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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.0
Finished reading: July 7th 2023
"Of the seven unsolved murders, only six are mine. The seventh has been tacked onto my lot because the police are inept."
I still can't believe I've only recently discovered Paul Cleave's work, but after an excellent first experience two months ago I made a promise to myself to make time to start working on his backlist. I do like my thrillers on the dark side and I have a weak spot for serial killer thrillers, so of course I ended up choosing The Cleaner as my first backlist title. I mean, have you read that blurb? Not only is the story told from the POV of a serial killer, but we also get him investigating a murder that is wrongly being attributed to him... It can't get better than that! I did have some minor niggles while reading, but as a whole I can't deny that The Cleaner hit the mark for me. A little warning: this serial killer thriller is darker than a pitch black night, and it includes many graphic scenes, torture, gore, animal cruelty and sexual violence. This is definitely not a story for those with a weak stomach, that's for sure! But if you like your thrillers on the disturbing and twisted side, The Cleaner has plenty to offer. I wasn't that big of a fan of Sally's POV, but thankfully the main focus lies with Joe's POV. I always love a serial killer POV, and Joe is a particular fascinating specimen. Sure, he is a twisted killer and all that, but it was strangely intriguing to spend time inside his head and learn more about his view of the world. There is a lot of focus on the violence and darker moments, but other scenes are strangely comical at the same time. All in all it turned out to be quite an unique read, and I will be looking forward to read the sequel Joe Victim soon to see what happens next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
soitis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Rape, and Alcohol