Clean

A Mindspace Investigations Novel, Book 1

By: Alex Hughes

Narrated by: Daniel May

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

A ruthless killer - out of sight, out of mind

I used to work for the Telepath’s Guild before they kicked me out for a drug habit that wasn’t entirely my fault. Now I work for the cops, helping Homicide Detective Isabella Cherabino put killers behind bars.

My ability to get inside the twisted minds of suspects makes me the best interrogator in the department. But the normals keep me on a short leash. When the Tech Wars ripped the world apart, the Guild stepped up to save it. But they had to get scary to do it - real scary.

Now the cops don’t trust the telepaths, the Guild doesn’t trust me, a serial killer is stalking the city - and I’m aching for a fix. But I need to solve this case. Fast. I’ve just had a vision of the future: I’m the next to die.

©2012 Alexandra Hughes (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Interesting take on mental abilities and technolog

Would you listen to Clean again? Why?

I would listen to clean again in the future after I have listened to the rest of the series to see what other things they have foreshadowed.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Clean?

When his stash of drugs is cleared out by his sponsor, I could feel his life crashing around him.

What about Daniel May’s performance did you like?

Great voice for this character.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When he is hurt and his partner is hurt and they both feel the pain of each other...

Any additional comments?

This is a nice change from modern fantasy. This is more near future scifi.

TELEPATHICTASTIC!

Which character – as performed by Daniel May – was your favorite?

The best performance was Polsin the main characters commanding officer which was done perfect for her character. I was amazed with the way Daniel May voice was so smooth with out hesitation and seamless between characters in the book

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The addiction and flaws of the main character touched me as we are all flawed in one way or another it made me relate to my own flaws in my past. The self-isolation and conflicted feelings about his drug habit and how those around him in his work place viewed him.

Any additional comments?

The story line is unique and Scifi with telepathic investigators with serial killings. I am going to continue on with the series.

Urban Fantasy? Mystery? Sci-Fi? Yep!

In preparing for this review, I skimmed some of the other reviews. I was surprised to see they are all over the board – from “I couldn’t finish it” to “OMG this is amazing!” I really enjoyed Clean the first time I read it, and I’ve read it several times since. I would have to really nitpick to find something about the book I didn’t like.

In the not-too-distant future, technology has gone horribly wrong, and its use is limited. Some of the population is gifted with telepathic powers, and these people stepped up to save the world. Now they are feared, but powerful and useful. The rich history and background of the world in Clean is perfect for my style of reading. The reader never learns everything about the past, but little bits are revealed throughout the story.

The way Hughes writes about telepathy from the telepath’s point of view is pretty neat as well. It’s fascinating to see a peek into someone brain, to see what they might be thinking or feeling. Watching the protagonist interview suspects, interpret their thoughts, and manipulate them into thinking what he needs to know is both captivating and scary.

One thing I really appreciated about Clean is how the protagonist views his partner. Cherabino is a tough detective with a haunted past, which causes her to appear pretty bitchy at times. Despite that, the protagonist never loses faith in her, never gets tired of her or fed up with her attitude. He can see into her mind, knows what’s causing her outward behavior, and yet sees her for who she really is. I think we all crave that kind of acceptance in our lives.

The protagonist does get a little whiny – he’s lost a lot and feels very put upon by the indignities of his new status. However, compared to most regular people I work with, he’s a model for stoic acceptance. :)

The narrator does a great job with Adam and Cherebino's voices. Some of the other character's voices aren't markedly different, but I didn't ever feel like I didn't know who was talking. I really did enjoy this book in audio.

Overall, like I said, I’d have to really nitpick to find something about this novel I didn’t like. I really love the characters and the world and hope we get to see more of them both in the future.

Purchased. Review courtesy of One Book Two book review blog.

Surperb!

Where does Clean rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would rank Clean among the top 10. Set in the future with telepaths and high technology is truly fantastic. Adam Ward is a very likeable character, flaws and all. Struggling to overcome his addiction he tries very hard to make a better life for himself.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Clean?

When he linked to Cherabino, his part-time partner and was able to hear her thoughts.

Have you listened to any of Daniel May’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes Daniel May's performance is outstanding as always! I bought this book when I saw who was the narrator. Daniel May was the narrator for C J Cherryh's Foreigner Series and he performed brilliantly. The author, Alex Hughes is very good too. I love the book so much that I finished it through the night. I'm downloading Bk 2 Sharp and start listening immediately. I hope Alex Hughes will write Bk 4 soon.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

-

Any additional comments?

I will buy the whole series! It's worth the credit.

Pretty Good - Gritty, not fluffy

This was a pretty good Urban Fantasy without any romance. Well, there is romantic interest but no actual romance to speak of. The fantasy portion was well done and integrated into 'traditional life' in a smooth way. The main character has an addiction and really struggles with it throughout the book. It made it a more gritty UF as opposed to the fluffy, sexy UF. It was refreshing not to always read fantasy where people get naked. I was interested throughout the book. I had no trouble finishing it, and I picked up the next book. I liked it. I think other UF fans will like it, too.

Loved it.

well written, the book was hard to put down. I am starting on the second one in the series immediately.

Not bad, but kind of average.

What did you like best about Clean? What did you like least?

The drug addiction angle was really interesting. I feel like Alex Hughes has a strong grasp on what dealing with addiction is like. The aspect I like least would be a spoiler, so, sorry.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

This would be really hard to make into a movie. So much of it is based on sensing thoughts an emotions that I don't know how you would translate it into a visual story.

Any additional comments?

I listened to Storm Front, the first book of The Dresden Files, shortly before I listened to this book. While Clean wasn't bad, it felt like a pale copy in some ways of this other series. Both protagonists are superpowered consultants for the police, have various monkeys on their backs, are distrusted by everyone they work with, and are the only people equipped to deal with everything that is going on. If I had to choose between this series and The Dresden Files, The Dresden Files wins every time. It just does this better. Maybe the later books are an improvement, but I haven't listened to them yet.

Truly Enjoyable!

While the story is dark and sometimes depressing, the changes in this guy's life are incredible. The only way for him to go is up and he's getting there one laborious step at a time.

Great Techno/Mental abilities SciFi mash up

Where does Clean rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I really liked this book, it was one of the first i'v read that takes technology and psychic abilities and makes a very interesting story. I love the main character and his struggle with his addiction. This book is worth the credit.

What other book might you compare Clean to and why?

I have not read any books that I could compare this one with.

Which scene was your favorite?

Cant say which is my favorite but Cherabino man, she is so aggravating with her bravado.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

definitely, only reason why I did not read this all in one, is because i tend to read at work and I wanted to have something to listen to the rest of the week.

Interest is piqued

This was something different. A telepath, with tons of emotional baggage, that helps a sexy cop solve cases. Overall, it's not bad, but the story lacks explanations about how things came to be in this year/age. At first the lack of detail is a relief, but if you ponder elements your left with a plot that could have been set in any time or day. Still, the ideas and characters make up for the loss of detail.