What do you think?
Rate this book
Gibson Vaughn #5
Origami Man
A Wall Street Journal bestselling series.
To stop a terrorist threat, Gibson Vaughn must trust a man who can’t be trusted.
Former Marine, brilliant hacker, and wanted fugitive Gibson Vaughn is off the grid in the Caymans. Until the ice-cold assassin Tinsley draws him out of the shadows. Complying with the man who murdered his father and left Gibson for dead? In the war against terror, never say never.
Especially when half a million lives are at stake.
Tinsley’s in possession of a heavily encrypted thumb drive. But the details of the plot—the motive, the targets, and the day of execution—are a mystery. The one certainty is that a tenuous truce must be made. After joining forces with Tinsley, Gibson and his team have their mission: access the drive and abort a massacre in the making.
How far can Gibson really trust Tinsley? Time will tell. Right now they’re both running out of it as they race across Europe to find an elusive cyber-psycho behind the mother of all malware.
Whoever said to keep your friends close but your enemies closer never meant it like this.
To stop a terrorist threat, Gibson Vaughn must trust a man who can’t be trusted.
Former Marine, brilliant hacker, and wanted fugitive Gibson Vaughn is off the grid in the Caymans. Until the ice-cold assassin Tinsley draws him out of the shadows. Complying with the man who murdered his father and left Gibson for dead? In the war against terror, never say never.
Especially when half a million lives are at stake.
Tinsley’s in possession of a heavily encrypted thumb drive. But the details of the plot—the motive, the targets, and the day of execution—are a mystery. The one certainty is that a tenuous truce must be made. After joining forces with Tinsley, Gibson and his team have their mission: access the drive and abort a massacre in the making.
How far can Gibson really trust Tinsley? Time will tell. Right now they’re both running out of it as they race across Europe to find an elusive cyber-psycho behind the mother of all malware.
Whoever said to keep your friends close but your enemies closer never meant it like this.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published February 18, 2020
834 people are currently reading
1394 people want to read
About the author
Matthew FitzSimmons
14 books1,393 followersMatthew FitzSimmons is the author of the bestselling Gibson Vaughn and Constance Series. His latest, The Slate, will be released in October, 2024. Born in Illinois and raised in London, England, he makes his home in Washington DC.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 223 reviews
March 26, 2020
wow it is nice to end a slump. It was a good book with a good story , the pace of the story moved at the right speed and the main character and his gang of friends were well written. I have read all the book in the series and they are all good except book four which for me was just not that good. I will also say from the start that this is a series where you must read the books in order to truly understand what happened in the past and how it is affecting the current book. It was also nice to see one of the main bad guys from the past back into the story-that was interesting. The boo had a good ending ending to it but maybe rushed just a tad. it will be interesting to see where this series goes and if all the main characters stay in the fold. I will say give this book a big spin you wont go wrong if you do so but it helps once again to read them all in order.
May 26, 2020
The enemy of my enemy is my friend
Gibson made friends with the Devil.
The G-Team is back together
I pity the fools who underestimate them.
A computer virus is about to be unleashed on the world killing a half million. Gibson and his gang with the 'Origami Man' and a 15 year old hacker are trying to stop it.
This was a well written fast paced episode of The G-Team.
Camaraderie. The mutual trust and friendship between Gibson, Hendricks, and Jenn is what makes this enjoyable.
The addition of the Origami Man was an added bonus.
Start with book one to get the full enjoyment.
Gibson made friends with the Devil.
The G-Team is back together
I pity the fools who underestimate them.
A computer virus is about to be unleashed on the world killing a half million. Gibson and his gang with the 'Origami Man' and a 15 year old hacker are trying to stop it.
This was a well written fast paced episode of The G-Team.
Camaraderie. The mutual trust and friendship between Gibson, Hendricks, and Jenn is what makes this enjoyable.
The addition of the Origami Man was an added bonus.
Start with book one to get the full enjoyment.
March 14, 2020
A little slow at the beginning, mostly because it takes awhile to understand the plot. FitzSimmons brings readers face-to-face with Gibson Vaughan's shadow adversary, Tinsley, whose actions have profoundly changed Gibson's life. Tinsely is a cipher, and pulls off a masterful robbery to get access to a thumbdrive, whose contents are sufficiently encrypted to force Tinsely to approach Gibson and his crew for help, as Tinsely is being hunted himself for what he stole. The computer code on the thumbdrive outlines a dastardly plot to kill hundreds of thousands, forcing Gibson, Jenn, George, and Hendricks to intervene. They remain wanted criminals and cannot ask for governmental assistance, despite the grave threat. Instead, they seek the programmers, who blindly developed the code to reverse the potential damage. Good characters. The ending certainly leaves the door open for another book.
March 11, 2020
This is an OK addition to the series, but I didn’t really feel any suspense or thrills or excitement. With three hackers, I thought there’d be more technical scenes. The reason for this entire adventure was a good premise, and maybe possible, but there was no fright factor with the slow reveal. I, for some strange reason, would have liked to know more about Tinsley, the origami man himself.
December 8, 2021
Published in February 2020, the Origami Man is the fifth thriller in Fitzsimmons’ Gibson Vaughn series. It is a fast-paced action novel featuring a private black ops team now fugitives on the Caymans, including a storied hacker, a former police detective, and others, all do-gooders operating outside the law and without a safety net. This novel takes Vaughn on a bitter ride, confronting his darkest nightmare from his childhood and facing a horrible scheme that takes him and his team from Ireland to France to Germany facing off against organized crime and Russian oligarchs. The key to the plot is that neither the readers nor Vaughn and his team knows what’s really going on other than half a million lives are hanging in the balance. This is both a strength and a weakness of the book cause it’s a bit unclear what’s really at stake for a while. Nevertheless, there’s quite a bit of horsepower under the hood and it’s an action packed thriller that’ll hold your attention.
January 19, 2020
Hacker, former marine, and troubled soul, Gibson Vaughn returns for his fifth (and for the time being, final) outing, as he and his team must stop a Russian malware attack – an attack that would result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands. Writer/creator Matthew FitzSimmons crafts fun and unique thrillers that sidestep the usual procedurals and exorcises deus ex machina contrivances. Origami Man skillfully continues the excitement, providing an earned ending while preserving an open sky of possibility ahead.
Following Debris Line, Vaughn and the team HQ in the Caymans. Still wanted by the government they survive in the way the A-Team did for five seasons: “If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them...” Of course, the one man who does find them is the closest thing Vaughn has to an archenemy. How do you keep your enemies close? Fold him into the team - origami style.
Vaughn, along with ex-CIA Jenn Charles and ex-LAPD Dan Hendricks, jump from a pub fight in Belfast to rescuing a hacker in Marseille to racing on the autobahn in Germany. FitzSimmons expertly handles the action and throttles back on the breakneck speeds in order to preserve the human element, amplifying the true struggle sans the adrenaline rush. They must solve the mystery of the malware’s backer, enlist the support of code-breaking hackers, all the while avoiding the watching eye of U.S. Intelligence because, you know, “wanted fugitives of justice” and all that. Oh, and they have to cast such miracles alongside a phantom killer no one trusts. Vaughn and friends are not black-belt SEALs quick with wit and resources. They don’t have access to a Q. Their Alfred is more admin than manservant. FitzSimmons excels in portraying the realistic side of the fantastic.
Origami Man performs as a sequel to Debris Line, which was a palate cleanser following the first trilogy, minus the need of a wiki search. New readers can jump into the pool and splash around carefree with those frolickers, like yours truly, who initially met Vaughn at the bustling counter of the Nighthawk Diner. FitzSimmons gives closure to Gibson’s supporting cast while opening a potential new way for Gibson. A new way that is as appealing as the intro.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advance copy and entertaining read. I’m a Matthew FitzSimmons fan and continue to look forward to his next novel, be it the New Adventures of Gibson Vaughn or a completely different entry in the annals of excitement.
Go ahead and read this review along with many others @ Joe's
Following Debris Line, Vaughn and the team HQ in the Caymans. Still wanted by the government they survive in the way the A-Team did for five seasons: “If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them...” Of course, the one man who does find them is the closest thing Vaughn has to an archenemy. How do you keep your enemies close? Fold him into the team - origami style.
Vaughn, along with ex-CIA Jenn Charles and ex-LAPD Dan Hendricks, jump from a pub fight in Belfast to rescuing a hacker in Marseille to racing on the autobahn in Germany. FitzSimmons expertly handles the action and throttles back on the breakneck speeds in order to preserve the human element, amplifying the true struggle sans the adrenaline rush. They must solve the mystery of the malware’s backer, enlist the support of code-breaking hackers, all the while avoiding the watching eye of U.S. Intelligence because, you know, “wanted fugitives of justice” and all that. Oh, and they have to cast such miracles alongside a phantom killer no one trusts. Vaughn and friends are not black-belt SEALs quick with wit and resources. They don’t have access to a Q. Their Alfred is more admin than manservant. FitzSimmons excels in portraying the realistic side of the fantastic.
Origami Man performs as a sequel to Debris Line, which was a palate cleanser following the first trilogy, minus the need of a wiki search. New readers can jump into the pool and splash around carefree with those frolickers, like yours truly, who initially met Vaughn at the bustling counter of the Nighthawk Diner. FitzSimmons gives closure to Gibson’s supporting cast while opening a potential new way for Gibson. A new way that is as appealing as the intro.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advance copy and entertaining read. I’m a Matthew FitzSimmons fan and continue to look forward to his next novel, be it the New Adventures of Gibson Vaughn or a completely different entry in the annals of excitement.
Go ahead and read this review along with many others @ Joe's
February 16, 2020
I was struggling in the first 10% of “Origami Man.”
The use of phrases instead of sentences is a good technique when used sparingly for effect. Even though it stretched over the first couple of chapters, I would have accepted the choice if mostly confined to Tinsley, the evil assassin of the story. Unfortunately, this “style” permeates the entire book, thus making its use ineffectively and an increasing irritant.
I also get that this is the fifth book in a series (my first intro to these characters). I was hardly into the book before deciding I would never go back and read the other four books, mostly because the recaps and flashbacks were detailed and I felt no need.
Thankfully, around the 25% read mark, the story was off and running and I was hooked. Blurring the lines and forcing good and evil characters to work together (because the enemy of my enemy can be a friend) was a nice touch, and added to the tension in the book. Additionally, the unexpected event was always present, and not knowing exactly where the book was going made for good reading. As with any action-type story, the heroes are going to find themselves in trouble multiple times throughout the book. How the author extricates them from danger affects the book. In most instances, author Matthew Fitzsimmons offers plausible solutions and I can almost forgive him for using the same solution twice.
The characters aren’t given a lot of fleshing out and the scene descriptions could be better but this book is action-oriented. It reminded me of the pulp novels featuring Doc Savage and his men. All were experts, and sandwiched between the action scenes was somewhat witty dialogue intended to give the characters more depth. All the characters were experts in their fields. Action prevailed over everything. If you are seeking to get your adrenaline pumping, “Origami Man” will suffice.
For those who like to know, the book can be read as a standalone. With all the explanation in the beginning of the book I felt a bit like someone who showed up to a sporting event at half-time, but major plotlines do not cross from the other books to this one, just the characters. While there are openings for another book, this one has a beginning, middle, and end. Coarse language appears throughout, most of it unnecessary to the story and characters, but I never felt it took over the book.
Bottom line – A decent offering, and once the story found its legs I felt entertained and caught up in the action. Fans of the author will probably love this book. Three stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an advance complimentary ebook of this title.
The use of phrases instead of sentences is a good technique when used sparingly for effect. Even though it stretched over the first couple of chapters, I would have accepted the choice if mostly confined to Tinsley, the evil assassin of the story. Unfortunately, this “style” permeates the entire book, thus making its use ineffectively and an increasing irritant.
I also get that this is the fifth book in a series (my first intro to these characters). I was hardly into the book before deciding I would never go back and read the other four books, mostly because the recaps and flashbacks were detailed and I felt no need.
Thankfully, around the 25% read mark, the story was off and running and I was hooked. Blurring the lines and forcing good and evil characters to work together (because the enemy of my enemy can be a friend) was a nice touch, and added to the tension in the book. Additionally, the unexpected event was always present, and not knowing exactly where the book was going made for good reading. As with any action-type story, the heroes are going to find themselves in trouble multiple times throughout the book. How the author extricates them from danger affects the book. In most instances, author Matthew Fitzsimmons offers plausible solutions and I can almost forgive him for using the same solution twice.
The characters aren’t given a lot of fleshing out and the scene descriptions could be better but this book is action-oriented. It reminded me of the pulp novels featuring Doc Savage and his men. All were experts, and sandwiched between the action scenes was somewhat witty dialogue intended to give the characters more depth. All the characters were experts in their fields. Action prevailed over everything. If you are seeking to get your adrenaline pumping, “Origami Man” will suffice.
For those who like to know, the book can be read as a standalone. With all the explanation in the beginning of the book I felt a bit like someone who showed up to a sporting event at half-time, but major plotlines do not cross from the other books to this one, just the characters. While there are openings for another book, this one has a beginning, middle, and end. Coarse language appears throughout, most of it unnecessary to the story and characters, but I never felt it took over the book.
Bottom line – A decent offering, and once the story found its legs I felt entertained and caught up in the action. Fans of the author will probably love this book. Three stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an advance complimentary ebook of this title.
June 16, 2020
If you aren't looking over your shoulder, you aren't actually reading this story
FitzSimmons brings the fire again, and as with each installment, the flame becomes tighter and the heat more intense. Subtleties reveal this author as a rare genius in the thriller genre. Origami Man is precision peice of work, producing a nightmare worthy monster with complexity and depth that make you feel you should be looking over your shoulder. I worry I'll run out of ways to praise FitzSimmons's work, but as long as he keeps raising the bar on his own brilliance, the accolades will write themselves. Well done, sir.
FitzSimmons brings the fire again, and as with each installment, the flame becomes tighter and the heat more intense. Subtleties reveal this author as a rare genius in the thriller genre. Origami Man is precision peice of work, producing a nightmare worthy monster with complexity and depth that make you feel you should be looking over your shoulder. I worry I'll run out of ways to praise FitzSimmons's work, but as long as he keeps raising the bar on his own brilliance, the accolades will write themselves. Well done, sir.
March 19, 2020
An action packed read about an assasin on the Cayman islands. I loved it!
March 16, 2020
Wow, this must be the most dedicated assassin ever. I really love the character Tinsley, sadly he is not the main character. I thought Gibson Vaughn was a little dull. but the book is great. Some really good action and a well written plot. I will most definetely look into this series and I thank #Netgalley and #ThomasandMercer for letting me try this author which i otherwise would have missed.
July 23, 2022
Great character development and dialogue. I really enjoy books with ensemble casts. I love the GV series.
May 10, 2020
I am a huge fan of this series. Sarcasm. Dark humor. Suspense. Camaraderie. Tense relationships. Saving the world. Great addition to the series!
October 4, 2023
4.5 Stars. A stellar and action-packed finale to the five-book Gibson Vaughn series, none of which were less than 4 stars. Now I need to somehow get over the shocking fact that I actually finished a series for once.
January 24, 2021
Excellent one! And... great settings - Caymans, Belfast, Marseille, Cannes, Monaco, Germany, ...
May 29, 2020
This was a good one!
After. Debris Line I wondered if I'd lost my taste for this series,but I'm back in board after Origami Man. Great handling of the complexity of humans (even creepy and/or hardened criminals). Good twists, fun, fast read.
After. Debris Line I wondered if I'd lost my taste for this series,but I'm back in board after Origami Man. Great handling of the complexity of humans (even creepy and/or hardened criminals). Good twists, fun, fast read.
May 2, 2020
Another gripping fast paced story with all the usual suspects in. Great nuggets of humour sprinkled all over to make you chuckle. Highly recommended
December 15, 2021
It’s been almost exactly three years to the day since I finished the fourth book in the Gibson Vaughn series. So when I picked up the fifth book, details of what had come prior, were a little vague. It didn’t seem to matter. The characters were like old friends I was welcoming back. This book could be read as a stand alone, but there were many references to the previous books and I would recommend reading them in order. That being said, I really enjoyed this one. Yes, it was bloody. Yes, there were numerous characters to keep straight. Yes, it had evil characters who I somehow really liked. Especially Jurnjack. This was a fast paced international thriller that jumped between different characters. There was some tongue in cheek humor that I enjoyed. “You couldn’t sneak up on one old man in a car. Forgive me for not being overwhelmed with confidence.”
“No, but he gave me a name-Gerda Konig.” “Sounds like an IKEA bookshelf.”
“No, but he gave me a name-Gerda Konig.” “Sounds like an IKEA bookshelf.”
May 15, 2022
From the Goodreads Blurb: Former Marine, brilliant hacker, and wanted fugitive Gibson Vaughn is off the grid in the Caymans. Until the ice-cold assassin Tinsley draws him out of the shadows. Being asked to work with the man who murdered his father and left Gibson for dead? In the war against terror, never say never. Especially when half a million lives are at stake.
An interesting gambit: asking the reader to see creepy Tinsley as an ally instead of an enemy, but it works. The main bad guy is just plain bad, but there are other characters in the cast who are portrayed as somewhere along the badness spectrum. Gibson meets a couple of other brilliant hackers who, like Gibson, have done things that they know are illegal but not necessarily "bad".
Maggee and I read THE SHORT DROP together and enjoyed it, so we may revisit the others in the series — including this one (probably my favorite) — as read-alouds.
An interesting gambit: asking the reader to see creepy Tinsley as an ally instead of an enemy, but it works. The main bad guy is just plain bad, but there are other characters in the cast who are portrayed as somewhere along the badness spectrum. Gibson meets a couple of other brilliant hackers who, like Gibson, have done things that they know are illegal but not necessarily "bad".
Maggee and I read THE SHORT DROP together and enjoyed it, so we may revisit the others in the series — including this one (probably my favorite) — as read-alouds.
August 11, 2020
Enjoyable characters..... I'm a hopeful follower of FitzSimmons....... I think the Gibson Vaughn character needs to be stronger.... I'll still follow him.... all characters are awesome.... I just think plot and Vaughn need to be deep/stronger..... I am HOPEFUL!
August 24, 2020
This was ok, but there wasn’t really anything gripping or suspenseful about it, and after having read five installments of this series, I’m still not invested in the characters, so this will probably be my last.
August 29, 2021
It's...
...excellent. Just plain excellent. As I've said so many times with other series (and maybe this one too), if you like the earlier books in the series, I can't imagine any reason why you wouldn't like this one too.
...excellent. Just plain excellent. As I've said so many times with other series (and maybe this one too), if you like the earlier books in the series, I can't imagine any reason why you wouldn't like this one too.
November 7, 2024
My least favorite of the series. It was just ok for me. I wish this wasn’t the last book!
July 9, 2020
Gibson Vaughn continues nicely
Very enjoyable read. Fast paced, great characters, and great team dynamics. Unfortunately, it seems like a finale, but a good way to go out.
Very enjoyable read. Fast paced, great characters, and great team dynamics. Unfortunately, it seems like a finale, but a good way to go out.
June 26, 2020
Action filled and entertaining
I am a big fan of the Gibson Vaughn series, full of action and smart without being overly technical. The premise of this book, and the dredging up of the Origami Man, seemed a little implausible at first. As the story pulled me in, however, it became easy to forgive. The book had an open ending that left me excited for the next installment.
I am a big fan of the Gibson Vaughn series, full of action and smart without being overly technical. The premise of this book, and the dredging up of the Origami Man, seemed a little implausible at first. As the story pulled me in, however, it became easy to forgive. The book had an open ending that left me excited for the next installment.
June 24, 2020
Origami Man
Another OUTSTANDING Gibson Vaughn story. Bad guys behind every corner. Gibson and his colleagues stumble upon a plot to kill 500,000 people but they don't know why or how.
Another OUTSTANDING Gibson Vaughn story. Bad guys behind every corner. Gibson and his colleagues stumble upon a plot to kill 500,000 people but they don't know why or how.
June 22, 2020
Almost as good as the first one. I hope this isn't the end of the series. If so, I wish there had been an epilogue. If not, I'm looking forward to the next one already. The characters in these books are so fun and the addition of Tinsley in this one was great. He was so enigmatic; you never knew what he was going to do.
June 21, 2020
When I read the synopsis of this, I wanted to read it but was afraid I'd be disappointed because it couldn't possibly live up to my expectations based on the first four Gibson Vaughn books. I was happy to be proven wrong.
March 8, 2021
An excellent addition to the Gibson Vaughn series, and pleasantly, not as dark as the last two books.
Librarians...the Gibson Vaughn books are an excellent series for your male patrons. This can be read as a stand-alone book as the author doesn't leave first time readers wondering what the heck is going on
Librarians...the Gibson Vaughn books are an excellent series for your male patrons. This can be read as a stand-alone book as the author doesn't leave first time readers wondering what the heck is going on
March 7, 2021
Hell of a ride! I sometimes forget how much I love these books until I have read the next one. Well done, Matthew Fitzsimmons!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 223 reviews