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Jonathan Quinn #9
The Buried
Everything on the job is going as expected. The target has been dealt with, and all that’s left to do is remove the body.
But a surprise is waiting for Quinn and Nate, one that completely changes their mission. Then when the client who gave them their new orders disappears, they find themselves on their own, with a human asset holding a dark secret that several parties are interested in obtaining, by force if necessary.
To keep the asset alive, the two cleaners must stay on the run, but even that doesn't guarantee success.
Because no matter how closely a secret is guarded, if enough people want it, it won’t stay buried forever.
But a surprise is waiting for Quinn and Nate, one that completely changes their mission. Then when the client who gave them their new orders disappears, they find themselves on their own, with a human asset holding a dark secret that several parties are interested in obtaining, by force if necessary.
To keep the asset alive, the two cleaners must stay on the run, but even that doesn't guarantee success.
Because no matter how closely a secret is guarded, if enough people want it, it won’t stay buried forever.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 23, 2015
297 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Brett Battles
106 books1,076 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 72 reviews
July 30, 2021
I felt like this book was mirroring an olympic 400 freestyle. After the first 100 I was convinced that this book was on a pace of 5 stars. Near the middle of the race (and with a good book you just want to go and go) it slowed down to a 4. With 100 pages left it was getting slow but started to pick up near the end and the toll of starting out fast and furious was the result of the 4.5 star finish. Having said that, this was a fun read and would really (really) require reading the previous books in this series.
June 11, 2018
The plot and many of the things that occurred during The Buried are somewhat less likely then the proverbial flying pigs - make that flying hippos! Although I have thoroughly enjoyed many of Brett Battles book's about the "cleaner," John Milton and his apprentice Nate, I couldn't wait to finish this one so I could move on to something enjoyable.
The book became so intolerable that I skimmed most of the last third. Why didn't I just quit reading it? Good question! Since I have really enjoyed Battles' past works, I held onto a fragment of hope that things would improve. They did not.
The End
The book became so intolerable that I skimmed most of the last third. Why didn't I just quit reading it? Good question! Since I have really enjoyed Battles' past works, I held onto a fragment of hope that things would improve. They did not.
The End
June 10, 2020
What a great book. I never saw so much running and hiding and being found out then running again. It was so exciting! All Quinn, Nate, Deang, Ananka and Orlando wanted to do was save this girl, Dani, but it seemed the whole world was after her, including the Russians. It was a real good story-line.
No sex and the F-bomb was used 2 times.
As to the narration: The awesome Scott Brick! Can’t go wrong with him narrating.
April 13, 2015
I liked the Quinn series
But what happened here.? The Book could have been much shorter. Stated off promising but then dragged on For Orlando to act as if she wasn't 9 months pregnant n carry on as she did went from annoying to asinine glad I did not pay for this!!
But what happened here.? The Book could have been much shorter. Stated off promising but then dragged on For Orlando to act as if she wasn't 9 months pregnant n carry on as she did went from annoying to asinine glad I did not pay for this!!
February 21, 2020
I recently finished The Buried and the characters just got more. It will be interesting to see how Jonathan and Orlando will tackle the workload in the next story. I will take a brake from this series for a while.
August 13, 2024
Not his best work but a fun read.
July 3, 2015
Originally posted at The Bookaholic Cat
The Buried is the ninth book in the Jonathan Quinn series by Brett Battles.
For what I understood, Quinn and Nate are cleaners, they are call to crime scenes to make the bodies disappear or to stage them in a more convenient way. Despite their job, they are decent guys. They don’t work for bad guys; they secretly work for the government.
Quinn is married to a very pregnant Orlando and Nate is in a relationship. Although Nate’s girlfriend was mentioned, she wasn’t present in the story.
Quinn and Nate get a job, they need to pick up the body of a man who was recently killed by a hit-woman, get his body out of the house and stage his death to look like an accident. They also need to search his house for information relating to his dealings. In their search, they find a dungeon full of women. One of them is Danielle. Danielle is wanted by different agencies in the US and the world. Their client (Helen) asks them to take Danielle and bring her to her, but soon after Helen is kidnapped and Quinn and Nate find themselves in the middle of something bigger, with people hunting them along the way.
Danielle knows something that many people want to know, to keep her safe Quinn and Nate will have to do everything in their power to protect her and to find the reason to all the chaos happening around them.
I accepted this audiobook for review thinking that usually thrillers (in series) work well as a stand alones. In the case of The Buried, it does regarding to the story, but not in regards to the characters. It was very obvious that there was a story not only behind each of them, but also between them. Stories I wish I knew to better understand the finer nuances of the story.
I liked the idea of heroes that work on the line between good and bad. Their job can be seen as disreputable, but what they do is for the good of mankind, at least that was the case in this installment, I don’t know if it was the same case in previous books.
I liked Quinn and Nate, I liked that they are both smart and work very well together. It was obvious there was a story behind them working together, but it was only referred to. I wish I would have known more about their past.
I like Quinn’s wife, Orlando, but her behavior in the story was completely unbelievable due to her circumstances. She was supposed to be nine months pregnant and ready to give birth, but she behaved, moved and acted as if she weren’t. I would have believed it if she were in the early stages of pregnancy or not pregnant at all, but not when she was ready to give birth.
I liked and admire Danielle, I liked her determination and her strength. I also liked the story behind her. Talking about the story, it was engaging, with many twists and turns that you won’t see coming; but as I said before, I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I had known the background story of the characters.
Scott Brick did a good job with his performance and his attribution of voices. I liked his cadence and how he was able to convey emotions through his voice. This was my first audiobook narrated by Scott Brick, but it won’t be my last.
I’m seriously considering going back and starting this series from the beginning. I recommend The Buried to fans of this series and to people who enjoy high adrenaline thrillers.
The Buried is the ninth book in the Jonathan Quinn series by Brett Battles.
For what I understood, Quinn and Nate are cleaners, they are call to crime scenes to make the bodies disappear or to stage them in a more convenient way. Despite their job, they are decent guys. They don’t work for bad guys; they secretly work for the government.
Quinn is married to a very pregnant Orlando and Nate is in a relationship. Although Nate’s girlfriend was mentioned, she wasn’t present in the story.
Quinn and Nate get a job, they need to pick up the body of a man who was recently killed by a hit-woman, get his body out of the house and stage his death to look like an accident. They also need to search his house for information relating to his dealings. In their search, they find a dungeon full of women. One of them is Danielle. Danielle is wanted by different agencies in the US and the world. Their client (Helen) asks them to take Danielle and bring her to her, but soon after Helen is kidnapped and Quinn and Nate find themselves in the middle of something bigger, with people hunting them along the way.
Danielle knows something that many people want to know, to keep her safe Quinn and Nate will have to do everything in their power to protect her and to find the reason to all the chaos happening around them.
I accepted this audiobook for review thinking that usually thrillers (in series) work well as a stand alones. In the case of The Buried, it does regarding to the story, but not in regards to the characters. It was very obvious that there was a story not only behind each of them, but also between them. Stories I wish I knew to better understand the finer nuances of the story.
I liked the idea of heroes that work on the line between good and bad. Their job can be seen as disreputable, but what they do is for the good of mankind, at least that was the case in this installment, I don’t know if it was the same case in previous books.
I liked Quinn and Nate, I liked that they are both smart and work very well together. It was obvious there was a story behind them working together, but it was only referred to. I wish I would have known more about their past.
I like Quinn’s wife, Orlando, but her behavior in the story was completely unbelievable due to her circumstances. She was supposed to be nine months pregnant and ready to give birth, but she behaved, moved and acted as if she weren’t. I would have believed it if she were in the early stages of pregnancy or not pregnant at all, but not when she was ready to give birth.
I liked and admire Danielle, I liked her determination and her strength. I also liked the story behind her. Talking about the story, it was engaging, with many twists and turns that you won’t see coming; but as I said before, I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I had known the background story of the characters.
Scott Brick did a good job with his performance and his attribution of voices. I liked his cadence and how he was able to convey emotions through his voice. This was my first audiobook narrated by Scott Brick, but it won’t be my last.
I’m seriously considering going back and starting this series from the beginning. I recommend The Buried to fans of this series and to people who enjoy high adrenaline thrillers.
April 24, 2015
THE BURIED storyline has twists and turns as readers turn every page. Battles introduces the protagonist, Jonathan Quinn, a cleaner for several government agencies and female protagonist, Danielle Chad. The author provides details on the support characters Quinn’s Client Helen Cho, Quinn’s girlfriend Orlando, Quinn’s partner Nate, the assassin Anake, Nate, and the rest of Quinn’s team. The author provides the background of the characters and provides additional information as needed to keep the story moving. Quinn finishes an assignment and finds Danielle being held captive. Every agency in the US and several foreign countries wants Danielle. Recognizing Danielle has a target on her back, Helen assigns Quinn’s team to transport her to safety and provide protection.
Readers at the side of Quinn go to a safe house in Columbia City, Washington. Battles describe backstories of those seeking Danielle. It is not just foreign organizations pursuing Danielle; several domestic agencies are also pursuing Danielle. Arriving at the safe house, Quinn is on edge expecting the worst. The author keeps increasing the action as Quinn and his team take steps to protect and transport Danielle to safety. A big twist of the story takes place as one of the organizations pursuing Danielle kidnaps Helen. While Quinn keeps moving Danielle for her safety, his team tries to determine who and why Danielle is so important. Battles creates a subplot when Orlando organizes an effort to find Helen and rescue her. The pace of THE BURIED is moving fast and furious.
Battles’ mystery unfolds as the antagonists chase Quinn across the country and readers take part in the chase. At one of the ambushes, Danielle hides when Quinn is fighting off the attackers. One of the antagonists captures Danielle and plans on auctioning her off to the highest bidder. Everything seems to be moving towards one location. Battles keep readers in the dark as to where everyone is going to end up and why. At every turn, THE BURIED delivers suspense and intrigue, with an unpredictable ending. Battles does not disappoint his readers with THE BURIED. Battles earns a 5 star ranking.
July 16, 2020
If you are a faithful reader of the series this is worth it. For me this is the first time in the series a book was not a home run, this one is a solid single to left. The story has a very interesting premise but I feel it drags, too much detail on normal surveillance. No real unexpected twists and the story is very linear. Daeng and Nate are very underutilized.
April 4, 2015
Basic Quinn, Nate, Orlando, and Daeng thriller. Not bad, but definitely not his best Quinn tale. The end game gets pretty predictable, especially when it's revealed what is buried in Kansas.
March 8, 2016
Fast paced and thrilling (with a bit of humor thrown in), I zipped right through this book. I love this series and look forward to more (and more and more).
April 23, 2015
Page Turner
5 stars because there was never a dull moment. Very good read. Could not put it down for very long
5 stars because there was never a dull moment. Very good read. Could not put it down for very long
August 15, 2015
Another good book but Orlando distracts not adds to the plot in this book. Hopefully the next one will be better.
October 4, 2022
The book started off quickly like most of the books in this series. The author gets straight to the story and holds the reader's attention throughout the book. There are a lot of players in the story who are all trying to find and capture Dani (the woman who Quinn and Nate find in a basement of one of their cleaning assignments). At one point I felt there were too many teams and players who added little to the story. I thought the story would have worked fine with fewer of them. However, after getting to the end, it makes me wonder if some of these minor characters might show up in a future book. Otherwise, what was the point of the last few pages telling the outcome of some of the minor players.
There were a couple of things that I found unreasonable. First, I would have expected Quinn and Nate to eventually figure out they were being captured on traffic cameras when they were so easily tracked. I would have thought that when they would procure a new car, they would at least hide their faces with hats, scarves, etc when driving on a major road. My biggest issue, though, was with Orlando. She was definitely the weakest part of the story. Not just because of her actions while being days from giving birth, but also because her dialogue and POV were annoying throughout the entire book.
The ending was okay, but the birth of Quinn's daughter in this situation was unnecessary and a distraction to the real story. I thought the way things were resolved at the end was also too basic and flat.
Overall, I still like the series. It's a quick and fun read to escape from the real world.
There were a couple of things that I found unreasonable. First, I would have expected Quinn and Nate to eventually figure out they were being captured on traffic cameras when they were so easily tracked. I would have thought that when they would procure a new car, they would at least hide their faces with hats, scarves, etc when driving on a major road. My biggest issue, though, was with Orlando. She was definitely the weakest part of the story. Not just because of her actions while being days from giving birth, but also because her dialogue and POV were annoying throughout the entire book.
The ending was okay, but the birth of Quinn's daughter in this situation was unnecessary and a distraction to the real story. I thought the way things were resolved at the end was also too basic and flat.
Overall, I still like the series. It's a quick and fun read to escape from the real world.
September 26, 2024
It's just another midnight in Seattle. Jonathan Quinn and his partner, Nate, have rolled up another dead body and scoured away the evidence of the guy’s death. It’s all routine. They’re the guys who come in and clean up after you if you kill someone. They don’t come cheap, but their cleanup efforts are top-flight.
As they investigate the house further prior to removing the body, they find a trap door on the floor of a garage. When they remove it, the acrid stink of human crap hits them full-on. Four women are in the cells they find under that trap door. Three of them remain alive.
Obviously, plans must change. The story Quinn had prepared for the cops wouldn’t do. They rescue the naked, abused women, find and restore their clothes, and because one of the remaining three is a troublemaker of the first order, they take her with them. She goes by Danielle Chad. That’s not her real name.
When Quinn asks his shadowy female boss what to do with her, she promises further instructions. But someone kidnaps Helen before Helen can provide additional instructions, so Quinn, Nate, and the seemingly unbreakable spitfire, feisty Danielle are on the run. The thing is, a cadre of nasty people are searching for Danielle. Quinn and Nate will have their hands full just keeping her safe, let alone garnering her trust and full cooperation.
This is a solid, riveting book with lots of fast action and twists and turns that will keep you immersed in it. I guess it isn’t strictly necessary to read all the books in the series, but I’d certainly encourage you to do it. This book made more sense to me because I had read earlier books.
As they investigate the house further prior to removing the body, they find a trap door on the floor of a garage. When they remove it, the acrid stink of human crap hits them full-on. Four women are in the cells they find under that trap door. Three of them remain alive.
Obviously, plans must change. The story Quinn had prepared for the cops wouldn’t do. They rescue the naked, abused women, find and restore their clothes, and because one of the remaining three is a troublemaker of the first order, they take her with them. She goes by Danielle Chad. That’s not her real name.
When Quinn asks his shadowy female boss what to do with her, she promises further instructions. But someone kidnaps Helen before Helen can provide additional instructions, so Quinn, Nate, and the seemingly unbreakable spitfire, feisty Danielle are on the run. The thing is, a cadre of nasty people are searching for Danielle. Quinn and Nate will have their hands full just keeping her safe, let alone garnering her trust and full cooperation.
This is a solid, riveting book with lots of fast action and twists and turns that will keep you immersed in it. I guess it isn’t strictly necessary to read all the books in the series, but I’d certainly encourage you to do it. This book made more sense to me because I had read earlier books.
April 6, 2020
2 1/2 - 3 Stars. I've always been a big fan of this series from the very beginning, but this is the first book in the series that I felt didn't meet my expectations. The beginning was well thought out, and the idea of this story was very intriguing to me, but I just felt this story was not executed well like all the other previous Quinn novels have been.
I feel like the story somewhat dragged in the middle, and it just didn't grip me the way the other books have. I will say while I did not really like the overall execution of this book, the beginning and end were what somewhat redeemed this story for me, and it will be interesting (and fun) to see how Quinn, Orlando and team continue their work while trying to balance a somewhat normal lifestyle with this new added character at the end of this book.
I did really like Ananke, feeling like she balanced out Quinn's usual work ethic, adding in a possible fun returning character for future books. Will continue to read the Quinn series, but hoping future books return to what the previous ones had to offer.
I feel like the story somewhat dragged in the middle, and it just didn't grip me the way the other books have. I will say while I did not really like the overall execution of this book, the beginning and end were what somewhat redeemed this story for me, and it will be interesting (and fun) to see how Quinn, Orlando and team continue their work while trying to balance a somewhat normal lifestyle with this new added character at the end of this book.
I did really like Ananke, feeling like she balanced out Quinn's usual work ethic, adding in a possible fun returning character for future books. Will continue to read the Quinn series, but hoping future books return to what the previous ones had to offer.
May 4, 2020
This is a continuation of a great action/thriller series. Battles is one of the best in the genre. Quinn is a great character, as are the support players in his world. Importantly, the action and twists in the plot are never ending and augmented by the sly details of espionage-style techniques the actors in this world employ.
In this one, Quinn is on a job that ends up being something unexpected...and that's just the opening scene in a very complicated story. He finds that the target of the job has several women in a dungeon-like underground jail. He frees them and finds that one name triggers bells via an NSA flag and a crazy chase with multiple players in the espionage world hot on the woman's trail. It gets complicated very quickly and the action is non-stop to the very end.
In this one, Quinn is on a job that ends up being something unexpected...and that's just the opening scene in a very complicated story. He finds that the target of the job has several women in a dungeon-like underground jail. He frees them and finds that one name triggers bells via an NSA flag and a crazy chase with multiple players in the espionage world hot on the woman's trail. It gets complicated very quickly and the action is non-stop to the very end.
June 9, 2020
Everything on the job is going as expected. The target has been dealt with, and all that’s left to do is remove the body.
But a surprise is waiting for Quinn and Nate, one that completely changes their mission. Then when the client who gave them their new orders disappears, they find themselves on their own, with a human asset holding a dark secret that several parties are interested in obtaining, by force if necessary.
To keep the asset alive, the two cleaners must stay on the run, but even that doesn't guarantee success.
Because no matter how closely a secret is guarded, if enough people want it, it won’t stay buried forever.
But a surprise is waiting for Quinn and Nate, one that completely changes their mission. Then when the client who gave them their new orders disappears, they find themselves on their own, with a human asset holding a dark secret that several parties are interested in obtaining, by force if necessary.
To keep the asset alive, the two cleaners must stay on the run, but even that doesn't guarantee success.
Because no matter how closely a secret is guarded, if enough people want it, it won’t stay buried forever.
August 28, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed The Buried. The author does a great job of building tension by using multiple groups hunting Quinn and co throughout the story. I also like how he's added various characters that flow in and out of the series. We see Daeng and Helen again here, and a new player - Ananke - has been added. I'd like to see her again.
In The Buried, Quinn and Nate are the cleaners for the hit Ananke just performed. But she's the curious sort and has found a secret underground in the mark's house. What they uncover leads to several groups hunting them.
There is a smattering of profanity and violence, but much less than is typical for this genre. One of my favorites in this series.
In The Buried, Quinn and Nate are the cleaners for the hit Ananke just performed. But she's the curious sort and has found a secret underground in the mark's house. What they uncover leads to several groups hunting them.
There is a smattering of profanity and violence, but much less than is typical for this genre. One of my favorites in this series.
December 5, 2021
Who woulda thunk being a cleaner involved so much other "stuff"? The cast of characters involved in this novel far exceeds the usual Quinn novel. The usual fly here and drive there doesn't disappoint and, of course, everybody is getting shot at and needing medical attention, especially Orlando. Yes, right at the end, Quinn becomes a daddy. Orlando doesn't heed caution in her condition and almost has the baby out in the field. All in all, a good read with a lot of excitement. We all know Orlando will not be a stay at home mom. It should prove to be interesting in the following novels.
July 30, 2020
Wow, I really liked this story. (audible review)
And I like Ananke. (I have already read the Excoms series, prior to starting this series) If you haven't read The Excoms yet, you're missing out.
This series is full of action, intrigue, mystery, fun, great characters, fantastic writing and narration.
Scott Brick is amazing. He brings these books to life. He does a great job on all the voices.
And I like Ananke. (I have already read the Excoms series, prior to starting this series) If you haven't read The Excoms yet, you're missing out.
This series is full of action, intrigue, mystery, fun, great characters, fantastic writing and narration.
Scott Brick is amazing. He brings these books to life. He does a great job on all the voices.
December 14, 2016
This is probably a four star book, but I had to award 5 stars for including my hometown of Walla Walla. It would have made my top 100 books of all time had Quinn and Nate stopped for a cheeseburger and rings at the Iceberg drive-in...alas...
I loved this fully loaded tale with more than one story line going in roughly the same direction.
Smart and engaging.
I loved this fully loaded tale with more than one story line going in roughly the same direction.
Smart and engaging.
November 10, 2018
Disappointing. I’ve enjoyed the series until this point. The story required the suspension of belief more than is usual for this genre & the author in particular.
Hopefully the next book improves as I’ve grown fond of the cast of characters in this series. The plotting is usually of a higher standard & the series is worthy of another chance.
Hopefully the next book improves as I’ve grown fond of the cast of characters in this series. The plotting is usually of a higher standard & the series is worthy of another chance.
December 7, 2019
Excellent read with good flow of action.
Brett Battles is a terrific writers with a good blend of action, suspense, and character development. Definitely recommend this book and all Jonathan Quinn series to anyone.
Brett Battles is a terrific writers with a good blend of action, suspense, and character development. Definitely recommend this book and all Jonathan Quinn series to anyone.
March 15, 2025
Idiots. They are all idiots. And the child is going to be the offspring of complete idiots.
This is the book that killed this series for me. Stop writing. Your characters are morons and make the worst decisions imaginable. They all deserve straight razors run across their arms the right way.
This is the book that killed this series for me. Stop writing. Your characters are morons and make the worst decisions imaginable. They all deserve straight razors run across their arms the right way.
October 9, 2017
I read this on my flight to New York. The perfect read for a plane because you don't want to put it down!
April 10, 2018
Another Great Read
I as I said before the story's are a great mix of action and the character's are full on. I am looking forward to the next book
I as I said before the story's are a great mix of action and the character's are full on. I am looking forward to the next book
September 5, 2019
Love this series.
December 20, 2019
Another great book that does not disappoint. I could not stop reading!
March 11, 2020
This is the best in the series, fast paced, well written, funny and enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews