The Cleaner

By: Brett Battles

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

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. But in Brett Battles' electrifying debut novel, Quinn's latest assignment will change everything.

The job seemed simple enough: investigating a suspicious case of arson. But when a dead body turns up, 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 struggles to find out why someone wants him dead...and if it's linked to a larger attempt to wipe out the Office.

Quinn's only hope may be Orlando, a woman from his past who may hold the key to solving the case. Suddenly, the two are prying into old crimes, crisscrossing continents, and struggling to stay alive. But as the hunt intensifies, Quinn is stunned by a chilling secret...and a brilliantly orchestrated conspiracy.

Furiously paced, filled with superbly drawn characters and pitch-perfect dialogue, The Cleaner confirms Battles' place as one of the most exciting new talents in suspense fiction.

©2007 Brett Battles (P)2007 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

2008, Shamus Award

"Brett Battles makes a grand entrance into the thriller scene with this unputdownable spy novel. The Cleaner has it all: exotic locales, James Bondian derring-do, and ingenious plot twists that will keep you sweating all the way ’til the end.”—Tess Gerritsen, bestselling author of The Bone Garden

“This book is a pure delight. Protagonist Jonathan Quinn is a unique and welcome addition to the world of crime fiction. The Cleaner is a brilliant and heart-pounding thriller; I’m on the edge of my seat, awaiting future installments of Quinn’s adventures.”—Jeffery Deaver, bestselling author of The Broken Window

“A page-turner that may remind some readers of the cult TV spy series Alias . . . .Quinn [is] a compelling protagonist. . . . Admirers of quality espionage fiction can look forward to a new series worth following.”—Publishers Weekly

loved it

listened to it all the way through WY and MT. kept hubby interested and awake while driving.

Quick paced, funny and action packed!

I had put off listening to this series because I just wasn't sure that I would like the subject matter. Turns out, I was wrong, wrong, wrong. This book had all the action you could ask for and great dialog. I promise you that if you give this book a try, you won't regret it!

No wet work, they said, just cleanup, yeah right.

Fabulous story of intrigue, really bad guys, a really bad plot of destruction, and lots of twists! It was just a routine checking out what really happened, but it takes our hero all around the world which he must end up saving. There were several surprises that I didn't see coming, that's a good thing! Good guys go home, and the bad guys go to, well you know.

Battles has set up a great character and background here so we can enjoy all the following books. Scott Brick is a well-loved narrator. I just find his swooping sentence endings annoying, like he's trying to play a Jewish mother-in-law although it wasn't too bad in this book.

All in all, a very exciting read!

Just not good enough

Would you try another book from Brett Battles and/or Scott Brick?

I loved Becoming Quinn, however, this book was not interesting , rambled , could not hold my interest . Although I know that Quinns job has changed , this Quinn is too hard with none of the attributes of the original.

What was most disappointing about Brett Battles’s story?

His interpretation of the new Quinn. The introductions of new characters had me scratching my head.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes, the narrator did a fine job.

Did The Cleaner inspire you to do anything?

Give the book to the library

Any additional comments?

None

Read "Becoming Quinn" First

I started this series by reading Becoming Quinn because it was on sale and the summary said it gives the backstory to Quinn. I typically read books in a series in the order the author wrote them, even when the author does a backstory. In this case, I'm glad I read Becoming Quinn before I read the first book in this series.

Reading this in 2022, I found I needed to remind myself that this book was written in 200, so many things are different now in technology, field operations, etc.

****Spoilers below

This genre always requires the reader to suspend belief in the protagonist's capabilities, circumstances, and luck. However. there were some gaps in logic that I could not reconcile with Quinn's character. For instance. Quinn let Tucker go before Orlando's child was found. He lost leverage when that happened. Also. the author focused on Quinn's injuries being so noticeable in Chapter 41, but Nate had recently sustained a major beating that was described as quite visible. I also didn't like that there was no reasoning on why Durrie thought Orlando's son was Quinn's. Yes, it mentioned Durrie knew Quinn was attracted to Orlando, but the rest of the book made it clear it wasn't mutual. So why did Durrie obsess on this. And why did Quinn never tell Orlando what Durrie thought? And why was Orlando resentful to Quinn when she knew it wasn't Quinn's fault when Durrie was killed in the op years ago.

On a different note, I hope in the future the author will omit sex scenes like in Chapter 21. I read this genre not for explicit details of a sexual encounter. I'm fine with a hookup or bedroom scene but don't go into details like this is romance novel.

There was a twist towards the end. The big question in my mind is whether Durrie is really dead.

I will invest more time into series because I think Quinn has potential as an interesting protagonist. A cleaner is also a unique character skill to base a series on.

Excellent beginning to a series

This book was truly good. Unfortunately, as much I have come to appreciate Scott Brick's performance, it has become a challenge to distinguish between the characters he narrates. This man could have been John Corey without the sarcasm. But that said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. This is my first time listening to a book by Brett Battles. I am looking forward to the next Jonathan Quinn book.

The Cleaner, 'Cleaned' Up!

Great, action filled, smart book!
Surprise ending making the roller-coaster ride that much more exciting!
Can't wait to move on to book 2 in this series!
Scott Brick, as usual, is an incredible narrator! He hits everything he does right on the mark!:)

Scott Brick is great

The story is questionable but Scott Brick brings it to life and makes it believable!

Excellent from the first word

This was a great listen in general, with some intersting twists along the way, worth a listen to.

Ripping yarn

This book is different to my usual taste in fiction. I enjoyed it never the less. It kept me engaged throughout, always wanting to know what was going to happen next. The ending caught me by surprise.