The Cleanup

by Sean Doolittle

Matthew Worth is a mess. Somewhere between a good cop and a bad screwup, he botched a marriage and a career. His fellow officers think he’s a joke. His commanders are tired of cutting him breaks. Even his wife has left him for a flashy homicide detective. Busted to night patrol at a robbery-prone Omaha supermarket, Worth is doing time, wearing his uniform and asking shoppers if they want paper or plastic. If that isn’t enough, he suspects he might be falling for Gwen, the shy checkout girl who may be an even bigger mess than he is. It couldn’t get any worse. Until it does.

When Gwen comes to him one night scared and desperate for help, Worth discovers just how far he’s willing to go to protect and serve. The next thing he knows, he’s driving a stolen car with a corpse in the trunk, a pistol in the glove box, and no way to turn back. Everything he doesn’t know could get them killed. And things haven’t even begun to get messy yet....

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Noir, Thriller, Novels

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

A scattered mess. Clearly, 0 of 10 stars

[Kemper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty solid crime story about a screw-up of a cop who decides to help an abused woman he likes cover up a crime, and then there's a whole bunch of unintended consequences.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a simple little noir with a familiar story about a disgraced cop on a shit detail working security at a convenience story who gets himself caught up in a murder cover-up involving the checkout girl he’s crushing on. There's some good dialogue and it can get pretty suspenseful. But what made this one really enjoyable was bearing witness to Doolittle’s skillful plotting. Every action and every character turns out to have an important role to play and watching it all come together is like seeing Doolittle set up a complicated array of dominoes, then tipping one over and watching them all fall gloriously!

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really, really wanted to like this book. And I didn't hate it. But, I was left feeling a little high and dry. There are so many reviews praising the novel's dead-on noir sensibilities and while there are certainly elements of noir, 'The Cleanup' doesn't strike me as nearly hard-boiled enough to be "black." That being said, I did like some of the characters. Vince, I think, would have to be my favorite. He seems to be the most "noir" of all of these characters but he's relegated to a supporting role that sort of drops off at the end. But even Vince remains puzzling to me as a reader--and not in a good way. Problematic, maybe, Here's an ex-con who takes a duffle bag full of mob cash and does nothing with it. Sure, he burns the money to prove to his wife that he loves her, that he chooses her over his former lifestyle. Vince makes sense thematically, but on a human level, I kept thinking, why is the money here for him at all? It's placed as a sort of red herring halfway through the novel. Ray and Tony, 'The Cleanup's' badly crooked cops, even vaguely hint that they will pay Vince a visit and get the cash back by force. But that never happens, and the bag is left sitting, safe and sound, in Vince's closet. Like I said, this presents Vince with an interesting dilemma: keep the money no one's looking for or the wife no one's paid attention to in a long time. It's admirable that Vince chooses his wife, but he's not conflicted enough for me. There's no struggle. Think about the character of Moss in another neo-noir novel, Cormac McCarthy's 'No Country for Old Men.' Moss, morally ambiguous but by no means an ex-con, holds onto a bag of dirty cash even when someone "compared to the Bubonic Plague" is after him. Doolittle's Vince, arrested a handful of times, no stranger to prison, who, at the worst, stands to be chased by some low-level stooges working for a bum furniture salesman and an old Polish mobster--all of whom remain mostly unaware of Vince's possession of the cash in the first place--doesn't even take the money out of the bag. Wouldn't he be at least tempted? Wouldn't he spend a little of it? Wouldn't he at least make a go of it? Would it be such an easy decision?

Obviously, we're supposed to sympathize with our leading man, Matthew Worth. I couldn't, however, ever really get a grasp on him. He isn't scarred enough to be the hero of a noir. He's had things done to him, but he hasn't really done anything to others. His biggest offense is slugging his ex-wife's new lover. He's a bad cop, but not because he's crooked or excessively forceful, but because he bumbles, because he can't live up to his brother's rep. He's too much of a victim, even if he's a victim of circumstance.

My main complaint, though, would have to be the excess of characters, all with throwaway names I couldn't keep straight. Ray. John. Matthew. Eddie. I could never see anybody in my head; that is, no one, jumped off the page, even the ones who were supposed to. Take, for instance, the character of Ray. He is, I think, Doolittle's attempted portrait of a conflicted baddie. Doolittle describes him as taking care when choosing his clothes, ordering fancy dinners in restaurants, etc. When the shit starts to hit the fan, he's the one who questions Tony's, use of violence. This is all interesting stuff, but in the book's heavy dialogue exchanges, I got lost as to who was speaking--Tony or Ray, and that's important because--well--one kills the other. I actually set the book down at a very climactic moment--involving a fist-fight, glass shards, and an arterial cutting, and said, "Wait, which one of them is kind of good again?" I don't want to call this novel Elmore Leonard Lite, but I do think Dutch would have used Doolittle's already interesting character profiles and made them jump a bit more. I'm thinking Ordell Robbie in 'Rum Punch' or any one of the mobsters in 'Get Shorty.'

All that being said, I think Doolittle writes solidly. There are few great lines here and some good pacing and, in the end, the book kept me reading. My favorite sections were the more domestic ones--scenes at John, the neighbor's, house; the quietly menacing sequences at Vince's scrap yard. The police procedural stuff is well handled, but sometimes dull, considering that the cast is so large for such a short book. 'The Cleanup' makes me want to read more Sean Doolittle. I'm still not sold yet, but I'm willing to give him another shot. But part of me just wants to read more Elmore Leonard.

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cleanup is a very competent screwball noir that is very tightly plotted. The story rattles along with plenty of twists and turns. Worth and Gwen are nicely penned, surrounded by a set of somewhat stereotypical characters. The book has all the ingredients to be a five star read, but for some reason it just didn’t quite click that way for me. I think part of the problem was it all felt a little bit done by numbers – everything fitted together too neatly and slickly – and it lacked some darkly comic turns that would have given the narrative an added lift. Also, I never really felt I was rooting for the main characters, they’re just too ordinary and plain, and Worth’s motivations are perhaps too fuzzy. There were also a couple of questions at the end that needed some elaboration. This probably sounds more negative than the book deserves. This is an enjoyable, well plotted read, it just needed a little added something to make it an exceptional one.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel from a fellow Nebraskan is entertaining, and full of some surprisingly likable characters, set in the freezing cold of a holiday blizzard I could almost visualize. In some ways, it’s reminiscent of Evan Hunter’s Every Little Crook and Nanny, where the majority of the cast of characters are neither totally good or bad, even when they have the most nefarious deed in mind. The hero doubts his own self-worth, the officer who stole John’s wife turns out to be more than expected, John’s ex-con brother may waiver off the straight and narrow but his loving wife always brings him back, everyone steps to one side of the law or other and some don’t make it back, but it’s a face-paced romp that’ll have the reader asking: “What next?"

For a well-crafted story with an ironic ending, don’t miss The Cleanup.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a little unfair to have read this right after finishing an Elmore Leonard novel (52 PICK-UP). The influence is apparent, but ultimately the book holds up on its own and is a solid, fast-paced read.

While some of the characters' motivations could have been handled a little more fluidly (sometimes characters make choices for the sake of the story that feel a little forced), the strength, like Leonard, is in the pacing.

This book hits the ground running and never lets up. An author that more people should know about.

[Jim Thomsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

w life into a familiar story: regular people stumble into a fortune, and because they're regular folks, they're unaware of the people looking for said fortune until it's too late, or almost too late.

The characters, too, are familiar: the small-town crime lord who thinks he's readier to work with the big boys than he is; the half-bright vicious young locals in his employ who think they can do things they can't; the corrupt cops in his employ who think they're better at covering the bases than they are; the sexy abused girlfriend of a man who finally realizes she's too good for him; and the clean hero who can't seem to cleanly cover his tracks in the service of a righteous cause. Their paths collide of a few harsh wintery days in Omaha and across the Mississippi River in Iowa, and it's great fun wonder who, if anyone, will be left standing at the end.

None of this is new in crime fiction, and yet in Doolittle's expertly crafty hands, the material is compelling enough to make you overlook that. THE CLEANUP is cut-above comfort food, the kid of novel you'll set aside ... and, a few years later, find yourself wanting to re-read to peel back the subtly hidden layers of character depth that you may have missed the first time. (My particular favorite: a cop forging a tentative but necessary alliance with a colleague who took his wife away from him not that long ago. Now that is something I haven't seen before.)

While it seems like I'm damning with faint praise, I'm not. Sometimes all you want is a novel that reads well, feels comfortable without being cozy, and makes you feel relaxed in the knowledge that you're in the hands of a master of the craft who writes like he doesn't have anything to prove, who doesn't pound you over the head with his ambition or insecurity or attempt to write in the voice of his influences. That's Sean Doolittle. He does exactly what he sets out to do, and he throws in a little extra to make sure you remember his name. That's rarer that it might seem, and welcome anytime in a time when more and more, highly marketed, highly derivative dreck is damming up the new-crime-fiction stream.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Nebraska. The main character is likeable, hapless and certainly flawed, but that's what makes him believable and authentic. The book centers around domestic violence and is graphic in points, if someone needs this alert. This isn't a masterpiece of literature and doesn't pretend to be. But next time I want something just to immerse myself in for the enjoyment of reading, I might pick another Doolittle. He has won several awards and is celebrated and I've just missed him heretofore. Flawless writing!

[Britain Valenti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eugh, did you ever read a book that so intensely wanted to be made into a movie? If you haven't, here's "The Cleanup".

But how can you tell the author is going through the obligatory step of writing a book in the hopes he'll be able to get a deal to write the screenplay? Well, they'll probably pick something very safe and popular that appeals to all four quadrants and bring nothing new to the genre (check). They won't do anything too literary beyond stock character and location descriptions (check). Most of the cast will be white guys doing masculine things (check). And the book will be edited like a movie...with a A, B, C & D plot interspersed so nothing is ever too shocking or full of tension (triple check).

Best part of the book was how there were really two types of women: old fat ones or hot, f*ckable ones. Seriously, a girl covered in bruises? Got to throw at LEAST one line in there where the hero notices her awesome figure but then looks away, respectfully, cause he's such a good guy. That woman who got shot in the head? Haha, she's in a sexy maid costume and coincidentally fell a**-up after being brutally murdered. I mean, heaven forbid the reader not imagine one of these chicks sexually. That random waitress in that one scene? Man, she's older, but she IS STACKED. That's ESSENTIAL CHARACTER INFORMATION, BRO! What's Doolittle supposed to do? Just NOT mention the tits he invented for this character?

Granted, this is the first Sean Doolittle book I've read. So maybe in his others he's not so obsessed with male power fantasies and sexually posing female corpses for comic effect. I think the best scene was the one where someone has to take apart a car. I'd watch a whole film about that one mechanic...and his hot wife who still jogs six miles every morning. She's in her 40's but still fit. Can you believe it?

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Sean Doolittle is a writer of midwestern (Omaha, NE) noir, that's OK by me. Matthew and Gwen were characters I cared/felt for. With its other cast of good & bad cops, throw in the mob and drug money for good measure...and you have a well written,entertaing crime novel.
Will look for his other novels.

[Esther Somorai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes people do things that they never would think of doing. This is a story that held my interest to the very end. Didn't care for the bad words, that was heavy at times throughout. Otherwise, a very good read.

[Mehmet Utkan · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Price had picked Mather up at the corner of 72nd and Q, Vargas said. The blood trail led six blocks in the opposite direction, all the way back to the warehouse/retailer where Price and Mather had been employed: Tice Is Nice Quality Used and Discount Furniture.
“That’s where Russell James worked,” Worth said. “The voice mails on his phone? Almost all of them came from Eddie Tice.”
Vargas nodded. “Also dead. Along with a third employee, Darla Mackler.”
“Jesus.” Three bodies. “You’re kidding.”
No wonder the place had gone hot. Three bodies constituted”

“Price had picked Mather up at the corner of 72nd and Q, Vargas said. The blood trail led six blocks in the opposite direction, all the way back to the warehouse/retailer where Price and Mather had been employed: Tice Is Nice Quality Used and Discount Furniture.
“That’s where Russell James worked,” Worth said. “The voice mails on his phone? Almost all of them came from Eddie Tice.”
Vargas nodded. “Also dead. Along with a third employee, Darla Mackler.”
“Jesus.” Three bodies. “You’re kidding.”
No wonder the place had gone hot. Three bodies constituted nearly ten percent of the citywide homicide rate for the entire year to date. All in one night.
All around Russell James.
“Eddie Tice had a nephew in the department,” Vargas said. “Kind of coincidental.”
“Who?”
“Tony Briggs.”
It wasn’t possible.
Vargas said, “There’s one other thing.”
Worth didn’t know what to say. He actually felt light-headed.
“Detective Kenna and Gwen Mullen are here.”
“Here at Central?”
Vargas nodded and said, “Briggs called the safe unit with instructions for the money drop thirty minutes ago.”


This material may be protected by copyright.

[r. chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because the blurb on the back made it sound like it would have focused character development paired with a good jolt of action and suspense. I found that wasn't the case. There were way too many characters for me even to keep track of, let alone care about. I liked the writing style, but I feel like it could be applied better to a more concise novel than this. Most of the characters got too little time to be developed, and the only one that was really vivid to me was the minor character of Vince Jr. The whole abused-damsel with a Bad Boyfriend thing is a little too cliche for me and I found Gwen kind of irritating instead of feeling empathy for her. Worth was a decent character... but how about staying in his POV instead of switching back and forth to fifty other characters and only getting to see what he's up to once every 5 chapters. I don't know, maybe that's typical of this genre. I normally wouldn't try to read a book featuring cops and homicide. Not really my cup of tea. I just gave this a chance because it sounded as though it were going to have a meatier human story behind it but I just found it kind of shallow. Meh. 3 stars for decent writing, I just didn't like the story.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I solely picked up this book because of the setting. I live in Omaha and I'm familiar with the places Sean Doolittle writes. It was fun to read something that's home.

Unfortunately, the story and characters didn't hold the same fascination. The main character and the woman he helps felt flat and boring. The POV changed rapidly and it was difficult to figure out who was shown. The antagonists were also poorly done; they were a walking cliche. I wanted to skim through their chapters.

The way Doolittle writes women, even in passing, is off-putting. Constantly remind us that women have breasts. Either the woman is old, and unattractive (but hey, has tits) or a sexy, little thing (also has tits). It's not just one male character that thinks this! It's EVERY male character's POV. Yes, women have boobs. Please stop writing women as sexual objects. I would have thought a middle school boy wrote those lines. Do better.

[Chris Poore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore Sean’s books. They move at a frenetic pace, keep you on the edge of your seat at all times, and leave you guessing how it’s going to end up until the very last page. The Cleanup fits nicely in that mold. It grabbed me with the first page, and I devoured it over a long weekend.

A down-on-his-luck cop pulls an unsavory assignment, putting him on a collision course with the Chicago mob, a local drug dealer, and a group of dirty cops. When he agrees to help a domestic violence victim he’s gone sweet on, the officer will have to cross every line put in front of him if he hopes to survive long enough to see if his feelings for her are real.

Strap in, you’ll enjoy the ride!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid suspense thriller. Multiple intriguing twists. A dose of good humor injected here and there to keep things in balance. Great characters. (Briggs’s voice wound up sounding like Joe Pesci in my head when things heated up). A tale of right and wrong, good and bad: sometimes good can do wrong and still be good, and sometimes bad can be just plain bad... which makes for a story that is good. This one brings to mind BLACKTOP WASTELAND and the magic of the scrapyard... Grinders and crushers and incinerators, oh my. Have fun.

[Rick Skowronski · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really struggled getting through this one. I think this may be the first one star rating I’ve ever given. I had a heck of a time trying to follow this book. I don’t know if it was because I was listening to it on Audible and not actually turning the pages. It seemed to be all over the place. Every time I felt I got back on track it would go in a different direction and by the end of the book there were characters I didn’t even remember existed. I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn’t.

[Race Bannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one isn't too bad. A little reminiscent of
Anthony Bruno, or Ken Bruen, maybe even a
smattering of Elmore Leonard but just not with
the same whip smart talent for dialogue.

It's entertaining for the robust cast of characters
and how one event gets them all involved in it
somehow. Not that there is alot of depth to
any of the people, but overall it makes for a good story.

[TIM HERRING · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not in the same league as Denis Johnson, this was a well plotted story and a good but not gripping read. Not one I would have normally read but it was a present from Ben so I gave it a try. It is in the American noir style and involves a "demoted" officer becoming inadvertently involved in a drug pay off that didn't happen ...no more to avoid spoilers

[Wendell Crouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was a bit of a garbled mess. When your story has a lot of characters, you should not switch back and forth from first, last and nicknames. Made it very hard to follow who was who. The plot was well written and the ending was pleasing and plausible.

[zackxdig · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good guy supermarket cop gets caught up in a world of dirty cops. A noir spin on saving the dame and knowing the ins out and outs of how to think like a cop to save her from a murder she just committed against an abusive spouse.

[Will Errickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly cromulent crime thriller, yet not dark or grim enough to be noir (which is what I’d heard about it and why I read it in the first place). Oh well. Wouldn’t mind reading another novel by the author.

[Gibbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

rest in peace, ray salcedo and tony briggs. rest in peace, you cheeky little bastards, you. if only you would’ve confessed your love for one another before you both died. would’ve been a much better ending. romeo and juliet.

[Jeffrey W. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the premise of this book and it pulled me in right at the beginning. But ultimately, I just got bored and couldn't fully get into the story. Wanted to like this more than I actually did.

[Jordan Swisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Campy, well plotted. Characters were a little on the nose/flat but fit well into the noir label.

[Shorty6904 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the layout of the writing for this book. There were too many characters for me to remember so I kept getting confused. I did like the story though and I could imagine the characters.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story.

[Jan]

Was a bookclub book for Oct 2012 that I missed

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

*shrug* okay