else to turn.

When Luke Devine, one of the most powerful men in the world has a psychological crisis, Evan flies to the East Coast to meet Luke. While there, he learns of a young woman who was kidnapped off the New York City subway, clearly in danger and in need of aid.

With no name and few clues, Evan and his team track down the missing woman, who was assaulted and abandoned. Evan offers his help–and sets out tracking down the young men responsible. But the woman insists that Evan abandon his usual methods–no vengeance and, in particular, no killing. Which will prove no easy feat given the mounting incoming threats from all sides.

In a mission that takes Evan from coast to coast, from the poorest corners of society to the richest, Orphan X must figure out a way to protect the innocent, avenge the victimized, and balance justice, with a measure of mercy.

Antihero sounds like it is going to be a particularly interesting new entry in the Orphan X series, and I really appreciate the clever way in which Hurwitz is going to continue to expand on his damaged characters.  Following up the ultra-intense and revenge-focused Nemesis with a more subdued story of the protagonist attempting to find mercy and restraint at a client’s request is going to be a unique change of pace, and I very curious to see how Hurwitz pulls it off.  I’m expecting a compelling mixture of evasive action and other attempts to avoid conflict, which could turn Antihero into a very distinctive thriller.

This entire focus on mercy and avoiding violence is going to be made even more difficult with the protagonist reeling emotionally from the end sequence of Nemesis.  Thanks to this grief and likely anger, I’m expecting that there are going to be some real battles for the protagonist to keep his violent inclinations in check to make his new client happy.  I have a feeling this is going to be one of the more emotionally charged novels in the Orphan X series, and I cannot wait to see how Hurwitz continues to explore the complex emotions of his damaged protagonist.

So, there is honestly no chance that I won’t be grabbing Antihero early next year, especially after how impressive the last book in the series was.  Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X books are a real highlight in my year reading schedule, and I cannot wait to see how the author will continue the series in 2026.  I have no doubt that Antihero is going to be another outstanding entry in the series, and I’m fully expecting to have my heartbroken again as Hurwitz explores his protagonist’s grief amongst another compelling thriller plot.