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.

stunning performance and story

even in the future there are AA meetings for addicts. here's a story of one man's struggle to come to terms with his addiction during a multiples case.

Enjoyable and Truly Satisfying!

Thank you, Alex! (And a thank you to your editor is in order as well!)

This book has every thing. Good story, great Narrator (Daniel: did it hurt to do Paulson’s voice?!), good pace, and a finish that wraps the whole story together.

That is, Have you ever listened to a book that leaves you feeling like part of the story was missing? Like it did not even exist? Like the author didn’t even conceptualize it?

This is not that kind of book.

Hey, Alex! I’m off to grab the next book in the series. Catch ya’ later! 🤗

Bleak, could have used more imagery. some humor?

I went ahead and bought book 1 and 2 in a 2-fer sale, and although I finished book 1 a few weeks ago, book 2 is still set aside.

Some series improve with each book, and I hope that will be the case with this series . . . there are interesting ideas and the plot makes sense . . . I guess the authors that can slip some humor into the story line are more fun to read . . . there were a few bits of humor here and there in the storyline, but as bleak and dreary as the main character's life is portrayed, this story needed more humor.

Definitely different and definitely terrific

Make sure to pay attention to the really terrific background details that are provided almost as an afterthought but are definitely valuable to enjoy the full experience of the story.

Hmmm. . . You’re thinking of telepathy

I read mostly read/listen to nonfiction. Some of it is fun, like Amy Stewart’s 2013 “The Drunken Botanist.” Most of it is detailed, thought provoking, and sometimes difficult to understand – like Simon Baron-Cohen’s 2011 “The Science of Evil” or Marc J. Seiffer’s 2011 “Wizard”, which is a biography of Tesla.

When I need a break, I listen to light fiction – mostly murder mysteries. I thought I was just getting detective fiction with a future twist with Alex Hughes’ 2012, “Clean: A Mindspace Investigation Novel, Book 1”. Clean is set in a future Atlanta after a tech war reminiscent of James Cameron’s “Terminator” movies. Human telepaths save North America. After the war, ‘The Guild’ (of telepaths) enter into a treaty to govern and discipline themselves.

The hero/narrator was kicked out of ‘The Guild’ after developing a serious ”Satin” drug problem. “Satin” sounds a great deal like heroin, and ‘Satin’ could easily be ‘Satan’. Hughes’ spends a great deal of the novel talking about the pull of ‘Satin’ and the deadly temptation to return to the drug. The future has Narcotics Anonymous and the same 12-Step program we have today.

As a means of redeeming himself personally, the protagonist uses his telepathy to help the police with investigations. The techniques and training Hughes describes are imaginative, and not improbable.

I liked Daniel May’s Audible narration. It reminded me a bit of audio versions I’ve heard of Dashiell Hammett’s books. Hardboiled. I don’t know what May looks like, but I would have expected him to do this narration wearing a grey suit with a narrow tie, and a fedora.

With “Clean” I was expecting a bit of distracting book candy. What I got was a dystopian thinker and a real description of addiction. It was a little rough to follow in places, but I liked it well enough that I’ll get the next book in the series.

Totally enjoyed

Any additional comments?

This was a totally engrossing, interesting book. The future envisioned by the author was believable and convincingly written. The main character is an addicted telepath that is currently clean, but at times coming close to losing his sobriety because of job stress and personal stress. He is very human in his weaknesses and it makes the story more interesting and draws you more fully into his world. The narration was good and did not detract from the story in any way. I am looking forward to adding the second book in this series to my library and listening to another good book!

The title sums it up very well...

The title is very accurate. It clearly identifies two of the overriding themes in the novel:
a) the struggle to overcome addiction (and all the baggage that accumulates with an addict), and
b) the difficulties faced by a recovering addict when investigating murders - given a)

The fact that is is set in an urban fantasy world - and has tech/abilities that don't exist (yet) - doesn't change the fact that this is primarily a strong detective novel with a flawed main character. The setting has changed from the traditional noir detective novel, but the story is still a noir detective novel.

There was a lot of self-absorption from the main character but that was logical since he is a recovering addict - and a moderately unwilling one at that. There was a lot of "baggage" from the past that is never explicitly defined for the reader - this baggage affected the main character's relationship with his current partner, his job, his past, and even with the bad guy, but we are not given any of the details around this. We are told only that "main character has a past, was kicked from the guild for it, and lost his fiancee because of it", and we know that every decision he makes or action he takes now stems from that past. One would think this would ruin the story, but it does not. It's the traditional noir "flawed detective" except the source of the flaw is a weird drug (rather than the usual alcohol) and the residual effects on his life revolve around his experiences in the guild and his remaining ties to it (rather than the usual military, PTSD or childhood abuse rationale).

Overall, this was a wonderful find: I like urban fantasy, I like noir, and I like flawed main characters who are fundamentally good. I will be reading the rest in the series.

The narration is very good. There is some violence but no gore, no swearing and no sex. #UrbanFantasy #Gritty #Noir #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes

An Unexpected Pleasure

When deciding on a new book and author I generally read both the positive and negative reviews.After reading a negative review on this book I put it on my electronic shelf (I'd gotten the book via an Audible promotion) and let it sit there for several months. Finally, I took it down with some reluctance after accepting one reviewer's negative take on the hero's addiction problems.

I was pleasantly surprised to find I loved the book. Hughes has created a gritty but credible world with characters and a plot that grip you and find you wanting for more. I've since gotten the next two books in the series and am eagerly awaiting the next.

Unique but familiar feeling

What did you love best about Clean?

The hero is quite flawed in that he is a recovering drug addict, and really struggles with cravings. He meets his Narcotics Anonymous sponsor almost every day. The cravings affect a lot of his thinking, and this comes through in the story narration.

What other book might you compare Clean to and why?

This book reminded me strongly of the Dresden Files. Male protagonist with magical abilities? Check. Hero is always in over his head and trying to fix things? Check. Works on consultant basis for police? Check. Police contact is a female and there is some chemistry? Check. Audiobook has incredible narration? Check.

Any additional comments?

The plot itself was interesting, and the case our hero is working on is a great introduction to the series. We get to meet all the main characters, and learn how they interact. I was surprised at how much I actually loved this world, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Slow Starting

Any additional comments?

The book was a slow start but it picks up steam. The story is pretty good but I think it lacked some background information. Seems to me to elude to things and it makes me feel like I should've known some information so I often hit rewind thinking I missed something but I hadn't. Some of the narrator's voices get annoying. I think he had roughly 6 character voices and 2 of them annoyed me greatly.