Paul Cleave

Cleave has become my new favorite author. I love the rough-hewn characters and in-your-face style he presents his readers with. I have devoured all his novels featuring Detective Theodore Tate and so was a little disappointed that “The Cleaner” is a stand-alone novel not featuring Tate. The disappointment lasted all of three chapters and by page forty six, I was so overcome by the pure evil of Joe the killer, the Christchurch Carver, I was tempted to look at the last page to be sure he show more is finally caught. Luckily I didn’t and found myself spending the whole day entranced in this enthralling story.
Originally released in Cleave’s native New Zealand in 2006, “The Cleaner” was just released in the States. Having orchestrated himself into the police department as simple and slow Joe the janitor, he is able to watch closely over the hunt for what the media have christened The Christchurch Carver. He knows the cops are nowhere close to discovering that he is responsible for the six bodies lying on a slab in the morgue. It is when a seventh is added, a copycat killing, that Joe wanders off course, becoming determined to discover who the killer is.
Between dealing with a busybody of a mother, the infringement of the interest from Sally—a fellow employee at the department who is determined to watch out for Joe as he reminds her of the retarded brother she lost—and a mystery lady who is besotted with police officers, Joe is finally undone by one of the women in his life who accidently stumbles over a simple clue and rats him out. If only he stayed the course and not forgotten he was just simple Joe, he would have become a classic cold case file destined to never be solved, but best laid plans are often overturned by someone else’s interference.
Another gritty storyline exposing the dark city life of Christchurch ensuring all the cities inhabitants stay locked behind closed doors at night, or like me, be kept up all night reading Paul Cleave. show less

New Zealand author Paul Cleave specializes in intense and violent thrillers set in the Christchurch area. The Laughterhouse is his 6th book in the Christchurch Murders series and the third one to feature Theo Tate, a disgraced police detective who has been struggling along as a private investigator. In this outing Theo has a chance to be reinstated to the police force as he assists his friend, Detective Carl Schroder in hunting down Caleb Cole, a spree killer who is intent on punishing show more everyone who he holds responsible for the death of his small daughter, and the suicide of his wife fifteen years ago. He has been in jail for the last fifteen years for the killing of the man who brutally killed his daughter, but now his revenge is turned upon jurors, lawyers, and witnesses.

Cole kidnaps a psychiatrist who testified that the killer could be cured of his obsession with young girls. Along with him, he also took the doctors three young daughters vowing to kill the children in front of their father. This tense story actually follows a number of narratives, one of which is Theo’s backstory which includes the loss of his daughter and a wife in a coma. As the police tear around Christchurch in an effort to locate Cole and rescue the children, the lack of sleep and rising tension has everyone near to collapse.

As with all his books, I found The Laughterhouse to be a total page-turner. It is gripping and heart-wrenching with characters that, even as they act in horrifying ways, are somewhat sympathetic. Theo is fighting his own demons and injuries and the ending of the book leaves a number of questions that I am hoping further books will answer. This is a great series, but not for the faint hearted as it can be very bloody and dark. show less

Paul Cleave’s newest book, Trust No One, departs from his usual cast of characters seen in the Theodore Tate and Cleaner series. Instead, this story focuses on a man by the name of Jerry Grey. Grey, also known by his pen name, Harry Cutter, has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease leaving his writing career up in the air. As his mind begins to fail him, Jerry begins to write a “Madness Journal”, in which he tells his future self those important things to remember. But, show more can present day Jerry trust the journal's entries? Being a crime writer Grey has written about many disturbing scenes but the lines start to blur between what is fact and what is fiction. As Grey states "Write what you know and fake the rest." Is Grey capable of committing the crimes in which he is accused or is someone taking advantage of his illness? Trust No One switches between present day Jerry, in a nursing home, and the Jerry who has just been diagnosed with the Big A.

Trust No One has a refreshing original plot that keeps the reader guessing right up until the last pages. I thoroughly enjoyed Cleave's latest book. Having an unreliable narrator made the book stand out in comparison to all the others I have read this year. Every time I thought I had "it" figured out I was duped again and again. While this is different from his other books, Cleave definitely delivers. I recommend picking up this gripping thriller and figuring out for yourself whom to trust.

~ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review show less

Joe, the eponymous cleaner, has a janitorial job in the Christchurch police station. He is thought to be mildly retarded, or at least a bit slow. Beyond his job, he dearly loves his pet goldfish.
Unbeknownst to the cops, Joe has an inordinate interest in their investigation into the Christchurch Carver, a serial killer currently terrorizing the city. Joe is copying bits and pieces of the file as he gets the opportunity, and he has also been able to bug the investigation room. Because Joe show more spends his free time murdering young women, and it is he who is the Christchurch Carver. However, Joe knows, and the police do not, that one of the victims attributed to the Christchurch Carver was in fact murdered by a copycat killer. And Joe want to find out who the copycat is, and frame him for all the murders.
This was a very clever crime novel, and I highly recommend it. I immediately borrowed its sequel, Joe Victim, from the library, but did not find it as engaging and did not finish it show less