Чистачът

by Inger Gammelgaard Madsen, Ингер Гамелгард Мадсен, Димитър Ангелов (Narrator)

Бертрам и тримата му приятели са сформирали малка банда от крадци, наречена „Ястребите". Бертрам живее сам с майка си, която работи като сервитьорка. Не си спомня много за баща си, тъй като той е бил арестуван за убийство и осъден на доживотен затвор, когато Бертрам е бил едва седемгодишен. Един ден, Бертрам открадва скъпо кожено яке с марката \"Schott Made in USA\" от ресторанта, където работи майка му. Тази кражба ще има фатални последици, и то не само за Бертрам. Роланд Бенито, който работи за Независимия полицейски отряд за разкриване на нарушения, е изпратен заедно с колегата си да разпита двама полицаи, които са се отзовали на спешно повикване. Затворнически надзирател е скочил от апартамента си на четвъртия етаж точно когато двамата полицаи пристигат по сигнал за висока музика от неговия апартамент. Роланд научава, че надзирателят е бащата на най-добрата приятелка на внучката му. До него достигат слухове, че в затвора е починал затворник и че надзирателят се е чувствал следен и заплашван. Възможно ли е това да не е самоубийство? Ане Ларсен, репортерка за TV2 Източен Ютланд, също разследва историята с убийствата. Изглежда, че всичките случаи са свързани с един затворник, убиеца Патрик Асп, който излежава доживотна присъда за убийството на малката си дъщеря в затвора, където е работил надзирателят. Докато все повече загадъчни смъртни случаи се натрупват, съдия от Върховния съд изчезва безследно. Роландо Бенито и Ане Ларсен се съюзяват в разследването. Оказа се, че липсващата връзка е Бертрам и кражбата на коженото яке. Животът на Ане също е застрашен. Ингер Гамелгард Мадсен (родена през 1960 г.) е датска писателка. Ингер Гамелгард Мадсен е графичен дизайнер по професия. Дебютният ѝ роман е криминалният роман „Dukkebarnet", издадена през 2008 г. След него пише още няколко криминални книги. Някои от тях са „Drab efter begæring" (2009 г.), „Slangers gift" (2014 г.), „Dommer og bøddel" (2015 г.) и „Blodregn" (2016 г.).

Genres: Audiobook, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery

5 pages, Audiobook

First published October 5, 2017

Reviews

[Dana-Adriana B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creppy thriller.
I loved the structure of the book - episodes.
A lesson for me because of Eva Maja: listen to my children no matter how strange sounds what they are trying to say. I liked Bertram, a brave young man., determined to save his mom.
Action from the beginning, no time to get bored. The murders are well calculated, creepy.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this great story.

[Filip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually when I say that a book's biggest fault is that "I wish it was longer", it is meant as a praise, but not in this case. This book seemed *rushed*. It starts well enough, with a good cast of characters, interesting plot and, what's most interesting, a great way in which the various character arcs intersect one another creating a nice mosaic of clues. However then it is resolved waaaay too easily, too quickly, making the ending seem thoroughly unsatisfying. Pity.

[Jürgen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eigentlich würde ich gern 3,5 Sterne vergeben. Die Story war nicht schlecht und es gab auch ganz gute Spannung. Aber der Ermittler war zu blaß und deutlich zu behäbig, es gab zu viel unlogische Handlungen, die sichtlich nur dazu dienten, das Buch nicht zu schnell zum Ende zu bringen. Was mich aber massive gestört hat, war die Zahl der Leichen. Mindestens zwei davon fand ich überflüssig und diese dienten auch nicht der Spannung. Nett für zwischendurch, aber kein Roman, der mich nach mehr von diesem Autor suchen lässt.

[Gerda Bruhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Velskreven og yderst spændende roman, hvor Roland Benito og Anne Larsen hjælpes ad med at opklare flere mystiske mord, der er camoufleret som selvmord og hændelige uheld. Under sagens opklaring kommer de også selv i livsfare. Inger Gammegaard Madsens serie om Roland Benito og Anne Larsen kan varmt anbefales til alle, der elsker en god krimi.

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good addition to Scandinavian thrillers with a neat plot and precise narrative. The translation at places is shoddy. The conclusion doesn’t cover all the questions raised by the investigators. Maybe to do with the translation or an oversight on the part of the author. Fans of Scandinavian noir should definitely give it a shot.

[Esty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Habe es als Hörbuch gehört. War angenehm zu hören hat mich aber insgesamt nicht vom Hocker gehauen. Ein wenig vorhersehrbar und ein so plötzliches unspektakuläres Ende, dass ich das Gefühl hatte das Buch wurde noch in der Nacht vor Abgabetermin fertiggestellt.

[Claudete Takahashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cleaner has a good plot, it's well-written, and it has relatable characters. A sad but compelling story of domestic violence, ruthless crime and drugs. This is the first book that I've read by this author and it has proven to be a good choice.

[Leena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pyh. Epäuskottava juoni, joka vielä latistui loppua kohden. Miksiköhän tuhlasin tähän aikaa?
Ja kaiken lisäksi reilut 150 sivua oli pilkottu erillisiksi kirjoiksi. Mikähän järki siinäkin on?

[Charlott Stenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hyfsat spännande.

[أماني العازمي · Rating 1 out of 5]

قراءة خفيفة ومتوقعة الأحداث.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Cleaner is a new Scandinavian crime novel by Inger Gammelgaard Madsen. Originally published in Danish, this English language translation released 5th Feb 2021 by Saga Egmont is 154 pages and is available in ebook format. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is part of a serial work featuring a hired killer (the titular "Cleaner") as well as one of the main characters in this book, Rolando Benito, who is an inspector in the author's longer series. Despite its shorter length, the author does quite well providing clearly delineated characters who are three dimensional and believable and despite the somewhat outlandish nature of plots which revolve around assassins, it works well. The narrative arc is tense and tightly written and the denouement is satisfying. There were some surprises at the resolution which I hadn't anticipated.

Despite being part of a longer series, it was fine as a standalone and I had no trouble keeping the characters straight. The author seems quite adept at providing the necessary backstory without info-dumping or spoon feeding.There are some places in the book where I felt the rhythm of the language was a trifle choppy, but I believe that's a result of the translation work which hasn't compensated for the differences in scansion between Danish and English.

The language is moderately rough; I would say R-rated for cursing and violence. It's an engaging, quick read and I would recommend it for fans of Scandi-crime.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Saga Egmont for a review copy of The Cleaner, a thriller set in the East Jutland region of Denmark, featuring Police Complaints Authority Investigator Roland Benito and reporter Anne Larsen.

When Bertram steals an expensive jacket it puts his life in danger. At the same time Roland Benito is investigating the conduct of two patrol officers after the suicide of a prison officer. Anne Larsen is looking at the suicide from a different angle and is given a message from child killer, Patrick Asp.

I enjoyed The Cleaner to a point. It is not a long novel so it’s to the point and doesn’t waste time. It is well conceived and executed with a thoughtful and logical plot and a different approach to the standard procedural. I was impressed.

English speaking readers are joining this series in the middle of it so it’s difficult to know what is standard, but it mostly concentrates on Bertram and his discoveries. This narrative is supplemented by Roland and Anne’s investigations. It is a bit of a misnomer to call it a Roland Benito novel as he doesn’t have the starring role and is constrained by his job as a Police Complaints Authority Investigator, which means he is no longer a police officer.

My main complaint about the novel is the translation. It’s not poor, but it lacks oomph and one or two things make me think he is not a native English speaker.

The Cleaner is an interesting read and I like the way the author approaches her novel, so I would look out for more. 3.5*

[Genevieve Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm voluntarily leaving a review. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for letting me read an advanced copy.
This was great. Vividly drawn, realistic characters who inspire real emotional investment in the reader, a fast-paced, engaging plot, and a satisfying ending (even though I'd been crossing my fingers for a slightly different outcome!)
The writing was solid, and the voices of the characters believable. I don't often enjoy contract killer stories (they're boring), but this worked extremely well. By centering the story on a character who accidentally got involved, rather than the hit man, it made for a much more compelling (and surprisingly emotional read).
Hard to say much more, just, this was a good one, give it a read!

[Ivory Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bertram has been raised by his mother while his father Patrick Asp serves time in prison for murder. The gang he is in regularly trades stolen goods for cash and one day he takes a leather jacket from the restaurant his mother works at. The theft is connected to the murder/disappearance of several high profile people who were involved in his fathers incarceration and the
Translated from Danish this book has a Nordic noir feel to it and a great plot both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

[Robin Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Scandinavian noir found a prominent place in the world crime fiction scene it was writers from Sweden and Norway that led the way. Now, Denmark pitches in a new contender with Inger Gammelgaard Madsen who I feel certain will make her voice heard soon.
This novel has an impressive plot and lots of credibility. The characters are superbly realized and written with integrity and empathy. Roland Benito is Inger's series detective and I intend to read them all. A very engrossing book.

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good addition to Scandinavian thrillers with a neat plot and precise narrative. The translation at places is shoddy. The conclusion doesn’t cover all the questions raised by the investigators. Maybe to do with the translation or an oversight on the part of the author. Fans of Scandinavian noir should definitely give it a shot.

[Bulent]

Polis Soruşturmaları Komisyonu’ndan Dedektif Rolando Benito'nun geçmişten gelen bir katili yakalama mücadelesini ele alan macerası. "Danimarka polisiyesi" olarak nitelemek ve polisiyesinin az olduğunu söylemek mümkün.

[#seslikitap]

[Rebecka H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inte alls i klass med de andra i Benito-serien…..