The Cleanup by John Skipp & Craig Spector

His name is Bily Rowe. Yesterday, he was just another tragically talented loser that the city had chewed up and spat back down on the streets - a failed musician, failed lover, failed friend. But that was before a young woman was brutally murdered before his eyes. That was before the hideous creatures crawled out of the shadows to call him by name. That was before the “angel” gave Rowe power. That was before Billy Rowe discovered his mission....

The Cleanup.

Billy Rowe is cleaning up the streets. Now, you have nothing left to fear. Nothing but Billy Rowe.

I found the book to be sort of weird, but weird in a good way. Maybe. Billy Rowe is just sympathetic enough that I did care what happened to him, but he’s about the only character who’s clearly drawn. The rest are sort of background figures: the girlfriend, the roommates, the competition.

I did figure out who Christopher was early on; it’s a fairly common trope. But I wasn’t too crazy about the almost constant violence. Going by reviews, and the description of “splatter punk,” it’s how the authors’ commonly write. Actually, it appears that this was one of their more mild of fare.

The ending was different; sort of odd. It definitely came out of left field. And what was the reader supposed to do with it? I was left scratching my head.

I doubt I’ll be reading any of their other books.


( TBR Book Links 1-50 )

51. The City Where We Once Lived by Eric Barnes
52. The Cleanup by John Skipp & Craig Spector









Orange, Red or Brown Cover - The Cleanup by John Skipp and Craig Spector




I Read Horror Year-Round List

*Winter Theme, or winter appearance on the cover (snow, ice, etc.) - Ararat by Christopher Golden

*Ghosts or spirits - The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

*Psychological:
1. The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
2. The Hiding Place by C. J. Tudor

*Monster or Monsters:
1. Snowblind by Christopher Golden

*A body of water (featured in story, on cover, or in title) - Duma Key by Stephen King

*Really scary book cover - The Breach by M.T. Hill

*Woman on cover - Later by Stephen King

*Written by a woman:
1. The Mummy (Ramses the Damned #1) by Anne Rice
2. The Burning Girls by C. J. Tudor

*Written by a best-selling horror author:
1. If It Bleeds by Stephen King
2. The Shining by Stephen King
3. The Cleanup by John Skipp and Craig Spector

*Written by an indie author - Echoes of Home by M.L. Rayner

*Historical horror (must be an historical novel written by a contemporary author) - Last Train From Perdition by Robert McCammon

*Folk horror - Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon