Persons Unknown (DS Manon, #2) By Susie Steiner

Witty & sarcastic Manon is back in this second book of Susie Steiner's Manon Bradshaw series. In this book Manon is very pregnant so Davy handles the investigation while Manon is relegated to desk duty.

I find it hysterical that Steiner just loves to give her main character, Manon Bradshaw icky physical ailments. In her first book, Missing, Presumed, Manon had an eye infection that became so bad that it actually repulsed me. While most people are fairly vein about their appearance, Manon ignored the problem, refused to see a doctor even though it was nasty to look at and she continued to run around interviewing suspects, witnesses, and interacting with co-workers. This time she's 5 months pregnant but of course she can't just be pregnant, she has to be enormous to the point where she has trouble walking, while compulsively devouring everything in sight. And after she gives birth, Steiner describes Manon's boob when she breast feeds in front of an embarrassed Davy as

bobs downwards like an escaping jellyfish, eddying with blue veins. The nipple is dark and enormous. - so attractive. Her vivid descriptions are enough to put anyone off getting pregnant.

Yes, there is a mystery here, a man is discovered dead in the local park. It turns out that there is a family connection to Manon as the dead man was her sister Ellie's ex & the father of Ellie's young son. Oddly he also knew Manon's adopted son, Fly, without her being aware of it. Things take an alarming turn when Fly is accused of the murder.

Even though Davy actively investigates the murder, it feels like the mystery takes a backseat to Manon's personal problems with her pregnancy & adoptive son Fly. For much of this book Manon is stressed and depressed. Gone was the witty sarcastic humour that had me in stitches in the first book. And even though I only read the first book in this series less than a year ago, i found that i had forgotten quite a bit and unlike other authors, Steiner doesn't re-hash what happened in the past.
All in all, an interesting story, not quite as good as the first book. But worth reading for the growth and continuation of the characters, especially if you plan to read the next book in this series. English I was a huge fan of Missing, Presumed, so was thrilled to see the second in the series was being published. Steiner did a fabulous job in the first book of painting both her characters and the scenes with explicit brush strokes. And she does it here again. “It is almost impossible to stay fixed in not knowing. Instead, she ricochets.” Like before, I was highlighting descriptions left and right. And she doesn't just provide these wonderful details with Manon. Davy, as well. “There's been no one since Chloe...not so much that she put him off all relationships, more that he didn't get back on the horse, and now he's not even in the vicinity of a stable.”
In this book, Manon has moved out of London with her sister, Ellie, and their kids, including Fly, Manon’s adopted 12 year old. He is the only black in is new school and is not fitting in. Before you know it, Fly has been accused of the murder of Jon-Oliver, the father of Ellie’s three year old son. You, the reader, are privy to Jon-Oliver’s background as well as the story from the viewpoint of someone who knows more of what has happened. I'm always entranced by stories where we know more of the story than the detectives. How will it all come together?
This isn't a fast paced story. No swoops or roller coaster rides. But it's a nice steady pace. And as with some of my other favorite mysteries (Louise Penny, Archer Mayor, William Kent Krueger) you're drawn in as much by how you get to know and appreciate the main characters. I can only hope like with my other favorite authors, there are many more Manon Bradshaw mysteries ahead of us.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

English This is such a love story. I can see jaws dropping. Don't get me wrong, it is also a straight-forward police procedural. But still, such a love story. The all-encompassing love of family, in Manon's case her adopted son Fly, her unborn child, her sister, and her ridiculously adorable nephew. There is also the love of one's job and one's co-workers, corrosive self-love, the unexpected romantic love. But where there is love there is usually heartbreaking betrayal. Co-workers just doing their jobs, adopted sons looking for their blood fathers, a mother ripping a child from all he knows, and that same mother wondering why she wanted a child so badly. And the worst betrayal of all... letting someone else bear your sin.

A five months pregnant Manon and Fly have moved to Cambridgshire, Manon's old nick. Manon to cold cases, Fly to an all white school. The only plus for Fly is that aunt and cousin have come too. Manon is wanting to keep Fly away from the negatives of being a black kid in London. Instead he is introduced to the joy of being the only black kid around. The only black kid who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He soon finds himself put under arrest for murder. Arrested by his new mother's closest friends. Manon, of course is exiled from anything to do with the case. But by good friends and her force of will she is soon being supplied with information.

A straight ahead murder investigation. Well plotted. fast moving and exciting.

A few quibbles. I can't say I loved any of the characters. Which is to the good, I guess, because it means Steiner did a great job in making them real. I think if Solly had been my kid, he would have been sitting on the curb with a for sale sign, even though he is only a toddler. Davy did seem to finally grow a pair. While Manon was so irritating at times. Most of the time.

Also the London parts and some of those characters just seemed to show up, without any-as they say in court-foundation. It took a long time for some of the characters to show any affiliation with the rest of the book.

This is a series that should have legs. Very strong legs.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. English I gave Susie Steiner's first DS Manon mystery Missing Presumed an enthusiastic 4 stars and I feel exactly the same about Persons Unknown. Steiner hits all the right chords for me. Manon has moved from London to Cambridgeshire with her adopted son Fly to live with her sister and her son. Manon is also pregnant and supposed to be working on cold cases to keep her work life a bit more quiet. No such luck. The murder of her sister's ex quickly has Manon heavily engaged in an investigation from which she is supposed to keep away. That's the set up, but as with many mysteries I love it's not so much the plot that has me interested as the characters, context and social commentary. Manon is a strong flawed but well intentioned detective. I particularly like her determination mixed in with a good dose of self doubt. The story unfolds from the perspective of a handful of other really interesting characters. And Steiner touches on a few tough topics -- like the challenges Manon faces having adopted a black boy from an tough neighbourhood -- and she doesn't deal with them in a pat way. I choose to disregard what others may see as a flaw in this one, which is that it relies a bit too heavily on a couple of pretty implausible coincidences, giving the sense that Manon's world is populated by a small group of closely intertwined people. And the resolution is odd, but I actually quite liked the sense of imbalance it creates. Now I'm really looking forward to reading the next one in the series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy. English PERSONS UNKNOWN (DS Manon, #2) by Susie Steiner’s is her second crime police procedural novel. I really enjoyed the first novel in this series, Missing, Presumed, (DS Manon, #1), as I was very impressed with the level of literary writing. The novel has also elements of psychological suspense, and is very much character-driven to flush out all the main characters, and allow them to come to life with all their dark humor and wit.

A new crime novel featuring the unforgettable Detective Manon Bradshaw—a man is stabbed in a park near her home and the case threatens those Manon loves the most.

In this book, Detective Manon Bradshaw is five months pregnant and has moved out of London back to Cambridgeshire, with her sister, Ellie, and their kids, including Fly, Manon’s adopted black 12- year old, that she adopted in the previous book. Manon has given up on love and is trying to obtain a more balanced work-life. But she has paid a price as now she just handles col-case files, but this allows her the time to devote to her family-the new baby, and her adopted 12-year-old son Fly Dent. Fly was always getting into the wrong crowd, and needed love and guidance in his life.

Then a wealthy victim, a banker from London is found stabbed close to police HQ. But he was also Manon’s sister Ellie’s ex, and the father of her toddler son. The investigation leads to Fly being accused of the murder of Jon-Oliver, the father of Ellie’s 3-year old son.

Manon finds herself fighting to protect her family and discover the truth.

This novel is steady-paced, slow at the beginning then speeding up midway, with information and clues revealed on a need-to-know basis.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Susie Steiner for an ARC of this novel.
English

A new crime novel featuring the unforgettable Detective Manon Bradshaw—a man is stabbed in a park near her home and the case threatens those Manon loves the most.

Detective Manon Bradshaw is five months pregnant and has officially given up on finding romantic love. Instead, she is in hot-pursuit of work-life balance and parked in a cold case corridor—the price she’s had to pay for a transfer back to Cambridgeshire. This is fine, she tells herself. She can devote herself to bringing up her two children—the new baby, and her adopted 12-year-old son Fly Dent. He needed a fresh start—he was being forever stopped and searched in London by officers who couldn’t see past the color of his skin. Manon feared Fly, increasingly sullen and adolescent, was getting in with the wrong crowd at school, or possibly that he was the wrong crowd. Being there for the children, and home by five, is what Manon tells herself she needs.

Yet when a wealthy victim is found stabbed close to police HQ, she can’t help but sidle in on the briefing: he is a banker from London, worth millions. More dramatically, he was also Manon’s sister Ellie’s ex, and the father of her toddler son. The investigation swirls with greater and greater urgency, and as it begins to circle in on Manon’s home and her family, she finds herself pitted against the former colleagues she once held dear—Davy Walker and Harriet Harper.

Can Manon separate what she feels about the people she loves, from the suspicion hanging over them? Can she interrogate the evidence, just as she would with any other case? And when Manon instructs defence lawyer Mark Talbot to work alongside her, can she refrain from throwing herself at him in a manner unbecoming to a woman at an advanced stage of pregnancy? Manon must fight to find the truth with every fiber of her being. Persons Unknown (DS Manon, #2)

Persons

4 stars

Persons Unknown is book #2 of the DS Manon (pronounced Ma-No with the emphasis on the second syllable) Bradshaw series. Though I liked the first book, Missing Presumed, a bit better, this too was a very enjoyable read.

My main complaint is the slow start. I was expecting a full on police procedural whereas what I got was a tale where the emphasis is on the characters’ struggles. This is not bad, just unexpected. Furthermore, early on, I found myself often irritated with Manon, and especially her work colleague DS Davy Walker. I also noted my interest flagging when I came upon chapters devoted to Birdie and Saskia. I got confused over similar names of several minor characters—Colin, Conley, Conor. Corporate names also led to frequent use of the Search button. These latter issues were flow-busters for me.

By midpoint, however, things picked up considerably, and I found myself engrossed. A number of important themes emerged. At the top are the tragedy of racial profiling and the ugly privilege of the rich white man. Breakdown of family relationships and just what defines a family are also addressed, as is the erosion of human spirit. The police were not seen in the best light in this book. Sloppy police work, easy jumps to false conclusions, and again, racial profiling led the way here.

The highlight for me came in the final chapters when several characters, most prominently Manon and Davy, bare their souls and philosophical insights. I thought this was extremely well done. I also found the overall ending to be realistic, not Hollywoodish as is so often done. As I read this book, my star rating rose progressively from 3 at best to a solid 4. If I could, I would rate the last chapters a stellar 5 stars.

I have Susie Steiner on my author watchlist. I see a ton of potential in her writing and will read her next book with blurb unread, as I do with my stable of go-to/read-all-they-write authors. With the way things ended in Persons Unknown, it is not clear to me that the DS Manon Bradshaw series will continue as it is at a natural stop point. I hope however that we do see Manon again. I want to see where her life and her work go from here.

I wish to thank Net Galley, Random House Books, and Ms. Susie Steiner for an ARC of this novel. The opinions in my review are unbiased and are mine alone.
English Police procedural that crosses boundaries from professional to personal.

Having moved from London to Cambridgeshire to give her 12 year-old adopted son, Fly, a fresh start, DI Manon Bradshaw finds herself in a quandary. While Fly was at risk of going down the wrong path in London, he is certainly not thriving in Cambridgeshire. Making matters even more complicated, Manon is 5 months pregnant. She and Fly live with her sister Ellie, and Ellie’s two-year old son, Solly. When Solly’s father is murdered, Fly becomes the main suspect. Manon must do all that she can to protect her son, even if it means breaking the law. She comes to learn that the person she trusts the most is the one that she can trust the least.

This is a multi layered, slow-burning, intricately plotted mystery. It’s slow in the beginning, but at a certain point there’s a shift and things take off. Having read book one, I was happy to see Manon’s character evolve. She is a character who is intricately flawed and tends to rub those around her in the wrong way (including readers), but I really like her. In this book, she has transformed from grumpy mess into an emotional mess. Her character is much softer and more vulnerable than in the first book. Persons Unknown can be read as a standalone, but it would be a more enjoyable experience if you read book one. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
English Steiner has created a character who is very easy to relate too, she has so many contrasting characteristics to her personality, tough and yet compassionate, fearless except when it come to a certain twelve year old. Fly, a young black male that she adopted in the previous book. Their relationship though is a work in progress. The case in this book will hit very close to Manon's home and heart. A very timely case concerning racial bias and Manon will find out who her friends are, those who are willing to help despite consequences to themselves and their own jobs.

Second book in this series, and though I really didn't want to pick up another series, I am quite taken with this one. Well written, alot of heart and interesting scenarios make for a good read.

ARC from publisher. English 3.75 Stars.
I wanted to love “Persons Unknown” the sequel to Susie Steiner’s “Missing Presumed” as I really liked the first book - unfortunately for me, the mystery was somewhat lackluster and took a long time to build and the story line left me wanting.

Detective Superintendent Manon Bradshaw and is back in Cambridgeshire, with her adopted black, twelve year-old son, Fly Dent. They are now living with her sister Ellie and Ellie’s son Solly, having left London. Fly hates Cambridgeshire. He misses his home in London and he misses his old friends - even if he constantly got into trouble with them. Manon thought Cambridgeshire would be better for him, yet she never asked his opinion before uprooting him. And both having been keeping secrets ever since.

Manon now works on cold cases at the police department, until a successful businessman, Jon-Oliver, who has ties to both Ellie and Solly, is stabbed on the street. Things go from bad to worse when her son Fly, is seen on the CCTV footage, wearing a black hoodie, walking past as Jon Oliver falls to the ground, thus Fly is immediately arrested. Once she is pushed out of the official investigation, Manon works to investigate the case on her own, prove Fly’s innocence and find out what really happened.

The story line is told from multiple viewpoints. That of Manon; DS Davy Walker (the investigating officer, who tries to do his job, while also trying to help his friend, Manon); Birdie (a quickie mart shop owner, who sees a lot and know everyone); and Angel (a young woman who is in need of serious help and is befriended by Birdie).

I had read Susie Steiner’s “Missing Presumed” and had extremely high hopes for this novel. I was excited to find out what happened to Manon and her adopted son Fly Dent. For me however, this story started off extremely slow. The beginning of the novel felt disjointed. The character of Manon wasn’t prominently featured until about halfway through and parts of her storyline weren’t explained until then and I was left wondering, confused by what was happening and was frankly annoyed by her actions and behavior. While I liked the characters of Birdie and Angel, I wasn’t invested in them and had a hard time connecting with the storyline. That said, around the midway point, the mystery picked up and all of the characters’ stories intertwined and from then on, my interest was piqued and I was in it.

All in all I enjoyed the book and am glad it finally got good. I look forward to seeing what else Susie Steiner has in store. Keep em’ coming.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Susie Steiner for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Netgalley and Goodreads on 4/16/17.

**Will be published on Amazon on 7/4/17. English This is the second in the DS Manon Bradshaw series which has seen her and her 12 year old adopted son, Fly Dent, move to Cambridgeshire to live with Manon's estranged sister, Ellie, and her son, Solly. Manon transferred from London to protect Fly, he would have stability and a better future but never actually consulted Fly about this decision. A bullied and unsettled Fly is unhappy and missing his familiar London and his troublesome friends. Furthermore, he is feeling desperately insecure as the 42 year old Manon is pregnant as a result of IVF. Manon is now working cold cases for the police.

Jon-Oliver, a rich London banker, is fatally stabbed, he was Ellie's ex-partner and Solly's father. To Manon's dismay, Fly is captured on CCTV at the scene and has the victim's blood on his trainers. He is arrested and taken into custody despite reservations from the police team. Convinced of Fly's innocence, Manon is excluded from the police team, although DS Davey Walker keeps her informed. Despite battling morning sickness and exhaustion, Manon conducts her own personal investigation to exonerate Fly and uncover the truth behind the killing, aided by Fly's lawyer, Mark Talbot. This leads her to a distressingly close look at her own family where the manipulative Ellie is keeping her own secrets and begs the question whether we ever really know those closest to us. The case leads to dark doings in an opaque banking industry.

This is a dark, tense, character driven police procedural with a gripping narrative, delivered from multiple perspectives. It has an intricate plot that kept me hooked. The complex psychological and authentic characterisation is the greatest strength of this series. Manon feels real, with all the guilt feelings and stresses of a single mother. I particularly loved the lonely and quirky shop keeper, Birdie. Susie Steiner weaves a compelling contemporary social and cultural commentary on issues such as race and family. A great entertaining and absorbing read that I recommend. Thanks to Random House for an ARC. English

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