A compassionate man on the run

The beginning is attention grabbing. The story is written at a fast pace to keep the reader’s attention. Although the scenarios are not unusual the sympathetic way the characters are portrayed keeps the listener glued to the listening device.

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He used his special skillset in aid of others.

I have returned to re read this book, by the audio rendition. I feel for the character John Milton, who after almost 2 decades of service to Queen and Country, is told me that there is no way he can resign from his position, as the country's no. I government hitman, or Cleaner.
John has had enough of the killing, especially when it concerns innocent children. He is plagued by dreams of different scenes of his life as a hitman, and with the slowing of his body as he has aged, together with the numerous aches from injuries and past broken bones, he knows that he is past his prime. All he wants to do, is walk away. Unfortunately, his Controller feels he's a threat, so sends out men to "retire" him.
John, becomes an aide to someone who is ready to give up on the pressures of life. He realizes that his special skillset may help those being stood over by various bullies in the suburbs. He can still make a difference.

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stay away from Hackney

a believable story told well with great accents. somewaht predicable but a nail biter nevertheless

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Excellent listening

A first listen of this author and I was not disappointed. This storyline was well constructed and action packed from the get go. The characters were realistic and I was guilty of forming opinions of who I liked and did not like, I felt part of the story. I have since read/listened to 2 more books in this series and am contemplating listening to the next in the series. I think I am hooked on these characters and their ability to get in and out of trouble. For me the storylines are believable albeit in some instances a little stretched. The tough, self-confident, relatively unassuming, capable loner with a past seem to get me in. All up a great listen. David Thorpe is easy to listen to and he puts great effort into his characters voices and accents. His voices and the storyline make this an excellent choice for a listen in the car. Thumbs up!!

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1 person found this helpful

A Little Different And A Little Disappointing.

In this novel, we encounter John Milton suffering from a crisis of conscience: " a burnt out case". A salve for his aching conscience is introduced through a struggling (emotionally and financially) mother and her troubled teenage son. But, on a deeper level it explores the choices that we make as we walk through life
Do we take the easy path for instant or quick gratification or do we take the tougher option for our overall well-being? All this is explored through a narrative of considerable social commentary.

The beginning and ending of this novel are what we have come to expect from a John Milton novel: action packed. However, to my mind, the large middle section of this tale meanders along losing both pace and direction as it fails to meet that presumption. In this regard, social commentary is not a substitute for the sustained adrenalin fuelled suspense and thrills that I have come to expect from John Milton novels. Yes, the novel is extremely well written: strong opening and close, well developed characters, balance of show and tell... However, this doesn't make up for my disappointment concerning the novel's middle content.

I found the narration very professional. Individual character vocals are consistent and are well differentiated. The intonation within the dialect vocals is superbly performed. A highlight, for myself. It is the high standard of the narration that kept my continual listening throughout the novel.

Overall, a little disappointed with this John Milton novel but, looking forward to investigate others in the series.

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Not what I was expecting after reading Isabella and Beatrix first

Rather disappointed with this book.

I started with the Isabella Rose series and have just finished the Beatrix Rose prequel Hong Kong Stories series, Tempest and Phoenix all of which were un-put-downable and all 5 star.

This was boring, had gaping plot holes and generally totally forgettable.

I think this is the first of Mark Dawson's books - Hoping the future Milton books live up to the hype given there are so many of them.

Will be returning The Cleaner as no interest in ever reading it again

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Excellent narration, disappointing story

The characters did not behave consistently. they did random things that did not make much sense.

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Very poor story- it never really got going!

Good narration and accents but overall a fizzer of a book. This has put me off reading this author again

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Average

Would you try another book written by Mark Dawson or narrated by David Thorpe?

I wouldn't try another book written by Dawson. The story was predictable and bland.

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1 person found this helpful