The Deceived
"The book gathers pace at breakneck speed and it includes a number of unforeseeable twists that will leave you in a whirl."
Synopsis:
As a freelance “cleaner” it is Jonathan Quinn's job to make bodies disappear. As an ex-CIA agent he works on behalf of a little known U.S Government intelligence agency. When he is called in to clean up after an incident he initially believes it is going to be a straightforward job. However, this is not the case.
When he arrives at the busy Los Angeles port he realises that one of his main rules (that no one or nothing should be traced back to him) has been contravened. Enclosed inside the crate that has just arrived from the sea is the body of a dead man. The body he is asked to make disappear is that of an old CIA friend, Steven Markoff - someone who once saved his life. In order to find out who murdered his friend Quinn becomes personally involved thus violating one of his own rules of not becoming personally or emotionally involved. Determined to find his friend's murderer Quinn, along with the rest of his team, finds that Markoff's girlfriend Jenny Fuentes must be traced, knowing that she is not only unaware of his death but has also gone missing herself.
The search for Fuentes takes them from Los Angeles to Houston and on to the corridors of power in Washington D.C. and then to Singapore. It takes all his skill along with the help of his friends and a former underworld contact to help discover the plot's villainous mastermind and for him to clear up the mystery of his friend's death.
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Review:
This is the second novel by Brett Battles and a very strong sequel to his début novel, The Cleaner. Readers will welcome return of the rather unorthodox and somewhat ruthless character, Jonathan Quinn. While he is determined, skilful and at times devious he is not without an element of compassion and this is seen by the fact that Quinn finds himself doing a lot of soul -searching as he tracks down who killed his friend. The Deceived is a tale centred on who you can you trust. Realistic, engrossing and action-packed Battles characterisation is good and the interplay between the various characters ensures that there is plenty of snappy dialogue that will keep you captived. Battles is also very good at setting the scene and making the setting part of the story itself. The book gathers pace at breakneck speed and it includes a number of unforeseeable twists that will leave you in a whirl. The non-stop action can be at times overwhelming. The strength of this novel is the action and the suspense that will leave you clamouring for more. It is the urgency and momentum of the story that makes it such a page-turner. This is a novel that will be warmly welcomed into the annals of political thrillers. Jonathan Quinn may be a “cleaner” but he never leaves a mess behind.