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Jonathan Quinn #2
The Deceived by Battles, Brett (2009) Paperback
As a professional "cleaner," Jonathan Quinn disposes of bodies and ties up loose ends. Doesn't get his hands dirty, no wet work. But when he discovers he's been hired to vanish all traces of Steven Markoff, one of his best friends and a former agent with the CIA, his job suddenly hits too close to home. This time, it's personal. Quinn is determined to get justice for Markoff. Plus, now, Markoff's girlfriend Jenny, who had been an assistant to an ambitious Congressman, has also disappeared. Racing from the corridors of power in Washington to the bustling streets of Singapore—along with his eager, smart apprentice,The DeceivedUKNate, and brilliant, beautiful Orlando, his closest friend who's saved his life more than once—events quickly spiral dangerously out of control. With an addicting momentum and fascinating characters, THE DECEIVED takes us on a thrilling, pulse-pounding journey.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2008
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About the author
Brett Battles
90 books1,065 followersBrett Battles is a NEW YORK TIMES bestselling and Barry Award-winning author of forty novels, including the Jonathan Quinn series and its Excoms spinoff, the Project Eden series, and the time bending Rewinder series. He’s also the coauthor, with Robert Gregory Browne, of the Alexandra Poe series. He is one of the founding members of Killer Year, and is a member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. He lives and writes in Ventura County, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
October 28, 2022
It may not be the greatest book in its genre, but it is certainly very entertaining. I indeed had a lot of fun.
It was exactly what I needed at the moment. The pace of the story was very fast, as was the case in the first book. The plot was good too. I already liked all the characters in the first book, so it was fun to come back to them.
I have no doubt that one day I will read another book in this series. I liked the general idea for this series. I believe it is quite unique. And as I said, it's quite fun, and that's what I'm looking for in these types of books.
It was exactly what I needed at the moment. The pace of the story was very fast, as was the case in the first book. The plot was good too. I already liked all the characters in the first book, so it was fun to come back to them.
I have no doubt that one day I will read another book in this series. I liked the general idea for this series. I believe it is quite unique. And as I said, it's quite fun, and that's what I'm looking for in these types of books.
November 17, 2017
As is mentioned in quite few reviews this second installment of the Jonathan Quinn books is not as good as the first and opener of the series. So I will graciously admit to the majority that they are right for a change.
The whole crew are back again Quinn, Nate and Orlando. This time the story is personal [How I dislike that moniker ever since the Craig years in 007 land, I am expecting his sister in the next one] and a in a clean up job Quinn comes across the corpse of a man who saved his behind in Finland and ever since the crossed paths and could be considered a friend. Anyhow when Quinn tries to find out what has happened with the girlfriend Jennifer he runs in a goon-squad that since to bent to kill Quinn.
The final chapter is in Asia and even then there is a wee surprise in the story which is done very well.
Well written some nice action and great descriptions of the local surroundings. And Quinns adventures are actually decently written. They do make you want to keep reading.
A nice series about the darker underbelly of the spy world.
The whole crew are back again Quinn, Nate and Orlando. This time the story is personal [How I dislike that moniker ever since the Craig years in 007 land, I am expecting his sister in the next one] and a in a clean up job Quinn comes across the corpse of a man who saved his behind in Finland and ever since the crossed paths and could be considered a friend. Anyhow when Quinn tries to find out what has happened with the girlfriend Jennifer he runs in a goon-squad that since to bent to kill Quinn.
The final chapter is in Asia and even then there is a wee surprise in the story which is done very well.
Well written some nice action and great descriptions of the local surroundings. And Quinns adventures are actually decently written. They do make you want to keep reading.
A nice series about the darker underbelly of the spy world.
October 23, 2017
A good book to read. Recommend that you read the first in the series though to get the feel for some of the characters involved. The book was a little different than what I was expecting given the first book. Not saying it was not enjoyable. Looking at my timeline that it took me to read it, 2 days, I must say that it keeps you hopping and the pulse rate going and...well, that is what a book is suppose to do isn't it?
February 22, 2016
This is the second of this series that I have picked up. The first was (in my opinion of course) a little mediocre but readable. The book had a solid idea and was about a "type" character I hadn't seen before.
Sadly it just never really drew me in.
This one drew me in even less. I had to make myself go back and pick it up when I'd laid it aside. I had the CD audio ans started putting it on to listen to when i went to bed just because I "felt" I "needed" to get through it. This of course led to the problem of falling asleep as it wasn't all that interesting (to me) so I'd have to drop back and "re-listen" if I (really) wanted to keep up.
No I don't think I'll try any more of this series. Sorry of it's one you really like, not for me.
Sadly it just never really drew me in.
This one drew me in even less. I had to make myself go back and pick it up when I'd laid it aside. I had the CD audio ans started putting it on to listen to when i went to bed just because I "felt" I "needed" to get through it. This of course led to the problem of falling asleep as it wasn't all that interesting (to me) so I'd have to drop back and "re-listen" if I (really) wanted to keep up.
No I don't think I'll try any more of this series. Sorry of it's one you really like, not for me.
February 26, 2011
I read and enjoyed the first Quinn novel. Quinn is a cleaner, a person hired to remove bodies and clean up after assorted mishaps. In this 2nd in the series, Quinn has been hired to get rid of a body in a shipping container. He discovers that it’s an old friend Steven Markoff, a CIA operative who once saved his life. On the wall of the container, Markoff had scratched a series of numbers and two letters: LP.
As a way of honoring his old friend, Quinn decides to contact Jenny, Markoff’s girlfriend, only to discover she has disappeared and is on the run. She is being sought by numerous people who always seem to be just behind Quinn and when he tries to discover the meaning of LP, people shut down and tell him to immediately drop his investigation. The conspiracy grows and they soon find themselves battling numerous foes in Singapore where Markoff’s clues have led them.
In the end, Battles has taken his series off in a slightly different direction, a little more like a Tom Cruise movie rather than the cool undercover professional in The Cleaner. It works and is still a very fast and enjoyable spy novel, just a little different than the first book.
As a way of honoring his old friend, Quinn decides to contact Jenny, Markoff’s girlfriend, only to discover she has disappeared and is on the run. She is being sought by numerous people who always seem to be just behind Quinn and when he tries to discover the meaning of LP, people shut down and tell him to immediately drop his investigation. The conspiracy grows and they soon find themselves battling numerous foes in Singapore where Markoff’s clues have led them.
In the end, Battles has taken his series off in a slightly different direction, a little more like a Tom Cruise movie rather than the cool undercover professional in The Cleaner. It works and is still a very fast and enjoyable spy novel, just a little different than the first book.
August 18, 2008
Another super book from Brett Battles in his series about the Cleaner -- Jonathan Quinn, who was introduced in the first volume in this series called The Cleaner. In this novel, Quinn, who cleans up dead bodies and other messes for various intelligence agencies or other parties that can pay his fee, is sen to clean up a shipping container which has a dead body in it. It turns out the dead body is a friend of Quinn, who feels that he should find out what happened to him. When Quinn investigates he finds that Jenny, his friend's girlfriend is missing. Quinn begins to suspect the worst and with the help of his Apprentice Nate and his friend Orlando engages in an investigation to find Jenny before the bad guys can. The action is intense and the novel is hard to put down, and with a title like the Deceived, you have to know wheen you start that more than one story in the book is false.
A knockout
Read it
A knockout
Read it
May 12, 2017
Mr. Battles has written better. I hope this story proves to be an aberration and not the norm. 4 of 10 stars
September 4, 2023
This was my second tryst with Mr. Battle's Jonathan Quinn. And I must say, I am absolutely thrilled to have discovered him in "The Cleaner". Just like it's predecessor, "The Deceived" starts of at an amazing pace and builds up momentum as we go further into the book. You keep reading and suddenly you find yourself turning the midway point and the only thing to make you stop is the thought "Hey, let me savor this a bit".
The book opens with Jonathan Quinn executing a commission. He is called to a dockside where a shipping container is opened for him. The container is empty but for the bloated body in the corner. The stench is what you might expect for a metal container that's been sat in the sun for a few days with a decomposing body inside. Not too decomposed though. It just happens to be the decomposed body of a friend that Quinn instantly recognises.
Quinn still is a Cleaner. His job is to dispose of inconvenient evidence. Specifically, his job is to dispose of inconvenient corpses, and whatever trail they might have left behind them. He has undergone a long and rigorous apprenticeship to achieve this position, and now has an apprentice of his own. For what he might consider his probationary period before he went freelance, Quinn was directly employed by one such agency, and he had to fight to get taken off their 'active' list. Now he works purely for money. And for the right to call his decisions his own.
When he's called to the dockside it is on behalf of a private client. Mr Albina is based in San Francisco doing what if it were legal would be called import/export. On seeing the body, Quinn's instinct is to walk away. Training goes deep however and walking away from a friend, even a dead friend, doesn't come easy. Quinn owes the late Stephen Markoff his life. That is enough for him to need to know why Markoff has turned up bloated and stinking in a shipping container. Markoff was in the business and he was good. This shouldn't have happened.
It's only when Quinn remembers that he ought to tell Jenny, Markoff's girlfriend, that he discovers that the mystery goes deeper and wider. Jenny – a Congressman's very able and public assistant – has gone missing. As the Congressman is gearing up for a shot at the White House, this is not a likely thing for her to have done. Quinn is now very worried indeed. His search for Jenny leads him from Washington to Singapore and deeper into the murkier sides of Singaporean trade and American politics.
The Deceived is a fairly straightforward action thriller. It has all of the right ingredients. It starts with a body, a bad guy and a good guy. The good guy isn't strictly legal. The bad guy isn't strictly the point. It has the young protégé: a counterpoint to the expertise of the older hand – needed to ask the dumb questions the reader needs to be asked, but smart in ways that the leader isn't in order to justify his existence.
It has the gorgeous street-smart exotic, intelligent, fast-fighting, comms-whizz female side-kick, who might or might not provide the love interest if called upon to fall into a cliché clinch. Exotic locations and fast-paced action. The only questions to be answered are: who killed Markoff and why, and can Quinn get to Jenny to save her, before the suits who are shooting at him and tracking her do so? And what is the Congressman's role in all this?
The spy-craft is pretty exciting and extremely intelligent. The characters are endearing and you feel for the relationships among them. Be it mentor-student or the friend-lover dilemma, Mr. Battles have them pretty well etched out.
I don't want to reveal anything more about the plot that is already out there. But this book did bring back some of the Robert Ludlum memories which had started off my journey into the world of espionage fiction. Great start, great build up and a good finish.
I won't say this is a spy thriller. This is more of an alternate profession in the covert operations that are actually outsourced most of the times by various government agencies.
In a nutshell, I really enjoyed this book and would like to recommend it to anyone who loves racy page-turners.
The book opens with Jonathan Quinn executing a commission. He is called to a dockside where a shipping container is opened for him. The container is empty but for the bloated body in the corner. The stench is what you might expect for a metal container that's been sat in the sun for a few days with a decomposing body inside. Not too decomposed though. It just happens to be the decomposed body of a friend that Quinn instantly recognises.
Quinn still is a Cleaner. His job is to dispose of inconvenient evidence. Specifically, his job is to dispose of inconvenient corpses, and whatever trail they might have left behind them. He has undergone a long and rigorous apprenticeship to achieve this position, and now has an apprentice of his own. For what he might consider his probationary period before he went freelance, Quinn was directly employed by one such agency, and he had to fight to get taken off their 'active' list. Now he works purely for money. And for the right to call his decisions his own.
When he's called to the dockside it is on behalf of a private client. Mr Albina is based in San Francisco doing what if it were legal would be called import/export. On seeing the body, Quinn's instinct is to walk away. Training goes deep however and walking away from a friend, even a dead friend, doesn't come easy. Quinn owes the late Stephen Markoff his life. That is enough for him to need to know why Markoff has turned up bloated and stinking in a shipping container. Markoff was in the business and he was good. This shouldn't have happened.
It's only when Quinn remembers that he ought to tell Jenny, Markoff's girlfriend, that he discovers that the mystery goes deeper and wider. Jenny – a Congressman's very able and public assistant – has gone missing. As the Congressman is gearing up for a shot at the White House, this is not a likely thing for her to have done. Quinn is now very worried indeed. His search for Jenny leads him from Washington to Singapore and deeper into the murkier sides of Singaporean trade and American politics.
The Deceived is a fairly straightforward action thriller. It has all of the right ingredients. It starts with a body, a bad guy and a good guy. The good guy isn't strictly legal. The bad guy isn't strictly the point. It has the young protégé: a counterpoint to the expertise of the older hand – needed to ask the dumb questions the reader needs to be asked, but smart in ways that the leader isn't in order to justify his existence.
It has the gorgeous street-smart exotic, intelligent, fast-fighting, comms-whizz female side-kick, who might or might not provide the love interest if called upon to fall into a cliché clinch. Exotic locations and fast-paced action. The only questions to be answered are: who killed Markoff and why, and can Quinn get to Jenny to save her, before the suits who are shooting at him and tracking her do so? And what is the Congressman's role in all this?
The spy-craft is pretty exciting and extremely intelligent. The characters are endearing and you feel for the relationships among them. Be it mentor-student or the friend-lover dilemma, Mr. Battles have them pretty well etched out.
I don't want to reveal anything more about the plot that is already out there. But this book did bring back some of the Robert Ludlum memories which had started off my journey into the world of espionage fiction. Great start, great build up and a good finish.
I won't say this is a spy thriller. This is more of an alternate profession in the covert operations that are actually outsourced most of the times by various government agencies.
In a nutshell, I really enjoyed this book and would like to recommend it to anyone who loves racy page-turners.
July 18, 2017
This story about the 'cleaner', Jonathan Quinn, starts pretty slowly, but there are several neat twists that rock the story as we reach the end. I did enjoy this, got to know the main character and his friends much better, and the wild twists keep you from guessing the evil ones. Definitely going to continue this series, hopefully soon the whole story will be great!
January 25, 2019
It truly did not take long to get into this story! Fast-paced suspense that keeps you guessing right up to an unexpected ending (which always earns bonus points with me)! Narration on audio book by William Dufris made the story an enjoyable listen. 8 out of 10.
January 26, 2020
I don’t know why it took me so long to get into this book. Busy time of year when I started it I guess. But once I finally took the time...what a ride! Definitely recommend.
November 1, 2024
An enjoyable read. Plenty of action to keep up with and more than one storyline.
August 25, 2008
OK, apologies to Brett Battle fans in advance. I'd never heard of Brett Battles, had never read "The Cleaner", and was excited about adding a hot new thrill writer to my list. If I were to be charitable, I'd say that Battles and "The Deceived" is the funniest thriller/action parody since Maxwell Smart. Problem is, Battles is being dead serious in this melodramatic yawner of a "thriller" with all the depth and intelligence of a made-for-TV movie. The steely-eyed "cleaner", Jonathan Quinn, is about as believable - and intimidating - as Howdy Doody, while the dialog - even more flat and cardboard than the cast - makes that TV movie look like Hitchcock by comparison. It's forced, it's banal, and it's built on a themes so old that when told in stone tablet they were already feeling tired.
So our hero, Quinn, finds the body of an old pal and CIA operative, Steve Markoff, rotting in a shipping container that Quinn was dispatched to "clean-up". And clean up he does, but he's pissed, and in addition to avenging his dead bud, he at the same time will track down Markoff's missing girlfriend, obviously in danger as well. From that point on, a good portion of the book is consumed by pretty much everyone who crosses Quinn's path telling him to back off and forget Markoff, followed by Quinn's stoic response that runs something like "a man's got to do what a man's got to do." Over, and over, and over again. This tedium is broken by multiple competing teams of supposedly elite hit squads chasing Quinn down, but in their inability to pin down the undermanned Quinn, who we are told (again, repeatedly) is out of his element as a tracker (remember - he's only a "cleaner"), they come off looking less like Delta Force and more like a match between the Three Stooges and The Keystone Cops. Yeah, there's an explosion or two, some people get killed, a few more maimed, but the action serves only as a welcome diversion from the juvenile babbling between the characters. This is one of those books that you keep wishing will get better - that clever plot twists and good storytelling will trump flat characters and lame dialog - but trust me here - it only gets worse.
Look, I get no pleasure panning a book. I'd much rather be singing the praises of Ken Bruen's brutally violent poetic prose, of Danial Silva's headlines-brought-to life, Carl Hiaasen's caustic razor sharp wit, Duane Swiercynski's off-the-wall heroes and outrageously creative escapades, of Cormac McCathy's pathos ripped and twisted and reassembled, or James Lee Burke's moody and atmospheric, faintly supernatural, tales of the bayou. This is none of those - not even close - so take this as simply as a red flag - a warning not to be 'deceived" as I was hoping to find a new author with some chops and a hero to match.
Meanwhile, I'm still looking.
So our hero, Quinn, finds the body of an old pal and CIA operative, Steve Markoff, rotting in a shipping container that Quinn was dispatched to "clean-up". And clean up he does, but he's pissed, and in addition to avenging his dead bud, he at the same time will track down Markoff's missing girlfriend, obviously in danger as well. From that point on, a good portion of the book is consumed by pretty much everyone who crosses Quinn's path telling him to back off and forget Markoff, followed by Quinn's stoic response that runs something like "a man's got to do what a man's got to do." Over, and over, and over again. This tedium is broken by multiple competing teams of supposedly elite hit squads chasing Quinn down, but in their inability to pin down the undermanned Quinn, who we are told (again, repeatedly) is out of his element as a tracker (remember - he's only a "cleaner"), they come off looking less like Delta Force and more like a match between the Three Stooges and The Keystone Cops. Yeah, there's an explosion or two, some people get killed, a few more maimed, but the action serves only as a welcome diversion from the juvenile babbling between the characters. This is one of those books that you keep wishing will get better - that clever plot twists and good storytelling will trump flat characters and lame dialog - but trust me here - it only gets worse.
Look, I get no pleasure panning a book. I'd much rather be singing the praises of Ken Bruen's brutally violent poetic prose, of Danial Silva's headlines-brought-to life, Carl Hiaasen's caustic razor sharp wit, Duane Swiercynski's off-the-wall heroes and outrageously creative escapades, of Cormac McCathy's pathos ripped and twisted and reassembled, or James Lee Burke's moody and atmospheric, faintly supernatural, tales of the bayou. This is none of those - not even close - so take this as simply as a red flag - a warning not to be 'deceived" as I was hoping to find a new author with some chops and a hero to match.
Meanwhile, I'm still looking.
February 6, 2016
I wanted to like this book. Enthusiastic blurbs from famous authors touted it. Alas, The Deceived did not live up to the hype. Battles has written a series of thrillers featuring Jonathan Quinn, a man with an unusual occupation. Quinn is a cleaner, the man others hire to dispose of inconvenient bodies. In this instance, Quinn is sickened to discover that the corpse is one of his best friends.
Battles immerses us in the discovery with a spot-on atmospheric description, the sight and smell of a decomposing body. Quinn's assistant, Nate, helps him dispose of the corpse. What follows is a tale of Quinn's dogged search for Jenny, his deceased friend's missing girlfriend, and a rather far-fetched political plot. Along the way Quinn enlists the help of Orlando, a woman of Asian heritage. Apparently they have a history, from Book 1. But here's the problem. I couldn't empathize with any of the characters. Not Quinn, not Nate, not Orlando, not Jenny. None of them.
Battles excels at description but seems unable to infuse his characters with anything close to believable emotions. Moreover, his action scenes are tedious. He telegraphs what is about to happen. Very little tension, no suspense. I will not reveal the identity of the person who's trying to kill him. Suffice to say that Battles suckered me with one abrupt twist. Then suckered me again with a different one. He's a talented writer up to a point, but the complicated scenario and fine scene-painting do not make up for an inability to make me care about the characters.
Battles immerses us in the discovery with a spot-on atmospheric description, the sight and smell of a decomposing body. Quinn's assistant, Nate, helps him dispose of the corpse. What follows is a tale of Quinn's dogged search for Jenny, his deceased friend's missing girlfriend, and a rather far-fetched political plot. Along the way Quinn enlists the help of Orlando, a woman of Asian heritage. Apparently they have a history, from Book 1. But here's the problem. I couldn't empathize with any of the characters. Not Quinn, not Nate, not Orlando, not Jenny. None of them.
Battles excels at description but seems unable to infuse his characters with anything close to believable emotions. Moreover, his action scenes are tedious. He telegraphs what is about to happen. Very little tension, no suspense. I will not reveal the identity of the person who's trying to kill him. Suffice to say that Battles suckered me with one abrupt twist. Then suckered me again with a different one. He's a talented writer up to a point, but the complicated scenario and fine scene-painting do not make up for an inability to make me care about the characters.
July 20, 2013
This is a cracking thriller. The narrative is riveting. It is the second book in the series and I am already kicking myself for not having read the first.
The twists and turns in the plot are absolutely spellbinding. And the character of Jonathan Quinn is compelling – unique and intriguing. He works freelance and his job description is that of a ‘cleaner’. Someone who cleans up the mess left behind by the criminals at the crime scene. Mostly dead bodies. Can it get more intriguing than this?
The story starts with Quinn getting a job – to dispose off a body. But this time it is not just any body. The dead is his best friend Steven Markoff. Quinn cremates his friend but realises that the people who have killed him are now after his girlfriend. She is the assistant in the office of Guerrero, a congressman with his eyes on the white house. To find out who killed his best friend and keep Jenny safe turns out a hell of an adventure for Quinn and his apprentice, Nate. On his side is also Orlando, a woman from Vietnam who is as smart as him, and, during the course of chase, someone Quinn falls in love with.
I have taken away one star, though, for too much detailing that the author has used in the second half of the book. To my mind the technical details and description should reduce towards the end. That said, this is a very well written book. I would rate Brett at par with Lee Child and David Baldacci.
The twists and turns in the plot are absolutely spellbinding. And the character of Jonathan Quinn is compelling – unique and intriguing. He works freelance and his job description is that of a ‘cleaner’. Someone who cleans up the mess left behind by the criminals at the crime scene. Mostly dead bodies. Can it get more intriguing than this?
The story starts with Quinn getting a job – to dispose off a body. But this time it is not just any body. The dead is his best friend Steven Markoff. Quinn cremates his friend but realises that the people who have killed him are now after his girlfriend. She is the assistant in the office of Guerrero, a congressman with his eyes on the white house. To find out who killed his best friend and keep Jenny safe turns out a hell of an adventure for Quinn and his apprentice, Nate. On his side is also Orlando, a woman from Vietnam who is as smart as him, and, during the course of chase, someone Quinn falls in love with.
I have taken away one star, though, for too much detailing that the author has used in the second half of the book. To my mind the technical details and description should reduce towards the end. That said, this is a very well written book. I would rate Brett at par with Lee Child and David Baldacci.
November 2, 2010
The Deceived by Brett Battles is the second book in a series with undercover "cleaner" Jonathan Quinn.
Like the first book, The Cleaner, The Deceived is the story of spies, counterspies and murder. You never quite know who the bad guys are - or the good guys for that matter. But, if you like a James Bond type of adventure novel then this book and the author's first book is something you should read. Personally, I thought the first book, The Cleaner, was much more exciting then The Deceived. Like the first book, The Deceived doesn't offer much for the average reader to identify with - its good guys killing bad guys and vice versa.
Like the first book, The Cleaner, The Deceived is the story of spies, counterspies and murder. You never quite know who the bad guys are - or the good guys for that matter. But, if you like a James Bond type of adventure novel then this book and the author's first book is something you should read. Personally, I thought the first book, The Cleaner, was much more exciting then The Deceived. Like the first book, The Deceived doesn't offer much for the average reader to identify with - its good guys killing bad guys and vice versa.
October 12, 2011
In book two, Jonathan Quinn is out for personal revenge when his friend is gruesomely murdered. I think the sequel is a bit sluggish and predictable (hel-lo?! the obvious villain!) but still I’d like to give a shoutout to the author for weaponizing durians in an exciting espionage fight scene. Double-oh-seven himself couldn’t have come up with that spark of genius.
I really do like Jonathan Quinn series so far but by the end of book two I sort of feel like the story started to saunter towards the dreadful abyss of wtfery. I’m keeping my fingers crossed – please don’t bring in ridiculous secret evil organization or have Quinn flying jet pack!
I really do like Jonathan Quinn series so far but by the end of book two I sort of feel like the story started to saunter towards the dreadful abyss of wtfery. I’m keeping my fingers crossed – please don’t bring in ridiculous secret evil organization or have Quinn flying jet pack!
August 30, 2014
The characters in this book are flat and predictable. The women are badly drawn two-dimensional caricatures who depend on the uber-macho male protagonist for everything (with the exception of the one strong female character). The protagonist is blind to the actions of those around him when it's convenient to the plot. When the plot twists happen, things flip flop so unrealistically it's laughable.
April 26, 2014
Good plot, totally unexpected ending. But the middle of the book is very boring and hard to get through. The main character Quinn is too bad ass to be a cleaner, he's more like James Bond, so that aspect of his character certainly doesn't tie in.
October 1, 2015
Number two in the series; good plot compared to book one
March 5, 2022
Friendship!
Jonathan Quinn does not have many friends, but he has one special friend: Steven Markoff. Markoff was a CIA special operative who had saved Quinn's life in a forest in Finland, and Quinn never forgot. The two became close friends, and the friendship grew to include Steven's girlfriend and fiancé, Jenny.
Quinn is a "cleaner." He cleans up messes and disposes of dead bodies. He is in independent business for himself. He is called by a client in San Francisco and hired to dispose of a shipping container at the Port of Los Angeles with a body inside. When Quinn and his apprentice Nate take the container and its contents into the high desert for disposal, Quinn recognizes the body. It is Markoff, his former best friend. He has been murdered, and his body was placed in a shipping container aboard a cargo ship from China.
Quinn feels that, even though his friend is dead, he has an obligation to find the killer, and to protect Jenny, who has apparently disappeared. His search for Jenny takes him to Houston, where Jenny owns a house, and then to Washington, D.C., where Jenny rents an apartment. The house is booby-trapped, and Quinn is almost killed when he tries to enter it. Then, when he arrives in D.C., he finds that the apartment has been searched and burned. Where is Jenny? Her former college roommate, Tasha, is also looking for her and wants to join forces with Quinn, but he is not interested.
The search soon takes Quinn, Nate, and Quinn's colleague Orlando, to Singapore, where the bulk of the story takes place. Before he died, Markoff wrote a code on the inside of the shipping container in his own blood, but the team has, so far, been unable to crack the code. That changes when Quinn is able to figure it out in Singapore.
The conspiracy theory behind the plot of this story is centered around political power and how it is obtained, maintained, and wielded. Naturally this must involve somebody in American politics, and this time it is a congressman who is running for the Presidency. Somebody wants him dead, and Markoff has stumbled onto the plot to assassinate the congressman. It cost him his life, and it could easily cost Quinn, Nate, and Orlando their lives, too. The action gets fast-paced in Singapore, and the team does not escape unscathed in the action.
This story is well-written, as were the previous two novels in the series. It is an easy read with a lot of action and suspense. I recommend it and award four stars.
Jonathan Quinn does not have many friends, but he has one special friend: Steven Markoff. Markoff was a CIA special operative who had saved Quinn's life in a forest in Finland, and Quinn never forgot. The two became close friends, and the friendship grew to include Steven's girlfriend and fiancé, Jenny.
Quinn is a "cleaner." He cleans up messes and disposes of dead bodies. He is in independent business for himself. He is called by a client in San Francisco and hired to dispose of a shipping container at the Port of Los Angeles with a body inside. When Quinn and his apprentice Nate take the container and its contents into the high desert for disposal, Quinn recognizes the body. It is Markoff, his former best friend. He has been murdered, and his body was placed in a shipping container aboard a cargo ship from China.
Quinn feels that, even though his friend is dead, he has an obligation to find the killer, and to protect Jenny, who has apparently disappeared. His search for Jenny takes him to Houston, where Jenny owns a house, and then to Washington, D.C., where Jenny rents an apartment. The house is booby-trapped, and Quinn is almost killed when he tries to enter it. Then, when he arrives in D.C., he finds that the apartment has been searched and burned. Where is Jenny? Her former college roommate, Tasha, is also looking for her and wants to join forces with Quinn, but he is not interested.
The search soon takes Quinn, Nate, and Quinn's colleague Orlando, to Singapore, where the bulk of the story takes place. Before he died, Markoff wrote a code on the inside of the shipping container in his own blood, but the team has, so far, been unable to crack the code. That changes when Quinn is able to figure it out in Singapore.
The conspiracy theory behind the plot of this story is centered around political power and how it is obtained, maintained, and wielded. Naturally this must involve somebody in American politics, and this time it is a congressman who is running for the Presidency. Somebody wants him dead, and Markoff has stumbled onto the plot to assassinate the congressman. It cost him his life, and it could easily cost Quinn, Nate, and Orlando their lives, too. The action gets fast-paced in Singapore, and the team does not escape unscathed in the action.
This story is well-written, as were the previous two novels in the series. It is an easy read with a lot of action and suspense. I recommend it and award four stars.
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February 14, 2020Brezimnost. Zaupanje. Poklicnost. To so pravila, ki jih Jonathan Quinn v svojem svetu skrivnosti spoštuje. Znebi se trupel, ki morajo izginiti, in za njimi nikoli ne ostane nobena sled. Ko Quinna pokličejo v pristanišče v Los Angeles, kamor je po pomorski poti pravkar prispel tovorni kontejner, je takoj jasno, da je nekdo prekršil njegova pravila igre. V zabojniku je mrtev mož – človek, ki je Quinnu nekoč rešil življenje. Nihče ne ve, kako je umrl nekdanji agent CIE Steven Markof, in Quinn mora opraviti več kot samo čiščenje. Najti mora Markofovo prijateljico Jenny in ji povedati, da je Markof mrtev. Odkriti mora, kdo je umoril Markofa in Quinnu poslal truplo. Še pred enim tednom je bila Jenny Fuentes pomočnica ambicioznega kongresnika. Zdaj je izginila neznano kam in nekdo se je precej potrudil, da je ni mogoče najti. A Quinn ima na voljo svoje poti in načine, kako kjerkoli na zemeljski obli odstreti tančico skrivnosti. Premore veščine in znanje, s katerimi lahko prekriža načrte morilcem in vohunom. In ima skrito orožje: prizadevnega in odrezavega vajenca Nata in genialno Orlando, tesno prijateljico, ki mu je življenje rešila že več kot enkrat. Na poti med centrom politične moči v Washingtonu in vrvežem singapurskih ulic se Quinn ne ustavi, dokler ne odkrije resnice o tem, kdo stoji za nasilno smrtjo njegovega prijatelja. Odkrije osupljiv vzrok Jennyjinega nenadnega izginotja in vse, kar Jenny ve o prevari, ki Quinna pretrese. Brett Battles je prejel številne pohvalne kritike za svoj prvenec Čistilec, v katerem je bralcem predstavil glavnega junaka Jonathana Quinna, pogodbenega agenta in poklicnega čistilca. Jonathan Quinn se čustveno nikoli ne vpleta v svoje delo. A v tem odličnem romanu ga obvladujejo zaskrbljenost in dvomi. Umorjen je bil njegov prijatelj in sodelavec. Izginila je ženska. In tokrat je za Quinna zadeva postala osebna.
April 26, 2021
My first Brett Battles book and it is a convincing one. I was skeptical when I first pick it up but the moment i turn the first page it was a roller coastal ride of unending actions. I like the Quinn relationship to his mantee Nate. Then Orlando get into the picture and all hell break loose. The chemistry between them was tentative at first but was fully charge as the book progresses. There was a history between them which was covered in the first book which i have to read another day but the indication was good for the subsequent book.
A body was send in a shipping container and Quinn was tasked to do his cleaning job as usual. What complicate the job this time was that he knew who the body belongs to. His best friend Steven Markoff. Immediately an alarm bell rang off in his head that someone want him to find the body. This makes it personal for Quinn and he is going to find out what happen to his friend and unravel the mystery behind his death. As he travels to Houston and then to D.C. , things then point to Singapore where the finale happen with a gun battle with the assassin in a shipyard container port. The identity of the assassin is a final twist in a series of deceive that hoodwink Quinn at every turn of the way. Only one person gets away alive in the final confrontation.
A body was send in a shipping container and Quinn was tasked to do his cleaning job as usual. What complicate the job this time was that he knew who the body belongs to. His best friend Steven Markoff. Immediately an alarm bell rang off in his head that someone want him to find the body. This makes it personal for Quinn and he is going to find out what happen to his friend and unravel the mystery behind his death. As he travels to Houston and then to D.C. , things then point to Singapore where the finale happen with a gun battle with the assassin in a shipyard container port. The identity of the assassin is a final twist in a series of deceive that hoodwink Quinn at every turn of the way. Only one person gets away alive in the final confrontation.
August 8, 2023
Someone killed Stephen Markoff, and that’s a problem for Jonathan Quinn. Oh, he knows what to do with the body. There are lots of good reasons they call him the Cleaner. But Markoff was a close friend to Quinn, and Quinn credits Markoff with saving Quinn’s life. You don’t just disappear the body of your close friend without figuring out what happened to his girlfriend, Jenny Fuentes.
Although that kind of involvement runs counter to everything Quinn learned when he established himself in his unusual occupation, he can’t leave the case without finding a way to help Jenny.
Her sleazy presidential-candidate-Congressman boss insists she’s just on a little leave of absence—some personal thing, he supposes.
Quinn finds the last two known addresses for Jenny, and when he shows up at both addresses, one explodes and another burns.
This is a fast-paced riveting plot that takes you from the suburbs of D.C. to Singapore. All the while, Quinn and his associates work to decode a message Markoff wrote on the wall of the shipping container where he died. The key to Jenny’s whereabouts may lie in their ability to decode that message. And who is the mysterious Natasha—a 30-something woman who insists she, too, is looking for her friend, Jenny?
Although that kind of involvement runs counter to everything Quinn learned when he established himself in his unusual occupation, he can’t leave the case without finding a way to help Jenny.
Her sleazy presidential-candidate-Congressman boss insists she’s just on a little leave of absence—some personal thing, he supposes.
Quinn finds the last two known addresses for Jenny, and when he shows up at both addresses, one explodes and another burns.
This is a fast-paced riveting plot that takes you from the suburbs of D.C. to Singapore. All the while, Quinn and his associates work to decode a message Markoff wrote on the wall of the shipping container where he died. The key to Jenny’s whereabouts may lie in their ability to decode that message. And who is the mysterious Natasha—a 30-something woman who insists she, too, is looking for her friend, Jenny?
July 13, 2020
Jonathan Quinn is a cleaner. He takes care of crime scenes for his employers, whoever that might be. He was trained by another cleaner and now he has his own apprentice, Nate. He also has Orlando as an ally, who was trained by a different cleaner; she specializes in computer issues. Quinn is hired to clean the scene of a shipping container containing a very dead body, except the body is one of Quinn's few friends in the world, Steven Markoff. And, his girlfriend, Jennifer, has gone missing. Quinn knows he should never make it personal, but this case hits him hard. He follows the leads to find Jennifer and runs into Tracy, who claims to be Jennifer's best friend, but Quinn has questions. Nate, Quinn and Orlando end up in Singapore, where the crate began its journey. What he uncovers there will change his life completely. The last half of this book is nonstop action, which is Battles' signature for this series. Somehow I missed reading it when the book first came out. If you like action anti-heroes, Quinn is your man!
October 10, 2017
I love reading, I'll read any old trash novel to pass the time but this has surpassed my expectations of trash.
After the first attempt to get through the endless filler nonsense I demoted the book to the dump pile, a book I'll read whilst on the throne, and now 150 pages in on a second attempt I've thrown this book in the trash.
It became so boring it was beginning to get painful to pick up, in those 150 pages there were 130 that didn't need to be there, this author just drones on and on in what feels like a monotone with no excitement, suspense or emotion, just constant descriptions of where the characters are.
The characters in this book feel like artist's mannequins, they don't come across as living vibrant creatures at all, just cliche after cliche. I'll be avoiding Brett Battle's boring books in the future if the Deceived is supposedly one of his best works.
After the first attempt to get through the endless filler nonsense I demoted the book to the dump pile, a book I'll read whilst on the throne, and now 150 pages in on a second attempt I've thrown this book in the trash.
It became so boring it was beginning to get painful to pick up, in those 150 pages there were 130 that didn't need to be there, this author just drones on and on in what feels like a monotone with no excitement, suspense or emotion, just constant descriptions of where the characters are.
The characters in this book feel like artist's mannequins, they don't come across as living vibrant creatures at all, just cliche after cliche. I'll be avoiding Brett Battle's boring books in the future if the Deceived is supposedly one of his best works.
July 13, 2019
There's a lot to like about this book. The plot is great. The twists at the end are great.
And yet...
I's not about the writing or anything either. It's purely my own personal preference. Whenever there's relationship shit or what not in a book, I immediately want less of it. The whole Orlando thing (and she's a great character unto herself) is just a turn off. I'd rather get more of Nate and Quinn's interactions and how he's being trained. Instead...this?
The argument could be made that given the nature of this particular "job" that it wasn't suited for Nate's training. However, he's treated like window dressing, a backdrop to the inevitable relationship shit.
I'll get back to this at some point, but I planned on binging this series because Quinn, Nate, and Orlando are really good characters and the story and writing are awesome. It's gotta wait now.
And yet...
I's not about the writing or anything either. It's purely my own personal preference. Whenever there's relationship shit or what not in a book, I immediately want less of it. The whole Orlando thing (and she's a great character unto herself) is just a turn off. I'd rather get more of Nate and Quinn's interactions and how he's being trained. Instead...this?
The argument could be made that given the nature of this particular "job" that it wasn't suited for Nate's training. However, he's treated like window dressing, a backdrop to the inevitable relationship shit.
I'll get back to this at some point, but I planned on binging this series because Quinn, Nate, and Orlando are really good characters and the story and writing are awesome. It's gotta wait now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2018
Jonathan Quinn is a cleaner, someone hired to make a mess go away - no evidence, no body, no clues, erased like it never happened. In The Deceived, he is hired to make a body disappear. Only the body turns out to be a friend of his. Going against his training, Quinn decides to track down the girlfriend to let her know what has happened, but when he gets to her home, another family is living there. Shortly thereafter, the family leaves and when Quinn tries to get in, the house explodes. Working with his apprentice, Nate, and fellow cleaner, Orlando, Quinn digs for the truth.
The Deceived has exotic locales, plenty of twists and turns, solid action, and a final reveal that's quite good. For fans of spy thrillers, this is a nice addition.
The Deceived has exotic locales, plenty of twists and turns, solid action, and a final reveal that's quite good. For fans of spy thrillers, this is a nice addition.
March 2, 2019
Another Great Quinn Thriller
I love this series. Jonathan Quinn's latest exploits surround the murder of his friend. Quinn teams up with and old friend, Orlando, and the two work together to unmask the killer. There are thrills and chills galore and I was actually breathless at one point and literally could not stop reading. This is not a spoiler review, so no more details about the plot. I will say that Brett Battles is an exceptional writer, and this series will keep you enthralled from beginning to end. Quinn is a likeable, extremely intelligent protagonist who neither looks for, nor shies away from, appropriate responses to the varied situations in which he finds himself. The plots are all detailed and interesting, and I highly recommend this series.
I love this series. Jonathan Quinn's latest exploits surround the murder of his friend. Quinn teams up with and old friend, Orlando, and the two work together to unmask the killer. There are thrills and chills galore and I was actually breathless at one point and literally could not stop reading. This is not a spoiler review, so no more details about the plot. I will say that Brett Battles is an exceptional writer, and this series will keep you enthralled from beginning to end. Quinn is a likeable, extremely intelligent protagonist who neither looks for, nor shies away from, appropriate responses to the varied situations in which he finds himself. The plots are all detailed and interesting, and I highly recommend this series.
September 27, 2021
Making a dead body delivered to a port in LA in a shipping crate disappear sounds like a routine job for professional "cleaner" Jonathan Quinn - until he recognizes the corpse in question as an old friend. When Quinn reaches out to the dead man's girlfriend, he learns that she has gone missing, and someone powerful seems to want to make sure she won't be found. Along with his apprentice Nate as well as Orlando, Quinn sets out to learn what happened to them both.
Better than the first one IMO, at least it kept me more engaged. It would certainly help if the protagonist were to develop a discernible personality at some point, though - as is, I neither like nor dislike him, I simply don't care either way.
Better than the first one IMO, at least it kept me more engaged. It would certainly help if the protagonist were to develop a discernible personality at some point, though - as is, I neither like nor dislike him, I simply don't care either way.
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