Clean Break is another addition to the Kate Brannigan series by Val McDermid which was originally published in 1995. Bill Mortensen has gone away and has left Kate Brannigan in charge of the agency for a couple of months. When Henry Naismith calls Kate to inform her that his Monet has been stolen, Kate is in ‘bits’. She and Mortensen had installed the security system on Naismith’s art collection at his country manor, Birchfield Place. Like many other country estates, it was open to the public, and the Monet was the biggest draw of all. At the same time Brannigan gains a commercial client who is rather paranoid, he is the managing director of Kerrchern which makes cleaning products. Recently its bestselling product KerrSter, a universal cleaning product had killed a publican in Stockport. Cyanide had killed the publican when he opened the KerrSter. Naismith had been on the end of a blackmailing attempt. Kate Brannigan takes on both case, and one of the cases would have her cross Europe. This would mean mixing with the mafia, drugs and a dead body. While the other case would take her along the M62 to Warrington. Both cases would bring her into contact with the Police. She would once again be annoying detective inspector Cliff Jackson, the one person who would love to put her in a cell. Just another brilliant thriller.