Having to go back to work has really eaten into my reading time, not to mention starting a new job and doing some online training of an evening so I can hit the ground running. So apologies for the gaps in my reviews.
That said, this is The Cleaner by Brett Battles
Blurb
Meet Jonathan Quinn: a freelance operative with a take-no-prisoners style and the heart of a loner. His job? Professional "cleaner." Nothing too violent, just disposing of bodies, doing a little cleanup if necessary.
But in Brett Battles's electrifying debut novel, Quinn's latest assignment will change everything, igniting a harrowing journey of violence, betrayal, and revenge.
The job seemed simple enough: investigating a suspicious case of arson. But when a dead body turns up where it doesn't belong, and Quinn's handlers at "the Office" turn strangely silent, he knows he's in over his head.
With only a handful of clues, Quinn scrambles for cover, struggling to find out why someone wants him dead . . . and if it's linked to a larger attempt to wipe out the Office.
This one looked quite interesting, got rave reviews on Goodreads and mostly 4/5 stars on Amazon. It's not the usual retired hit-man dragged back into the game story, the hero in this is still working and is more of an investigator rather than a killer.
There are some full-on cliches in this book though and some things are a bit iffy - an example being... '
from there it was just a simple crack to access the NATO personnel home records' yeah, reaching there a bit mate.
However the story does move along at a decent clip, although the investigation side turns more into a Jason Bourne type of tale, I would have preferred a more detective-orientated storyline rather than the action hero it turns into.
Now the bad news, the main character is just unlikeable, and by that I mean I couldn't care less if he got aced and someone else took over the main role.
There is zero empathy for the guy, in fact at halfway point in the book it was a coin-toss if I stuck with it at all.
If I read a book with an evil protagonist, I can still relate to them, this main character.... nothing at all. Zilch.
Just an obnoxious dude and not in a good or interesting way
Reviews
The cover endorsements make this out to be something special with links to many great authors - in reality, it is an efficient thriller that will engage you, and then you will forget about it. Fast-moving with a plot that is slightly ambitious, this is not fantastic but is quite readable for what it is.
A good thriller, a bit "superhero " at times but a good read.
Jonathan Quinn, the main character, is the cleaner. He obliterates the evidence of the crime and removes the bodies. Isn't that a fascinating profession for the main character of the thriller? For me it definitely is and I read with great interest the secrets of his business.
From the summary of this book, I thought it’d be about a guy kind of like Harvey Kietel’s character Winston “The Wolf” Wolfe from Pulp Fiction. You know, a slick guy who shows up and gets rid of all the evidence after some criminal shenanigans. But instead of getting The Wolf, this book featured a low-rent Jason Bourne wannabe named Jonathan Quinn.
I think the last review 100% nails this book
£8 for Kindle - £14 for paperback.
For what it is, I think it's very overpriced, if it is a book that you think you might enjoy then I would suggest getting a 2nd hand copy for a quid off amazon instead of spending the retail price.
This is #1 out of about fifteen so it looks like the book-buying public is enjoying the action and ignoring my review !
I might try #2 at some point, but it's not going to be high on my list of priorities, I have loads of other #2s I want to get at before this guy appears in front of me again.
