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

Looking forward to more Quinn

Thoroughly enjoyed and so very glad we listened to Finding Quinn first. Great plot twists.

excellent from start to finish

This book is excellent from start to finish. You will not want to break from the non-stop action. Its one the best book I've bought from Audible since I started this service 30 months ago.

Couldn't stop listening...

Top notch plot, excellent character development, fast pace, lots of twists and turns and WHAT AN ENDING ! You can't go wrong with this one.

The first novel in a great series!

After joining Audible in December 2006 I began listening to Nelson DeMIlle, Daniel Silva. and Vince Flynn thrillers. In mid-2007 I decided to purchase a book written by Brett Battles, an author I had never heard of. The novel was The Cleaner which had just been released. I discover a superb author in Brett Battles as well as the narrator, Scott Brick, who remains my favorite. I've enjoyed listening to each Brett Battles book since as it was released. The Cleaner is, of course, Book 1 in the wonderful Jonathan Quinn series.

Although The Cleaner at 3.8 stars is not as highly rated as subsequent Quinn novels, it is an excellent novel and the place to start the series after first listening to Becoming Quinn which was published in 2012 and is a superb introduction to the man who became Jonathan Quinn.

non stop action

loved this book. It keeps you wondering and is an exciting read

A Great Storyteller

Like a roller coaster of plot's twist and turns, up and downs with final answers arriving in the last few monitors. A good read or listen. Narrator is good with accents and speech styles. Go for it.

The Cleaner was Bond-like

This very fast moving story was following the heroic character to save the world from a deadly plot by devious characters. The involvement of former mentor and his total psychotic behaviour s a little hard to swallow. Many years hiding out to hide the fact of his faked death does not seem plausible at all.
Like both books I ahve audio'd I listened to it twice and picked up details that were missed first time around. Enjoyed the listen.
Narrators voices helped a lot.

EXCELLENT

I actually listened to 8 first based on reviews then liked that one enough to go to #9. I really appreciate a great series when it's been out long enough to just keep going to the next vs waiting s year or 2 for the next one. I decided this is my next series so I went to the very first. surprised how good even this first is.

Entertaining

After listening to the Reacher series, I have been looking for a good replacement and this fits the bill. While not quite the same in intensity, it does have enough twists to keep one interested. And as always, I love to hear Scott Brick narrate.

Well ....

Any additional comments?

I am struggling with this narrator. I have read some reviews that say he is a great narrator. This is my first experience with him. I have only gotten through a few chapters but I don't think I can continue. Someone referred to him as Shatner, that is a very good comparison. I am intrigued though, so far as the story goes anyway, I think it is worth it to me to purchase it for Kindle and read it to see what happens. I will not say that I will refuse to buy something read by Scott Brick, but I would be wary just based on his performance here.