mylhibug's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bookhawk's review against another edition
2.0
The Cleaner was a disappointment. The action was unbelievable by what seemed to be an average guy. The dialogue was simple and stiff. I looked forward to finding another good action series but won’t be reading more of the Jonathon Quinn books.
tbsims's review against another edition
2.0
the more I think about the book, the less I understand. If revenge is the goal...why all the wait and games and buildup? And this is a sane person question...but why not just get a dna test?
myrdyr's review against another edition
4.0
3.7/5 stars. I have no major complaints about this book; I just wasn’t that into it. I think it was more down to me than anything to do with the book itself. Lately, my reading tastes have been drifting away from Mysteries/Thrillers and back to Literature.
ingypingy2000's review against another edition
3.0
It took me awhile to read this book. I found it very slow at first and ended up picking it up and putting it down several times over the course of a few weeks. When I finally made it to page 229 things started coming together and it finally took off and got interesting. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I'd probably consider reading the next book knowing that once you get INTO the book it gets good. There was a decent plot, a cool main character, and enough action (later on) to keep you interested. The bad guys were a bit 'typical', but I definitely enjoyed the twist! So, if you want a fairly enjoyable 'terrorist trying to cause mass harm and they have to catch him in time', this is the book to read.
bibliobabe94's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent thriller. Jonathan Quinn is a freelance operative, a "cleaner" - he cleans up the mess after the other operatives are done, he typically disposes of bodies, etc. But with his latest assignment, things get weird and people are now trying to kill him and wipe out the "Office", the group he works for. Great read, I'm ready for the next in a hopefully long series!
ambercristofaro's review against another edition
4.0
Good plot, good characters, solid first novel. I'm looking forward to the next one in this series.
blood_rose_books's review against another edition
4.0
In his debut novel Brett Battles introduces the reader a cleaner, nothing too violent, just cleaning up a body or two if necessary, but even a cleaner has to get his hands dirty every once in awhile
Jonathan Quinn, does not have a violent career, but it often does involve dead bodies and a little clean up when needed. So when he is requested by "the Office" to make sure that everything cleans up nicely when a body is discovered in a fire, Quinn believes it is just another regular case. But Quinn would not be good at his job if he was not thorough and ask the right questions. When his handler at the Office, suddenly won’t answer his questions, he knows that this is more than just a simple cleaning job. Quinn knows he must have been asking the right questions, as he is suddenly on someone's death list and his only hope is to get some help from the past but this will put even more people in danger. It may have started out as a simple cleaning job, but now Quinn is going to need to get his hands really dirty in order to keep himself and others around him alive.
I was surprised to find out that this was Battles’ debut novel; this book had all the aspects I would expect from a seasoned writer. I really enjoyed this book. It had an interesting story, that was able to keep me entertained throughout and never let me down with being too cliché or predictable. Battles did a really good job of keeping me on my toes as you were never really sure what was going to happen next. Battles does a good job in keeping his novel fast pace as there was very little down time for Quinn, therefore, it was the same for the reader. This also causes you not to want to put the book down as there never seems to be a right time for that, which is I think is quite a complement for any writer, you just want to get through the next few pages or chapter and all of sudden you have not gotten anything done that day except read a book (sounds like a good day to me though).
The book is centered around Quinn when he is already well versed in the cleaning business. I like that Battles took some time for backstory of other jobs that Quinn has done as well as show some of the relationships that he has been forced to call on in this novel. He also takes the time to explain how and why Quinn got into the cleaning business. I appreciate the backstory as it lets the reader get to know Quinn better. I know that some readers do not like flash backs within novels as they can distract from the story that is currently happening, however, I think that the back flashes that Battles chose to show in The Cleaner were needed and well placed within the book, that they did not disrupt the flow of the book and actually enhanced the story.
I really like Quinn as a character. He is strong, likes to stay in the background and as a cleaner but is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He is cool under pressure, but I think that Battles did a good job in balancing his tough guy persona with his personal feeling for Orlando. He was also able to counteract the seriousness of Quinn’s personality with his interaction with his apprentice Nate. I think Quinn's character has the ability to appeal to lots of different individuals as you are able to see both sides of him
Fans of action adventure novels with a "government agency" twist will enjoy this book by Battles. I found this book fast paced, well written and an interesting plot that will keep you from putting this book down. I look forward to reading another book by Battles.
Enjoy!!!
Jonathan Quinn, does not have a violent career, but it often does involve dead bodies and a little clean up when needed. So when he is requested by "the Office" to make sure that everything cleans up nicely when a body is discovered in a fire, Quinn believes it is just another regular case. But Quinn would not be good at his job if he was not thorough and ask the right questions. When his handler at the Office, suddenly won’t answer his questions, he knows that this is more than just a simple cleaning job. Quinn knows he must have been asking the right questions, as he is suddenly on someone's death list and his only hope is to get some help from the past but this will put even more people in danger. It may have started out as a simple cleaning job, but now Quinn is going to need to get his hands really dirty in order to keep himself and others around him alive.
I was surprised to find out that this was Battles’ debut novel; this book had all the aspects I would expect from a seasoned writer. I really enjoyed this book. It had an interesting story, that was able to keep me entertained throughout and never let me down with being too cliché or predictable. Battles did a really good job of keeping me on my toes as you were never really sure what was going to happen next. Battles does a good job in keeping his novel fast pace as there was very little down time for Quinn, therefore, it was the same for the reader. This also causes you not to want to put the book down as there never seems to be a right time for that, which is I think is quite a complement for any writer, you just want to get through the next few pages or chapter and all of sudden you have not gotten anything done that day except read a book (sounds like a good day to me though).
The book is centered around Quinn when he is already well versed in the cleaning business. I like that Battles took some time for backstory of other jobs that Quinn has done as well as show some of the relationships that he has been forced to call on in this novel. He also takes the time to explain how and why Quinn got into the cleaning business. I appreciate the backstory as it lets the reader get to know Quinn better. I know that some readers do not like flash backs within novels as they can distract from the story that is currently happening, however, I think that the back flashes that Battles chose to show in The Cleaner were needed and well placed within the book, that they did not disrupt the flow of the book and actually enhanced the story.
I really like Quinn as a character. He is strong, likes to stay in the background and as a cleaner but is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He is cool under pressure, but I think that Battles did a good job in balancing his tough guy persona with his personal feeling for Orlando. He was also able to counteract the seriousness of Quinn’s personality with his interaction with his apprentice Nate. I think Quinn's character has the ability to appeal to lots of different individuals as you are able to see both sides of him
Fans of action adventure novels with a "government agency" twist will enjoy this book by Battles. I found this book fast paced, well written and an interesting plot that will keep you from putting this book down. I look forward to reading another book by Battles.
Enjoy!!!
jmcguoirk's review against another edition
3.0
Interested to see where this goes. I have a sneaky suspicion. Thanks BB.
catherine_t's review against another edition
3.0
Jonathan Quinn is a cleaner: he goes in after a secret operation and ties up the loose ends, makes it look as if nothing ever happened. He's a freelancer, but most of his work comes from a shadowy (possibly governmental) organization known only as The Office. His contact at The Office, Peter, sends him to Colorado to clean up after a fire that killed an asset. What Quinn turns up, though, leads him halfway around the world in a race against time.
I'm kind of on the fence about this book. I'd heard good things about it from readers whose opinion I respect, but especially towards the end, I found things that pulled me out of the story: unbelievable twists, a hackneyed reveal, and at least one poorly constructed sentence. I spent the last third of the book rolling my eyes: "Seriously?" Maybe I've read too many thrillers; maybe I haven't read enough, but by the end, I really just wanted it to be over. Still, I was intrigued enough by the characters that I might read the next in the series, so Battles had at least accomplished that.
I'm kind of on the fence about this book. I'd heard good things about it from readers whose opinion I respect, but especially towards the end, I found things that pulled me out of the story: unbelievable twists, a hackneyed reveal, and at least one poorly constructed sentence. I spent the last third of the book rolling my eyes: "Seriously?" Maybe I've read too many thrillers; maybe I haven't read enough, but by the end, I really just wanted it to be over. Still, I was intrigued enough by the characters that I might read the next in the series, so Battles had at least accomplished that.