The Silenced

January 17, 2011
Battles's perfunctory fourth thriller (after Shadow of Betrayal) falls short of the standard set by the first two entries in his series featuring operative Jonathan Quinn, who specializes in disposing of dead bodies and cleaning crime scenes so as to leave no evidence behind. Given his high personal standards and a conscience, Quinn works only for those he considers good guys, usually the darker departments of the U.S. government. When David Wills, a client based in London, gives Quinn and his team a series of jobs that requires them to clean up after assassinations, Quinn finds himself dealing with not only the requisite bodies but also another team of unknown origin that's bent on stopping the assassinations. As the jobs continue, Quinn begins to doubt Wills's motives. Hopefully, next time out Quinn will have a more exciting plot to tidy up after.

Jonathan Quinn is choosy about whom he will work for. He's the consummate "cleaner," the head of a team called in to quietly dispose of bodies and clean up a crime scene after someone has been eliminated. When Quinn's family members are threatened to force his cooperation in taking on a job, the body count begins, and Quinn convincingly demonstrates why he's the best at what he does. Scott Brick's deep, rich voice and deliberate pacing create the perfect tone for this thriller. Well acted, well paced, and filled with mystery--this is an enjoyable and suspenseful listen. A.C.P. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine