Tuesday, 23 July 2024

THE CLEANER


The Cleaner by Mark Dawson
Book 1 in the John Milton series
Narrated by David Thorpe
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


John Milton is the man the government calls when they want a problem to go away... but what happens when he’s the one who needs to disappear?

After a botched job leaves a bloody trail, government assassin John Milton does the one thing he’s never done before: he hides.

Disappearing into London’s bustling East End and holing up in a vacant flat, Milton becomes involved with his neighbour Sharon and her troubled son Elijah, who are caught in an increasingly bloody turf war between two rival gangs.

Unable to ignore the threat, Milton sets about protecting mother and son, meeting violence with violence. But his involvement puts him in the sights of the government’s next best killer, and before long Milton is not just fighting to save a family and a home - he’s fighting to stay alive...
Source: Info in the "About The Cleaner" was taken from amazon on 26/06/2024.


Buy Link(s):
  Audible Books


My Thoughts:
This is my first Mark Dawson read and I would probably follow him and this series until my interest in it wanes.

If John is supposed to be this bad-ass assassin who has bad-ass assassin habits like putting powder on the floor to inform him that somebody has been in his digs when he comes back to it, then how come he did not get the bead on Callan being in his apartment? Or maisonette. Or whatever it is you want to call his rented place. That's a bit odd. I do not like it when things don't line up...

This is a crime fiction so I was expecting the plot to be a little bit twistier than it is.

The narrator was obviously reading a different script to the ebook that kindle sold me. It plays havoc with amazon's whisper sync.

David Thorpe reads with a sing song. It's not as bad as other sing-songy narrators, still, I am not fond of sing-songs...


Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 3.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (8 hrs and 58 mins listening time)
Plot = 3
Narration = 4.5


Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Books In The John Milton Series:
Book 0.5: 1000 YARDS Book 0.6: TARANTULA Book 1: THE CLEARNER Book 2: SAINT DEATH Book 3: THE DRIVER Book 4: GHOSTS Book 5: THE SWORD OF GOD Book 6: SALVATION ROW Book 7: HEADHUNTERS Book 8: THE NINTH STEP Book 9: THE JUNGLE Book 10: BLACKOUT Book 11: THE ALAMO Book 12: REDEEMER Book 13: SLEEPERS Book 14: TWELVE DAYS Book 15: BRIGHT LIGHTS Book 16: THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS Book 17: KILLA CITY Book 18: RONIN Book 19: NEVER LET ME DOWN AGAIN Book 20: BULLETPROOF Book 21: THE SANDMAN Book 22: UPPERCUT Book 23: BLOODLANDS Book 24: THE SECOND SIN Book 25: (TBC)


 
Meet The Author

About Mark Dawson:
Mark Dawson has worked as a lawyer and in the London film industry. He has sold over six million copies of his propulsive, exciting thrillers and is best known for his John Milton, Beatrix and Isabella Rose and Atticus Priest series.


The Narrator

About David Thorpe:
David Thorpe is a British actor. He was born in Sheffield, grew up on the Isle of Wight, and has lived in London (mostly East) all his adult life. He has appeared in numerous plays in rep and on tour, most recently as The Fool in a production of King Lear directed by Jonathan Miller. Twice a member of the BBC Radio Drama Company, he has been heard in over a hundred radio plays and narrated over 400 audiobooks. An award-winning audiobook narrator, he has voiced several fantasy and science fiction books, including a number of the original Doctor Who books and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. David has also conceived and performed in two one-man shows: Confessions of a Toytown Revolutionary and This Way Up!



FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

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