Customer Reviews

The Cleanup

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sean Doolittle's engine is firing on all pistons in THE CLEANUP, a gritty crime thriller about good cops, bad cops, and the desperate people caught in-between.

When Matt Worth, a disgraced cop, steps in to help a battered young woman at the grocery store where he moonlights, things get ugly really fast. Events quickly steamroll out of control ... there's a corpse that needs disposing .... a missing stack of money ... a local crime ring with more brawn than brains ... and finally a pair of rogue cops with dirty fingers and smoking pistols.

Matt Worth may be a down-and-out loser, but if he doesn't act fast in this situation, he's one dead loser ... and Gwen, the broken bird, will join his fate.

Doolittle's sense of place has served him well in previous books, such as the LA-set DIRT and BURN. Here he's back on his home turf of Nebraska (where RAIN DOGS was set). It's a harsh, cold landscape that serves the story well, filled with dread, blood and just enough hope to keep these underdogs running for the sun.

With the energy of a young Donald Westlake and the hard-bitten but lyrical style of Dutch Leonard, Doolittle's upping the ante big-time here. An excellent, exciting novel from a terrific writer.

What the hell are you waiting for? Buy it. Read it. DIG IT.

Matthew Worth comes from a long line of Omaha cops. Though the well intentioned but hapless Matt is more "Deputy Dawg" than "Hill Street Blues", and finds himself pulling probationary duty patrolling the local supermarket - on the grave shift. Sean Doolittle is no Joseph Wambaugh, either, but he is a writer of serious Midwest noir chops that knows how to turn a phrase and keep pages turning.

So Matt thinks he's done a pretty good job of screwing up his life and his family's rep for protecting and serving - until he meets young Gwen, the grocery store checkout clerk with problems that turn out to be way out of Matt's league. With little motivation beyond male chivalry the making of a compelling plot for Doolittle, Matt jumps in to Gwen's aid and is soon wrapping corpses in carpets and evading thugs from both ends of the plains and on both sides of the law. Doolittle keeps this neat little gem moving along with the help of some interesting characters and enough grit and violence to tarnish the sensibility of the heartland.

This is a fun read, reminiscent of Scott Smiths "A Simple Plan" without as much of the baggage. Or "Fargo" missing the droll fascination of Frances McDormand. Don't think to hard about an unlikely plot and questionable motivation, and you'll likely find Sean Doolittle and "The Cleanup" well crafted crime entertainment.

The Cleanup is an interesting tale about what happens when good intentions go awry and spin out of control. Policeman Matt Worth works the security detail in a local supermarket after being demoted for striking a superior officer. When he develops a crush on the checkout girl only to find out she's in an abusive relationship with a smalltime hood, things go from bad to worse. The book switches perspective from the cops to the crooks and back with aplomb, making the narrative hard to follow at times, but those who stick with it are rewarded with a thoughtful and suspenseful novel.

Sean Doolittle, today's finest writer of Midwestern noir, returns with The Cleanup, another standout effort from this relatively unknown author.

Matt Worth is just an ordinary schlub, an average guy working as a cop in Omaha. He's smart enough, but he doesn't use very good judgment. His rash actions have seen him busted down to the lowest post on the force: guarding an all-night supermarket.

There he meets an attractive woman with an abusive boyfriend. He likes her, but he tries not to get involved. That changes when she calls to tell him that she's just killed her boyfriend and needs help disposing of the body.

Doolittle doesn't get the attention that many of the bigger names in the crime genre do, but he should. His understated novels are real gems, fine examples of timeless crime writing that hold up the rich traditions of the genre while also breaking new ground.

This was my first Doolittle book, but it won't be my last. In this book the author weaves a fast-paced tale with fascinating characters, a compelling plot borne all the way with a sharp whiff of reality. You can smell the gritty police station, the snow and the blood. The plot flows naturally -- no contrived serendipitous plot tricks -- just a good story told most ably. Once you start reading, be prepared to finish it without setting it down. A winner of a book!

With his home town of Omaha as a backdrop, Nebraska author Sean Doolittle paints a gritty, suspenseful portrait in his fourth novel, The Cleanup.

The book follows down-on-his luck cop Matthew Worth. Busted down to patrolling an oft-robbed supermarket, Worth falls for attractive check-out girl, Gwen. When Gwen finds herself in a tight spot, Worth makes a snap decision.

Not so much a "who-done-it," The Cleanup is more of a "will-they-get-away-with-it." As a cop, Worth knows how to cover his tracks, but a lack of time and a lack of sleep lead to several slip-ups. Will they be enough to uncover his malefaction?

Worth dodges dirty cops and helpful neighbors and receives assistance from some unlikely sources.

Doolittle has stated in interviews that Worth is not a series character. All of Doolittle's novels, Dirt, Burn and Rain Dogs as well as The Cleanup are stand-alone novels. It's true, there isn't a "set-up for the sequel" ending to The Cleanup, but Worth is a compelling-enough character that I'd like to see more of him.

A fast moving thriller/mystery that is fast-paced, cleverly written and well plotted. The hero is less fun than the villians and that alone makes it an interesting change of pace. But the way the author keeps you privy to his thinking as he reacts to events makes him a lot more credible than most of his type. Enjoyed it.

He's not reinventing the wheel with this one but Doolittle is a such great writer of the 'Guy-makes-a-bad-decision-because-of-a-dame' noir style that it doesn't matter. The story blazes along and your sympathies with the main character pile on with every bad choice he makes that spins him deeper down the whirlpool.
Damn fine work.

Here's my review system--I score on four categories and average them together for the number of stars. The four categories are: character development (are the characters deep and complex, plot (is it interesting), voice (is the narration smooth and e...more Here's my review system--I score on four categories and average them together for the number of stars. The four categories are: character development (are the characters deep and complex, plot (is it interesting), voice (is the narration smooth and engaging) and cliche level (is it predictable.)

Character development: 5 stars-- Excellent! i really got a sense of the protag and what he was about.

Plot: 5 stars-- Fantastic suspense and twists.

voice: 5 stars-- Fantastic!

cliche level: 5 stars-- A feeling, emotionally deep vulnerable cop--I love it.

I absolutely love this book. it moves fast, doesn't bore you with cliches and really is fresh.

Officer Matt Worth of the Omaha Police Department is at a personal and career nadir. Recently divorced, he's now on a provisional assignment guarding the theft-prone SaveMore supermarket pending a psychological fitness sign-off after having slugged the Homicide detective that stole his wife. But even in that punch-up, satisfaction was muted as the other guy was the better hitter. In any case, Worth's only current job satisfaction is flirting with the pretty check-out girl, Gwen. But Gwen has an abusive boyfriend, Russell T. James, whom she bludgeons to death with a bedside table lamp while he sleeps after giving her a particularly nasty beating. With no one to turn to but Matt, she shows him her bruises at the hospital ER then the body back at the apartment. Sympathizing with her predicament, Worth decides not to make an arrest but rather to permanently eradicate Russell's corpse and live at let live. It seemed like the right and gentlemanly thing to do at the time.

What Worth doesn't know is that James was employed as a narcotics and drug money courier by Eddie Tice, owner of Tice Is Nice Quality Used and Discount Furniture, who also has two local plain clothes cops on the take. That, and the $260 K gone missing with Russell, makes for an escalating set of complications for the chivalrous Worth.

Worth, who's a perfectly average shmoe both in his personal and professional life, riding a bad situation into a disaster exemplifies one of my personal favorite adages, which is that No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. If you insist on acting out of the goodness of your heart, either do it with complete anonymity or be prepared for an unacceptable gain/loss ratio.

If life imitates art, or vice versa, then THE CLEANUP, a delightfully entertaining piece of unpretentious lit noir, certainly illustrates the Law of Unintended Consequences. Moreover, it's a conveniently quick read, after which you can go back to saving the world.