Merry Christmas from my crew to yours!

Crime Headline of the Day: buff.ly/cG4Ple1

December in Los Angeles. Hope it’s beautiful where you are, too.

Well, The Real Book Spy's gone and done it again. Here's his 100 Best Thriller of 2025 -- with NEMESIS hitting the top 10. "An absolute knockout." buff.ly/OuO9Hey

BRACE FOR IMPACT, the latest from Brigadier General and Bronze Star recipient Anthony Tata has just dropped. If you like cutting-edge thrillers laced through with action and soaked in ground truth, crack this baby open. #booksky

Good news for Orphan X fans in the UK: LONE WOLF is today’s Daily Deal on Audible! Don’t miss your chance to hear the legendary Scott Brick's award-winning performance for only £3.99. #booksky buff.ly/ERtDBJf

They’ve been after Evan Smoak for YEARS.

The inmates are running the asylum. Again.

"Readers new to Hurwitz’s propulsive, muscular series are advised to buckle up for a wildly entertaining ride. Hurwitz combines nonstop twists and punchy action with the ethical conflict that regularly arises from Evan’s moral code..." -Kirkus Reviews

This is the story of how an unwanted kid from a foster home became the world's most lethal operator. Read how Evan Smoak became Orphan X. buff.ly/zQTJ8uw

Orphan X Audiobook Fans! 🎧 Big news: Audible is currently running a sitewide sale and ANTIHERO is discounted 51% (!). If you were thinking of listening to the great Scott Brick narrate this baby, now's the perfect time to get your preorder in!

Vince Gilligan is a national treasure. Pluribus on (AppleTV+) is must-see TV.

“She’d been sipping Cîroc, a perfectly acceptable choice of vodka, and when he’d sat next to her and ordered Jewel of Russia Ultra, he’d caught her attention. Like him she was nicely into her thirties, and she had the poise and grace to show for it.” - THE PRODIGAL SON, Book 6 in the Orphan X series

Orphan X wishes you happy carving.

Bad Boy Who Ate AirPods.

Craziest deal in the history of Orphan X. From right now through 12/2 you can get the first 7 Orphan X books for $2.99 each! That's: Orphan X, The Nowhere Man, Hellbent, Out of the Dark, Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, and Dark Horse. buff.ly/ki9lA91

If one is fortunate enough to spot a pair of pants decorated with foxes sipping martinis, it seems wise to acquire said pair of pants.

Penthouse level please.

Well. I did it. I wrote a super creepy, very thriller-y stand alone novella. It's called The Delivery. You have to wait for it until May 2026. But I promise it's worth waiting for. Pre-order here: buff.ly/PkerVW4

Ideal for carrying workout gear, operational tools, (or dead bodies.)

Rack ‘em!

The finest assassin of this or any generation gives pause at the end of a vigorous work day and contemplates his next sip.

Timeless. buff.ly/zHiAfwU

Evan Smoak Approved. buff.ly/j3tWVaU

Visited The Gin Joint in South Carolina. One of the finest bars in the south. You can order there by picking two adjectives off a list - smoky, boozy, refreshing, fizzy, tart, etc. - and a bespoke cocktail arrives.

Writing spy thrillers has taught me a lot about psychological operations and how to protect against them. Here are 5 of my suggestions for how to uphold free speech and strategize against radicalization on social media platforms.

Packs of coyotes scream in the LA night. Volume up.

What a delight to appear in Target Intelligence: PSYOP, a superb eight-part series from @shawnryan762.bsky.social and Ironclad. We deep dive into PSYOPs, troll farms, hostile foreign regimes, and I detail my experiences going undercover into mind control cults. psyopshow.com.

X-ers! We'll be dropping some cool updates on the newsletter so sign up now for exclusive content—including a guide to Evan’s favorite vodkas and a chance to win Orphan X books through OX Trivia in each edition! buff.ly/YOFuLkQ

Nemesis shows the impossibility—and possibility—of reaching across the divide when it feels like an abyss. Antihero is about what comes next. Preorder now buff.ly/4QX5Avu

52 percent of Americans haven't read a book in over a year. One in 10 haven't read a book in more than 10 years. Let's change this, one reader at a time. buff.ly/sLZPsNs

He moves in shadow.

Duchovny. ABOUT TIME. Fans showed up en masse to hear him read from his poetry collection.

Hitchcock would tip his hat to this perfect film.

Hello, my pretty.

Me, getting to the end of the next Orphan X book. #booksky

Meet Tommy Stojack! Kengali's No Better Friend! 1/4

Saber Champagne and King Cole Bar at the St. Regis NYC. Researching cocktail spots for Evan can be exhausting….

Tell us a story.

Once again, The Real Book Spy has done something spectacular. He managed to summarize the entire Orphan X series in four simple words: All gas. No breaks.

A cool unpacking of The Crime Writer, my eighth novel, along with key lessons for writing crime fiction at The Editorial Department. buff.ly/epVbt7V

Discover who Evan was before he was Orphan X and catch a sneak peek of ANTIHERO. #booksky

On Sunday, I'm interviewing David Duchovny and discussing ABOUT TIME, his stunning new poetry collection. Come see us at Barnes & Noble at The Grove in LA at 11am. Grab tickets here: buff.ly/Jw3J6Pp

A friend sent me these pictures of Bookz&Booze in Antwerp. This is my kind of bookstore.

Flashback: Me in the warehouse when my third novel, DO NO HARM, came out. I signed 3,250 books in a single day.

My newsletter subscribers are the first to know about upcoming missions. Are you in the loop? buff.ly/5orGiI5

70s action flick one-sheet.

Nemesis shows the impossibility—and possibility—of reaching across the divide when it feels like an abyss. Antihero is about what comes next. Coming Feb 2026 buff.ly/O8iXa70

The ridgebacks want to see pictures of your pets. Please share so they won’t get hound-dog sad. #Dogthedog

He hides in plain sight.