The Cleaner

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.

This is a book about totally unlikeable people who kill a lot of other people and then kind of try to save the world-- but only because there's something in it for them. In the end they have good reasons for the people they kill in this story-- but this doesn't remedy the fact that nothing is done to make them likeable. The Sopranos made likeable and complex characters out of Tony, Silvio, and so many other people, but this book, IMO, does very little in that regard. On a more positive note, I did listen the whole way through, because I cared enough to see what happened in the end. If you're looking for action and danger and you're completely bored with character development, great... otherwise, keep shopping.

I should have known by the comparison to the TV. show "Alias" that I was going to dislike this book but it looked like fun. It wasn't.

It is, however, unoriginal; the Cleaner in Le Femme Nikita is far more interesting. And it is disappointingly predictable; the twists and turns were less like a roller coaster ride and more like an uncomfortable get-away in the back of a jalopy Ford on a pot-holed road.

I gave it a chance and listened to it through the end but I couldn't wait for it to be over. It was one eye-rolling-you've-got-to-be-kidding-me moment after another. I'm dousing myself with Le Carre as an antidote.

The production value, however, is excellent. Scott Brick is a reliable and consistent reader.

This story follows the adventures of Jonathan Quinn - a private espionage specialist with a jaded past. The plot is about average for thriller in this genre - lots of action, foreign settings, conspiracys, and even has a few interesting twists.

Personally I felt that the writer should have edited this work a little harder. As it is, there are all sort of useless parts where the main character checks his email, eats, makes casual conversation and does other hum-drum stuff that doesn't advance the plot. Hence the story has some good meat, but you have to chew around a lot of grizzle. A good editor would have cut a lot of this out, leaving the good stuff. Perhaps the abridged version would be better.

The narrator puts far too much emphasis on "performing" the story, rather than just reading it. His tone borders on annoying at times.

The reader Scott Brick is great as usual but he can't save a bad story. Simplistic thriller writing with almost no thrills. Wooden predictable characters that seemed to be copies some cheap detective stories from the 50's or 60's. Don't waste your time or money.

I guess credit must be given since this is the writer's debut. Hopefully lessons have been learned and the next outing will be better. I found the book lacked a lot of character development, and plot credibility. I won't write a spoiler, but I will say there will be points when you wonder if the characters have even a shred of intelligence because they overlook the most obvious solutions.
Scott Brick does his usual excellent work as a narrator, and I was glad I hung on to the bitter end of the book if only to hear him attempt a monotone computer generated voice. It's simply not possible for him to remove all inflection. Made me chuckle for sure. In the end though, I'll be watching for the next outing by this author and hoping for improvement.

I like spy trash (hit man/spy/international thriller stuff) if it is done well and this one is not. The characters are routinely asked to do stupid things that would not be what even a casual reader of the genre would do in the situation. A frustrating listen at best.

Who cares? None of the good guys are interesting. None of the bad guys are interesting. Never thought I'd applaud a reader for being melodramatic, but Scott B.'s read is the only thing that kept me listening to this endless tale. The ending reminds one of the kiss at the end of a sexless romance novel, but rather than embrace, the two just walk away. Won't be trying to find out if they ever meet again.

I wish I had and not wasted a credit on this book. I love intelligent, witty and suspenseful books. This looked as if it may fit the bill. It doesn't, not even close. The other reviews warned the characters are not interesting, the action is slow and the narraration (sorry Scott Brick) is tedious. I believe someone compared his reading to William Shatner....I wished I took the advice of others and skipped this clunker.

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.