The Cleaner (John Milton Series Book 1)

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

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

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

I bought this book less than two weeks ago and since then I have read it and an additional eight novels in the John Milton series and all three of the novels in the Beatrix Rose series. I started on the first of the Isabella Rose series today. I an generally not an obsessive reader, but since these novels are either free for Prime members or very cheap if you buy the three-packs, it's been like buying a giant bucket of popcorn at the movies and, since you bought the giant bucket, you can get a refill for free if you finish it. Reading Dawson's novels is just like eating popcorn. It's almost like you can't help keep eating and all of a sudden you've gone through a frightening amount. Other reviewers have compared him to Lee Child and the Reacher series. I agree with the comparison. The books are similar mindless action adventure novels involving justice seeking protagonists, but Dawson is a better writer. His prose is better than Child's and his characters are more interesting and better drawn. His locations are more deftly described and his characters travel the world killing people, There is a fair amount of moral ambiguity entailed. They're supposed to be good guys, but they seem to end up killing a lot of innocent bystanders. Fortunately, it's popcorn. Dawson is English and he commits an occasional howler when he uses a United States setting: on one instance he placed Bridgehampton in upstate New York, which leads one to believe he has never been in the Hamptons. Still, the books have a fair feeling of verisimilitude and they are extraordinarily entertaining. As good as it gets in the mindless action genre and the price is right.

This is a book I got as a free Kindle download about a year ago and just got around to reading. It tells the story of John Milton (aka Number One), an assassin for the British. The story relates that he was hired as Number 12, and worked his way up to Number One. He has a mission go sideways on him and it is the last straw so he decides to quit. Control decides to have the present Number 12 kill him. For no reason that made any sense to me, Number One takes up residence in a slum area inhabited by vicious gangs who are at war with each other. He strikes up a friendship of sort with a gangbanger wannabe and tries to help him and his mom. As one might expect, meddling in such things does not go very well, and he ends up having to take on a rapper/gangbanger/drug dealer. While this is going on, Number 12 is stalking him, and planning his demise. It is not a perfect book. It has a fair number of issues with it that take away from the story sometimes. Somehow when he needs it, guns and grenades just appear out of nowhere for Number One to use. Some of the guns and other weapons are described fairly well, while others are kind of screwy. The action sequences are pretty well thought out but the descriptions of them sometimes are not. Now and then I would shake my head at what was being described. There are a few writing issues here and there, typos, grammar, etc., but not enough to be a major distraction. In one place it seems like a semiautomatic pistol changes to a revolver and back again. I enjoyed reading it so it got 4 stars from me.

Author Mark Dawson has written a dandy tale, a real page turner. He's done his homework and spells out the frustration of growing up in the slums with little hope of ever getting out. John Milton is a complex character. He's not too old or young and that makes the perfect age to get into all sorts of unexpected trouble. His life is a mess. He's made a critical mistake and it flips his life and existence upside-down. JaJa, one of the younger's he calls the kids in the housing complex, wants to trust Milton, wants a friend and needs help. Milton offers both and it's not easy. He's a wanted man. The kids leader wants him dead, his old boss also wants to eliminate him - but John Milton is the kind of guy you don't want to piss off and certainly don't want him as your enemy. The story has moments, kind ones, thoughtful and calculated issues that need addressing - and so he does just that - he deals with them. This is another terrific writer from the UK that knows story, how to develop characters, and best of all how to attack his audience and suck them into his pages. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, gave it 5 stars and look to read more of his work.

My initial interest was sparked when researching self-publishing and came across the author, Mark Dawson, as one of the stars in this world. So I have to admit that I have not read other books that I have seen compared to this series such as Jack Reacher nor did I see the Jack Reacher movies (the previews really didn’t seem that good). I have, however, seen the Jason Bourne movies (alas also did not read those books either) as well as the Jason Statham movies like Transporter and the Mechanic where the feel is roughly the same. So I’d give myself a 50/50 on understanding the story construct and plot-lines. Interestingly enough Statham has been rumoured to have been cast in either a television series or movie for the main character in this book. As a reader once hearing that it is hard to dislodge the image of Statham from the one that Dawson creates here especially since while the characters that Statham has played do line up with this one insofar as action and experience the appearance, look, feel and capabilities do not (read on for why). This was Mark Dawson’s first novel in the series featuring the character John Milton a former specialist with a military background that works for a sister spy agency of Britain’s of 007’s Mi6 called Control. Dawson builds a classic portrayal in Milton of a soldier who did what he was told, asked no questions but as a result of one epic moment has an epiphany that maybe not everything he had been doing was good. We get only a brief glimpse into what the event was in this novel but certainly something that serves as a lure to bring the reader on to another novel in this series where Dawson may provide more depth. The sudden realization for the main character set him on a path of repentance that very formulaically puts him on a confrontation course with his now ex-employer, Control (the classic; once you’re in you never leave..at least not alive). Dawson’s writing and interweaving of other characters does help provide more colour to a painting by numbers storyline and I have to say the character interaction and how they articulate themselves feels genuine and authentic which is no doubt a nod to Dawson’s skill at both research and creating believable constructs. The story’s pace continues about with a quick but deliberate pace with Milton forced to balance helping a friend/lover and her son while trying to reconstruct his life. This element brings in a certain twist to Milton’s character that not only did he want to get out of being a killer but he is searching for ways to redeem himself. Between that and how the younger characters in the book refer to Milton as an old man it’s hard to shake the connection to a TV series from the 80s called the Equalizer wherein an agent, presumed to be from the CIA, tries to atone for his past. The connection is clearer to Milton because even though the agent in the Equalizer was supposed to be former CIA he was played by Edward Woodward an English actor. Woodward was in his 50s when he starred in the Equalizer so it’s hard to align that look and feel of that character with the one Dawson creates in Milton but perhaps a reader without that connection point could think the kids referred to Milton as an old man simply because he was older than they were. While also trying to move on from being a super spy Milton, it is revealed, is a recovering alcoholic. This adds an element of realistic weakness to Milton but Dawson just scratches the surface of Milton’s struggles. Another potentially rich storyline vein that perhaps will be explored more in other novels in this series. On that note, there are times where it seems that Milton’s character has more flaws then the ones that someone should have based on the experience that Dawson outlines. He is supposed to be a trained assassin. Maybe not quite in the vein of Jason Bourne meaning that he isn’t supposed to be (or at least Dawson doesn’t portray him as) someone who has had their mind completely wiped and turned into a super solider. But still Milton is supposed to be number 1 (meaning the best) of a group of special agents and yet he has no idea anyone is tracking him from Control until one man is dead and his home is broken into without him knowing. He also almost gets killled by an untrained, drugged up wannabe gangster (e.g.: he drops his gun while doing a tuck role behind a sofa?). Maybe Dawson is trying to instill a sense of mortality or humanness. After all not everyone is James Bond or a ninja but again with the buildup that this man was number one in a group of assassins it just seems…off. For an entry novel to a series it intrigued me enough to purchase another book in the Milton series as well as a book from another of his series (Beatrix Rose).

This was a tough one. There is much to like but a couple of the scenes I found personally offensive. The good is the writing. Dawson is a wordsmith, he hits just the right notes, crisp and clean, a joy to read. He's a Brit so at least once a chapter I had to look up a word, but it did not detract from the story; actually, it spiced up the story telling. Our hero (or antihero) is Britain's top secret agent (001?) who wants out after turning sour on a violent career. Unlike 007 this guy is dark, deep, humorless and leads an unhappy life. He's not a likeable guy; you wouldn't want him for a friend. He now wants to lead a quiet life, but, of course, his "special skills" need to be used in the end to set things right in a London ghetto dominated by criminal gangs of teens. One scene in particular so offended me (I found it immoral; it involved the betrayal of a child) that I had to put the book down a while, deciding whether I wanted to finish it. I discussed it with my wife who gave me a different slant on what happened so I did finish the book, and I'm glad I did, though I do wish that particular scene was not there. I may even read the next Milton book, but make no mistake, Mark Dawson is no Ian Fleming.

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

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

Gripping novel.

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

Not what I had in mind, but it was great nonetheless. It’s more of a local Spy thriller, great for fans of Jack Reacher like the cover states!