The Cleaner (John Milton Series Book 1)

This is the first full novel in the John Milton series but it's fair to say that I'll be back for more. Milton is an interesting character, lethally dangerous but conflicted, and the events that he precipitates in this novel - although done for the right reasons, as he sees them - are not likely to give him any relief for the crimes that he feels he needs to atone for. The book is superbly written, moving along at a fast pace and with set piece scenes that unfold cinematically. That's doubly impressive given the restricted scope - this is no rambling action story with dozens of bad guys conveniently throwing themselves in front of the hero's gun - this is closed in, constricted, and oppressive, set in a superbly realized contemporary London estate with all the attitude, language and ambition that you would expect. Setting the climax amidst the riots of 2011 is another clever move, and we can see as Milton's quest reached its conclusion just as the temperature reaches boiling point. The final shoot-out coincides with the worst of the violence in a nice touch. The characters are well put together, the dialogue is authentic, the plotting is great. I'm as impressed with this as I was with Dawson's Black Mile, with this book showing that he has the range to tackle something completely different to that 40's set police procedural. A really good read, I could hardly put it down.

“Rutherford had seen s—t like this before in Baghdad, but this was London” This novel made for an intriguing read and introduced me to the street gang culture prevalent in Hackney, London. Although I've read the odd article about these gangs, it was an altogether different experience living and breathing their existence through the pages of a well-researched work of fiction. I was surprised to discover the lawlessness of these UK street gangs, which attract countless minors from underprivileged immigrant backgrounds. With the authorities unable to effectively curb the influence of the gangs, these kids are drawn into a violent and merciless world in which they are either turned into hardened criminals or murdered by rivals. London riots also serve as a backdrop to the events of this novel, which I assume are based on the ones of 2011. As an occasional listener to Mark Dawson's podcast I was interested to read some of his work. Dawson is renowned to be a successful self-published author, one of those who seized up the Amazon gold rush in its early stages, thereby managing to elude the dismal life of a legal professional by selling his fiction and also teaching people to embark on the indie (independent author) path. I have to say that I was greatly impressed by the quality of his writing. I - perhaps unfairly - expected him to avoid the use of 'hard words' (a term that the US publishing industry uses to refer to words of more than two syllables or words that have readers reaching for a dictionary). However Dawson's prose is rich and he does not sidestep the use of the occasional lesser-used word like 'declamatory', which was a heartening and a welcome change from the slew of dumbed down prose by indie authors over the last decade. Personally I can't think why a reader would want to read fiction if it's not going to expand their vocabulary at all, although I'm probably part of a fast shrinking group of people that think this. The book summary was somewhat misleading, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I was expecting the main protagonist, UK black ops assassin John Milton, to be flung into a rip-roaring action adventure early on in the story. I also expected the wayward boy Elijah to be kidnapped early on in the piece and his eventual fate to be Dawson's McGuffin. However this didn't occur and there instead unfolded a slow paced narrative in which the reader visits the inhumane environs of gangland London. Through Milton we infiltrate a world that is richly textured and which at all times feels real and convincing. There is a hugely detailed and satisfying description of engaging characters who include Jaja, Sharon, Pops, Rutherford, Pinky and Bizness. The subplot involving Control and number 12 quickly became too peripheral for me to get too excited about its conclusion. Furthermore, I found that the standoff between Milton and Bizness lacked ingenuity so that it was basically just a shootout. I also felt that the unexpected appearance of the French policeman and the child in the first scene was never satisfactorily explained. I kept expecting it to eventually be revealed as a frame-up of some sort but no explanation was forthcoming and I think this was an opportunity missed. Some might also complain about the open ending but to my mind this did not make the underlying messages in the novel any less powerful. Two days after finishing the book the question still lingers in my mind: were Sharon and Jaja better off after Milton entered their life?

Not a bad thriller, decent writing, but missing...something. The basic plot was mediocre; interesting enough but nothing that will shock anyone who's read more than a couple books in their lives. The overarching plot...hitman wanting out of the business, hunted by his former associates...again, we've seen it before and it's usually a successful formula. But there's something missing. The hero is very...bland, like he wants to be Jack Reacher but just doesn't have the fire. Maybe it's an English-understatement thing, though I've read enough English authors and settings to believe the problem with the hero isn't his nationality. There's just nothing *there*. No hook, no passion, no scene where you go, `Woah! This guy is actually pretty friggen awesome!' Lets face it, even Jack Reacher's first few outings were less than non-stop excitement. A lot of wandering around clueless until the final few chapters where it all *works* and you realize Jack is pretty damn awesome. This book doesn't give Milton that; maybe Milton doesn't have it to give. The `climax' of the book is roughly a page and a half...and literally could have, possibly should have, happened three chapters in. That said, it's worth reading if you have to read in stolen moments, or you just don't want to be engaged too deeply. It's not going to keep you flipping pages desperate to find out what happens next...unless you're absolutely desperate for engagement and wondering when the book will offer some. This is the first book in a series, and introduces us to Milton, who apparently shows up occasionally in the author's other works...but sadly, Milton just doesn't offer enough in his introduction to make me desperate to see his further non-adventures.

The Cleaner is addictive, colourfully written with imigantive prose that paints vivid action pictures whilst you read. The story line is not far fetched, one can imagine all the scenes actually happening in the that the writer has created. My only issues was that I found it difficult to translate the Jamacan/English slang spoken by so many of John Hilton's opponnents.

A sad but reasonably accurate slice of life in the council high-rises in a city. Milton is an afterthought, crudely trying to rebalance a scale that has had irony's thumb on it forever. A start in a life on the run from a secret service that deals in absolutes, paralleling the gangs that rule the block. Are you ready to join him, travelling through nasty pieces of the world showcasing it's worst, with one eye looking behind him?

Disgruntled government assassin goes underground after trying to quit, and tries to help a desperate single mother and her son in this engaging, exciting, and beautifully written opening book in a new series. I discovered Mark Dawson's work when I was given a previous novel for a present. I finished it in less than a day - I really couldn't put it down. This is a dynamic thriller, cleverly plotted, which makes it impossible to stop turning the pages. John Milton is a great new character - comparisons will inevitably be made with Jack Reacher, but, for me, Milton is deeper and more complex than Reacher, and all the better for it. After reading this (and the novella that looks back at one of his early cases, 1000 YARDS), he is becoming one of my favourite fiction characters. THE CLEANER is set in the gritty East End of London, fabulously realized here in such as way as to make me think that Dawson knows it well. Here, Milton gets embroiled in the youth gangs that have been running riot - quite literally in this case, as Dawson makes the brilliant decision to set this novel in the period before and during the summer riots of 2011. Milton is a complicated man, a hard man with a heart of gold. The relationships he makes with Sharon and Elijah and Rutherford balance the horror against which they are fighting, the evil as personified by the venal rapper, Bizness. The story that unfolds is fast. The plot is a real rollercoaster, convoluted and credible, and manages to deliver a surprise with every turn of the page. Mark Dawson is a superb writer and it's only a matter of time before he is better known. I'm hope he is going to continue this series, and I'm confident that the books will continue in the same way that this one has. I have no hesitation in recommending this - it is the perfect summer read.

Gripping novel.

イギリス英語で書かれています。 先日読んだLee ChiledのJack Reacherシリーズより易しい英語だと聞いて読んだのですが、私が読んだkilling Floor（第一作目そして、奇数刊）は一人称で書かれていて、めちゃくちゃ読みやすかったせいか、三人称で書かれたこの作品の方がはじめは読みにくく感じていました。読み進めるうちに、リズムに慣れたのか、サクサク読めるようになってきて、気がつくと読み終えてました。易しいイギリス英語で書かれたスパイもの系（正確には元スパイ）として、とても良い本だと思います。ストーリーも面白いです。