CLEAN

A Conspiracy Thriller

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Pub Date 11 Jul 2019 | Archive Date 14 Jan 2020
Tom Lytes | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles

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Description

When police officer Peggy Whitfield receives a series of social media messages instructing her to commit murder, she is plunged into a nightmare from which there seems to be no escape. If she doesn't obey the mysterious messenger, she herself could be killed. But if she does as she's told, she'll kill her estranged brother. As the bodies pile up, Peggy will have to look closely at her past relationships and work with her kind-of-honest, kind-of-boyfriend in the FBI. But can they contain CLEAN before no one is safe?

Today's headlines are dominated by addictive iPhones, computers taking over our homes and finances, the invasion of privacy, and shadowy figures influencing our every move from afar. Clean tackles head-on one of current society's biggest fears: what happens when we use a computer to make decisions, and the computer starts making decisions by itself?

When police officer Peggy Whitfield receives a series of social media messages instructing her to commit murder, she is plunged into a nightmare from which there seems to be no escape. If she doesn't...


A Note From the Publisher

paperback ISBN: 9781543968231

paperback ISBN: 9781543968231


Advance Praise

"Engaging..." -- Publishers Weekly, The BookLife Prize

"Engaging..." -- Publishers Weekly, The BookLife Prize


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781543968248
PRICE $2.99 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

Send to Kindle (EPUB)

Average rating from 26 members


Featured Reviews

This book was very well written. Nice and easy to read and flowed well. Had me on the edge of my seat. Wondering which way it was going to go. Great mystery can’t beat it.

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I love when authors use things that could happen in real-life, the book is really well done and a suspenseful read. It really made a great mystery.

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I am looking forward to the rest of the series. This gave me some Black Mirror vibes, in the best way possible. I got hung up on some of the slower parts, but the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading to see what would happen.

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Imagine a computer program designed to weed out of society those who are deemed unfit and/or unworthy? The program is called CLEAN and once you encounter it online you are never free of it. It tracks your activity and coldly evaluates...and eliminates.

Leonard runs CLEAN and he uses Snapchat to coerce others in the community, such as our protagonist, police officer Peggy Whitfield, to carry out the executions. He threatens everything she cares about until ultimately she cares about nothing, and he still has his grips in her.

Lytes pulls off the near impossible in introducing a large slew characters early in the book but organizing them in such a way that the reader can always remember who they are and keep them straight. It is also clear that he has lived with these folks for some time. He knows them and writes them well; his characterizations are outstanding.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller!

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Leonard was not a sociable person. However, he knew computers. (Maybe too well). He devised a program called CLEAN wherein anyone the computer comes to know online, they are never free of CLEAN, again. These people will be slated to die in various ways. Yet, CLEAN will be behind these deaths.

Of course, computers are only as good as what goes into them. Also, WHO is putting information into them. When lives depend on this kind of information, once the act is carried out - there are no "do-overs".

Leonard is the genius behind CLEAN and has been solid about no one ever using the program except himself. What people input on THEIR computers feeds into Leonard's. If a combination/set of words does not sound harmful, Leonard catches it and alters the program. We hope.

An exciting, yet somewhat lengthy, look into what the internet can/will be able to do in a futuristic/sci-fi way. The characters are great! The plotline does waver a bit but the premise is quite good. (I did detect a bit of dry humor in there, as well).

Not a bad book - Suspense/Thriller/SciFi

Many Thanks to IBPA, Tom Lytes and NetGalley for a good read!

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CLEAN is a computer programme. Who decides it people should live or die. If they have been naughty then they will go on the naughty list and the CLEAN programme will kill them. No-one would know that a computer is behind it because it will use real life scenarios for example car crash, poisoning etc.

But someone has found it out that they can manipulate CLEAN for their own benefit - can CLEAN be stopped before it is too late and too many people are killed?

From reading the blurb the book was not what I was expecting. At times it was hard to grasp the plot and the book rambled on at times. The book was long and drawn out.

Despite this I had to finish the book, something in the plot/characters made me intrigued of what was going and I was curious to know what would happen. The characters are well defined, and when you think about the plot it is a good, unique, storyline.

I have given this book 4 stars as it is a good story line, it is written well - it just drones on for too long. However I did really enjoy this book.

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Decent read. It was fast paced and exciting. Something so everyday, social media and it's attraction and ability to be included in every single part of your life makes this story all the more real. Though it is fiction, readers can see things like this actually happening and that draws you into the story more. Would most definitely recommend.

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The characters are well developed with a storyline that flows from the pages. It had all the elements of a great cyber thriller story.

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What if? Imagine a world where computers can control lives...This was a very well written thriller.
Many thanks to IBPA, the author, and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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