Make Me Clean was the first Tina Baker’s book for me and I found it rather unremarkable. The pace was quite slow and the characters had no depth. It was a quick and easy read though and I finished it.

Thankyou to Netgalley, the publisher and Tina Baker for allowing me to read this ARC.
This book has an original plot which i really enjoyed.
I also really love Dark humour and this has lots of it.
This story has lots of twists and turns that you don't expect.
I highly recommend this page turner of a book.
This is my first title by this author and will be reading more from her.
Thanks again!
5/5 stars

This is a real return to form for Tina Baker. Her whipsmart writing combined with true emotional strength in her characters meant this was a truly compelling read for me. I love how Baker manages to plot perfectly while creating empathetic characters with cutting dark humour.

Oh I really wanted to enjoy this book because I liked the idea of it being darkly funny but I just couldn't get into it. I guess that I should just stick to the usual murder mystery books.

Thank you for the advance copy

Maria is a cleaner, she's close to some of her clients - Elsie an older woman with dementia and Brian, on sick leave due to a bullying manager at work. Maria is a diligent and hard working employee who doesn't hesitate to clean up her client's lives by getting involved in murder. Maria's life in the present is interspersed with flashbacks to her life with her controlling husband as we learn how she first committed murder.
This is the first book I've read by the author and I really didn't know what to expect from the synopsis. It's a dark and original novel, a slow burn but once I became immersed in it I found it to be a compelling read. Maria is a likeable character and you can understand her motivation even if you don't agree with her actions. All the characters are brilliantly drawn as is the London Maria inhabits. A really enjoyable read that I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Make Me Clean features Maria, a cleaner who keeps herself very much to herself, with the exception of Elsie, an elderly lady she cleans for, as well as caring for much of the time.

Through flashback sequences, we learn more about Maria's past, which explains why she has isolated herself so much from normal life in the present day. Maria is fantastic at cleaning up mess, but some stains are more stubborn than others.....

Tina Baker is now an automatic must-read author for me. She has a gift for bringing out the noir in domestic situations and creating characters for which we can feel genuine empathy.

An easy five stars!

Thanks to the author, Viper Books, Pigeonhole and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

📖BOOK REVIEW📖
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#MakeMeClean by #TinaBaker

⏩synopsis

This book really wasn’t what I expected.

It started off a bit directionless with questions of what’s this all about? and should I continue? But soon you’re completely absorbed absorbed in Maria’s story, past and present.

What follows is a story with a complete juxtaposition of Maria the carer of Elsie and Maria the cleaner/killer. Dispute Maria’s extra activities, I did find her a likeable, reliable and believable character, finding it easy to go with her on her journey. Although the time lines shifted around quite a bit I did find it easy to follow and enjoyed the short snippy chapters.

So the ending, for me, was a bit disappointing. I felt it ended just as the plot was really heating up - I wanted so much more. I suppose what I’m saying is I really hope there is book two as I feel like I didn’t complete satisfactorily.

With thanks to the author, @netgalley and #viperbooks for allowing us to read this one early (sorry the post is late!)

OUT NOW!

-EMILY

@the_book_girls_1

All hail queen Tina who is back with an absolutely amazing masterpiece. I am in awe of Tina, every book just gets better and better. I do love February which brings a new Baker read.

Maria is a cleaner, only not a conventional cleaner. As a character, on the whole I’ve liked her. She has been interesting and the journey through this book with her has made for delightful reading.

This is, as expected dark but also filled with moments that will have you laughing out load. There are plenty of twists thrown in to keep you guessing as well.

Baker writes wonderfully, it’s easy to become lost in the pages and feel as though you are watching each event play out.

Make Me Clean is an easy to read book which is a must for all book lovers. Maria is a character that will stay with you. Her and Elsie are a brilliant pair and I’ve enjoyed reading the interaction between the pair.

This is refreshing, addictive, entertaining and utterly brilliant. The queen has returned with a must read! I’ve read all Tina’s books and this one might possibly be my favourite (though I still love Mammy) ❤️

There is nothing negative I can say about this book. It’s bloody brilliant!!! Tina is fantastic! Make Me Clean is definitely a must read that I cannot recommend enough.

The best of Tina's book yet! I've been reading her books since the first one came out and I'll continue to do so with everything that Tina will write in the future as the quality of her work is amazing. Always creepy, entertaining and gripping stories!

Make Me Clean is about Maria who just keeps killing people who are awful to her and people she cares about. She doesn't really do that on purpose, it just happens to her! Maria is also "cleaning" people's lives. Her clients trust her and confide in her. She's doing her best to help, even if this help happens to be deadly sometimes... And she's really good at cleaning the crime scene and hiding the bodies!
I really enjoyed Maria's customers stories, because they were all so different to each other and somehow fit perfectly to what she's been dealing with.

The book has two timelines and we're learning about Maria's past as well as her presence. It's quite a powerful story when you look at what she's been through and how it impacted her personality.

Another brilliant creation, I can't wait to see what Tina writes next!

This is one of the most original book I read in some time: there's dark humour, there's a cast of very likeable or hateful characters, there's a lot of twists, and there''s Maria who can clean your house or your life.
The author is an excellent storyteller and delivers this rollercoaster of a page turner.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Have you ever been so frustrated with someone that you thought to yourself, “I could just kill them?” Well, Maria had the same thought. In the book Make Me Clean by Tina Baker, we follow Maria as she navigates through her job as a cleaner for some unique characters, each of which has some issues. If you’re looking for an entertaining read full of mystery and irony, then this is the book for you!

The main character, Maria, is an ordinary woman who just happens to be really good at cleaning. She has two jobs: one job cleaning houses and one job cleaning up her clients' lives. Her clients are all unique characters with their own stories. Elsie is the funny old bird with the terrible husband who’s losing her marbles. Brian is the sweet man who has been stuck in a loop of bad luck thanks to his terrible boss. Mr Balogan is a mysterious individual with terrible neighbours. Each person faces their own struggles and has hired Maria to help them clean up their lives—literally and metaphorically speaking.

Maria soon finds herself in over her head as she navigates through these people’s lives and secrets. As it turns out, all of her clients might have had something done to them by someone—and that someone may be Maria herself! As she attempts to clean away more than just dirt from her clients’ homes, she discovers that murder can't be washed out—only swept under the carpet and crossed your fingers no one notices it too closely! The story follows how each of these characters deal with their newfound knowledge or lack thereof while still trying to keep up with their daily lives despite what they know (or don’t know).

I loved all of the characters that Maria loves, the ones she ‘cleans up’ are terrible people! I liked the classic good girl gone bad but for the greater good type theme that runs through the book. Maria may have a few issues and a distinct way of dealing with them but she has a full and honourable heart. There was good variation in her killing and the lives of those around her. The love and care she showed for her biggest client, Elsie is so heartwarming and pure. She doesn’t want anything from her but her love and company, basking in her role where she has almost become a surrogate daughter.

Mr Balogan is also brilliantly portrayed, dark and brooding, he feels so mysterious and Maria is so drawn to him and he seems to her as well but I was left a little unsure at the end whether they would be romantically involved, though they would make the perfect couple.

Tina Baker does an excellent job at creating suspenseful yet humorous scenes throughout the novel. Every chapter has something new for readers to uncover about each character as well as about Maria herself - making it hard to put down once started! Since most of us can relate on some level or another with having had our share of difficult bosses or terrible neighbours, there is something relatable about this story that makes it even more enjoyable!

The writing itself flowed beautifully and what could have been a dark and dismal story was light and humorous, even so far as being uplifting in some ways…strange for such a plot yet I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I loved the drip feed throughout about her murdering the man she loved, I couldn’t wait to find out how and why.

Make Me Clean isn’t your usual kind of murder mystery or thriller. There isn’t a darkness about it so it may not suit all, it’s more about a loving, caring character who hates to see injustice and decides to take things into her own hands on a whim, we see why as we are taken through her flashbacks and dreams where we find her past and earlier life.

This book was an absolute delight to read! It was easy-going and entertaining while still having enough mystery sprinkled throughout each page that kept me invested until I reached the end. If you want something fun but also stimulating, then give this book a chance; I highly recommend it! This mix of murder mystery with slice-of-life comedy will not disappoint any reader looking for something light-hearted yet intriguing!

A thrilling and darkly humorous tale follows cleaner Maria as she efficiently mops and polishes after killing for her unsuspecting clients.

I read Tina Baker’s debut novel Call Me Mummy last year and although I still have to read the follow up Nasty Little Cuts there was something about the title Make Me Clean that intrigued me as it could have so many different meanings that I had to read it next.
Maria works for a cleaning service, the work is relentless and does not pay much but she still takes pride in what she does. One of her clients is Elsie, a woman in her 80’s who is starting to suffer the effects of dementia. Maria definitely has a soft spot for her, often rearranging her shifts to help Elsie’s nephew Del with her care.
We are introduced to Maria and Elsie quite dramatically with Maria burying the body of what turns out to be Elsie’s estranged husband Nick in the back garden in the dead of night. What we don’t know for a while is why and who was responsible for his death. The only thing we are certain of is that Maria is clearly wracked with guilt and she spends a lot of her time trying to ensure that Elsie does not remember or reveal anything to anyone during one of her “episodes”.
During the book we also meet two of Maria’s other clients. Brian who works mainly from home so that he can avoid confrontations with his bully of a boss and Balogan who has moved to the UK from Sweden and works nights running nightclubs although you get the feeling this is not all that he does. Both clients treat her well and not just as the hired help so you get the feeling she puts in that little bit more effort for them.
With the chapters going between Maria’s past and present we get to see how she ended up where she did and why she acts the way she does. Her past is not an easy one and it has made her independent, feisty and someone who does not trust easily. Although you would be hard pushed to condone some of her actions I still found that I liked her. Her affection for Elsie is genuine and she cares for her as if she was family and often better than her actual family do. I also loved Elsie and at times like Maria I was never sure if some of her actions were due to her illness or just out of a sense of devilment to wind people up that she didn’t like.
This book was not what I thought it would be… it was so much better, I love how Tina Baker’s mind works and how she twists things just that little bit further. The only thing I will say is that a) I am never getting a cleaner and b) I will continue to be nice to the ones we have at work…. After all you just never know

I liked this story
It was an Easy read with some really funny dark humor. A dark story but with a great main character xx

⭐️ 4.5 ⭐️
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I love Tina Baker’s individual writing style and thoroughly enjoyed reading Make Me Clean.

Well-written, featuring a solid cast of characters. I could easily picture Maria and her supporting cast and was pulled into their story from the very beginning. I loved Elsie with her huge personality and the wonderful friendship she shared with Maria.

Maria made a hugely likeable anti-heroine — even though some of her actions were (extremely) questionable, I still rooted for her and hoped everything would turn out well for her.

Make Me Clean is an engaging story, it’s filled with witty, dark humour in Baker’s quirky, trademark style.

I loved it!

I LOVED this book!!! This is now my favourite from Tina Baker!
Hilariously funny at times with moments of sadness woven through the story. And of course CATS!
A must-read!

Maria is good at cleaning......maybe too good! Is death following her around or is it just darn bad luck but can anybody be that unlucky?! All she wants to do is her job and look after Elsie who is the closest thing to family to her but the universe is doing its utmost best to test her patience!

I love Tina's style of writing as well as her humor!

Thank you to Netgalley and Vipe/Profile books for this treat!

‘Maria is a good woman and a good cleaner. She cleans for Elsie, the funny old bird who's losing her marbles, with the terrible husband. She cleans for Brian, the sweet man with the terrible boss. She cleans for the mysterious Mr Balogan, with the terrible neighbours’ 


Thought this was an enjoyable, fast paced thriller with lots of dark humour and some great characters (especially the feisty Elsie).

Particularly liked learning about Maria’s backstory and discovering how she came to be in her current situation, also an interesting ending which made me think there could well be a follow up?

This is the third of Tina’s books and I have loved them all, she has such a great eye and ear for characterisation and plot development, each person feels utterly real, I can completely visualise them. Her stories have a black humour to them, in a ‘if you didn’t laugh, you’d cry’ kind of way, which is a relief after some grittier books that I’ve read.

In Make Me Clean, Maria is a cleaner with plenty of her own hidden secrets that she wants to keep hidden in the shadows. Her back story comes out in pieces throughout the story, flashbacks to her life before, when she was in love with Joby. We don’t know what’s happened to him yet, but it’s coming. What we do know is that Maria is fiercely loyal to those who she cares for, the book opens with her disposing of a body after all. But her actions come from a good place (even when it involves dead bodies!) and if she’s on your side, she’s there for good.
The book is a real page turner, and the story rushed by, I didn’t want to stop reading for a second. Highly recommended to those looking for a quirky crime thriller with a difference / and keep an eye on Tina’s social media, she’s hilarious! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was once again such a brilliantly written book by Tina! She set high standards with both her previous two books Call Me Mummy and Nasty Little Cuts, and this lived up to the same standard.

The characters were really well written. I loved Maria and Elsie! The story was very well written as was the author's use of dark humour. Having read her previous books, Tina really does that well.

If you haven't read any of the author's books, then I would really urge you to read them! They, in my opinion, are THAT good!

Thank you to, Tina, NetGalley, and publishers Viper Books for the chance to read this book.

• 3.5 rounded up to 4 *

Maria is a good woman and a good cleaner. She cleans for Elsie, the funny old bird who's losing her marbles, with the terrible husband. She cleans for Brian, the sweet man with the terrible boss. She cleans for the mysterious Mr Balogan, with the terrible neighbours.
She didn't set out to kill anyone, of course, but her clients have hired her to clean up their lives, and she takes her job seriously - not to mention how much happier they all are now. The trouble is, murder can't be washed out. You can only sweep it under the carpet, and pray no one looks too closely...

If you’re looking for a humorous, dark, witty and twisty thriller, this is it!

Initially a slow burn, but picks up pace as we are swept (see what I did there) along with Maria, who through all her faults you can’t help but feel for and champion. I loved the relationship Maria had with Elsie, it was endearing, and one of my favourite parts of the storyline.

Tina certainly knows how to write complex characters with depth. The plot had lots twists, high tension and drama that propels you forward.

Overall, its a highly entertaining and unique thriller. If you liked The Maid by Nita Prose, you’ll love this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reading copy.