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

Pretty good book, so-so narration

The story was good, not too many plot holes or unlikely scenarios. Scott Brick's narration is, as usual, overly dramatic for my taste. There are many places where the story just needs to be read instead of " performed".

I came to this party too late....

Sadly, I came to this series too late. This book was written in 2007 and I had already had lots of Scott Brick, Orphan X, the Gray Man, etc. by the time I got to this one. Perhaps it did come before the others. However, The Cleaner sounds just like many others I have already read. I did enjoy Becoming Quinn and it was the reason I decided to try the series. There are so many other series in Audible to enjoy that I won't pursue any more of these.

Shows promise

Very much enjoyed this first book in the series. Not perfect, but quite good. I have already purchased a couple more of the 'cleaner' books. Shows promise to be an entertaining story line. I'm a Scott Brick fan so to me, anything he narrates is worth a listen too. Look forward to the next book in the series.

Loved the book, not the narrator.....

Sorry Scott Brick, but I’m not a fan of your reading style. Loved the book enough to continue on with series and I’m enjoying William Dufris much more. That aside, this series brings a unique protagonist and a plethora of books in the series. The writing has depth and believability. Details are provided when needed but they don’t bog down the pace as the story unfolds. Very pleased to have found you, Brett Battles!

As good as Orphan X and the Gray Man!

I started this series with the Becoming Quinn book but couldn’t get into it so I stopped. After reconsidering (Scott Brick after all!) I started the series with this book and honestly haven’t stopped. I’m on the second to last book and I am smitten with all the quirky characters! The Jonathan Quinn series is as good as Orphan X, The Gray Man, Scott Horvath IMHO etc etc etc.!!! After reading half the books I went back to Becoming Quinn and enjoyed it thoroughly. I can’t believe I almost didn’t start this series!! Brett Battles is one talented writer! He is very detailed and the fun just keeps coming! Great characters with quirks and bits of humor all around. I highly recommend this series!! Scott Brick is brilliant as always.

FYI I listed to all the books at 1.2x speed.

Pleasantly surprised!

Scott Brick is brilliant as always. I enjoyed the book. The ending left you wondering what might be next.
An entertaining story!!

Keep with it!

This is an action packed second book in the Quinn series. One should read the 0.5 start when Quinn was made Quinn. We had a fun interaction between himself and his apprentice. Then we see an interesting development of biological terrorism. And a very bad guy reappearing. And ultimately we see betrayal.

It appears that either people love or hate Brett Battle's writing. And yes. This is not for everyone. That is the beautiful thing with Audible's guarentee. I have had to use it a few times but it is excellent. I highly recommend this service. It is great to listen and multitask.

As always Scott Brick is excellent. I have heard of the FOSB issue. Fear Of Scott Brick. I suppose some suffer from it. I pity them. They miss some very good hours of a talented reader. I am looking forward to the next in the Quinn series.

The story shoots from the barrel of motivation...

I must find more books by Brett Battles. He understands the nuances of story speed and plot folding, and how story flows from the characters naturally. I was happy to ride along the character's path in their interesting world.

I've listened twice, and, of course, no one can perform better then Scott Brick. He is my bedroom buddy, my tantalizing transistor radio beneath my pillow. His accents don't bleed to other words, his characters are perfect. Women, men, Germans, Bosnians, with one word I have no doubt who is speaking.

After two books where the writer was--frankly--an arrogant ass, ruining the story with his own pride of self (see my reviews on Michael Palmer's Political Suicide and Richard Bards' Brian Rush, 2 books I couldn't finish because the arrogance of the author bled into their protagonist), was beginning to think I didn't like audio books any more, but Brett battled me back to love for this art form.

Don't miss this book!

Talk about an unusual skill set...

I love this series!

The job of cleaning up murder scenes could make for stomach churning stories from the pens of some writers. However, Brett Battles, while giving those gruesome details, manages to move along story lines with a style that keeps you entertained. I hesitate to use the word humorous, but wry might describe the tone. As if it's all in an ordinary day's work, each book has a new scenario. Jonathan Quinn must do his assigned task and there are always complications (sometimes it's his own curiosity.)

Needless to say, with a life constantly on call, a job requiring secrecy and with high security risks Quinn is left estranged from his family and with few contacts other than his trusted working partners. This leads to the development of his history and character as the series progresses. In addition, the other regulars have their own histories, crises, and relationships with Quinn.

Scott Brick, as always, is a perfect narrator. He manages to voice urgency, danger, and fear at appropriate times without intruding on the scene or dialog.

A captivating listen

This is a great listen. The story is captivating and I worked to find time to listen more so I could find out what hapens next.