could not get into this book, very slow and confusing - not sure if this is because I haven't read the first book

An excellent, surprising mystery. Just when you think you have this figured out, BAM!, there's a twist you didn't see coming! Well developed characters, unusual circumstances...this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat right up to the last page.

Persons Unknown by Susie Steiner is the second book in the DS Manon series. This police procedural focuses more on the relationships between the characters and less on police activities.

This book begins with Manon moving her family from London to Cambridgeshire so that her adopted son, who happens to be black, can live without being persecuted by the local police at every turn. Her sister, Ellie and nephew Solly move with her. Manon is now solving cold cases rather than working as a homicide detective.

The transition does not go as smoothly as planned, as Fly, Manon’s son, is not adjusting well to life away from familiar territory and friends. Oh, and surprise, Manon is expecting. I, along with Fly, wonder why this sudden urge to procreate so soon after adopting Fly.

Soon, this is the least of her worries. The victim of a local murder turns out to be none other than Ellie’s ex-husband and Solly’s father. To make matters worse, Fly is the prime suspect. The ensuing story is Manon’s attempt to prove Fly’s innocence and find the true killer.

Several nice twists and a good ending. Solid four stars. I have not read the first book in the series, “Missing, Presumed” but that in no way affected my enjoyment of this one. Several key elements were reiterated so I did not feel like I had been left behind. I look forward to finding out what happens to Manon, Fly, Ellie, Solly and the other characters in future books.

Release Publication Date: July4, 2017
Genre: Mystery, thriller, suspense, crime fiction, noir, detectives
Cover: OK
Source: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!
Rating: 4 stars

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the eARC.
Detective Manon Bradshaw, five months pregnant, has returned to Cambridgeshire from London with her adopted son Fly, staying with her sister Ellie and son Sol. She's working Cold Cases, a step back career wise, but she feels strongly Fly and her need a fresh start. It's unfortunate Fly is unhappy; fitting in as a black youth proves difficult and he misses life in London. When a London financial hot shot is found stabbed to death, the police find tenuous evidence to arrest Fly. He also happens to be Sol's father... Manon, horrified that her fellow officers are working towards putting her son away, investigates on her own and finds a culture of rich men procuring high class call girls for clients, shell companies, drugs and even the murder of an underage girl.
The writing is wonderful; amid the tension there are hilarious one-liners , thoughtful descriptions of the characters, as well as well thought out musings on racism and class.
This is the second book in what I hope is a continuing series. Manon is a very likeable character, her imperfections are appealing and I'd love to read more about her and the family in the future.
The ending is brilliant! Highly recommended.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of PERSONS UNKNOWN in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! Let me preface it by saying I did not read the first book in the series. I will, however be going back and reading it. I was confused by the characters initially, simply because I think they were thrown out quickly, due to this being a second book in the series. After the first 10% of the book, I had caught up with the who's who and I flew through the story, page after page. It had just a small bit of humor, mystery, secrets, and good feels. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and will be following the series as new books are released.

I really enjoyed the first book (Missing, Presumed - my review) in Susie Steiner's new series featuring Cambridgeshire Detective Sergeant Manon Bradshaw. Manon returns in this second book - Persons Unknown.

Manon has relocated from London back to Cambridgeshire and taken a position in Cold Cases. She figures the locale change will be better for her adopted son Fly and the baby she's expecting in five months. Her sister and her young son are living with them as well.

But, old habits die hard. When a businessman dies just steps away from the police station, Manon can't help herself - she sits in on the briefings. Things get real personal when it's discovered that the victim has ties to Manon's family - and that Fly is a suspect. That's just the beginning. Lines are crossed and boundaries broken in so many ways in this latest.

Oh, where to start? I adore Manon. She's dogged, determined, feisty, fierce and loyal. Exactly the person you would want in your corner. Her pregnancy adds a level of difficulty, but also some funny moments on the way to solving this latest mystery. As with Missing, Presumed, there's an excellent. well-plotted mystery at the heart of the book, but Steiner's novels are definitely character driven. And for me, that's why I am enjoying her writing so much. I was glad to see Davy and Harriet (both police officers) return. They too have 'full' personalities and lives. Davy is also given a voice and POV in this book. And I really like the developments and relationships that Steiner has inserted into Manon's life.

I always enjoy British police procedurals - the focus is not on blood or gore, but on the clues, the investigation, and the players. There are many ways things could have played out in Persons Unknown. I had my suspicions about whodunit, but was quite happy to be not completely right.

Persons Unknown was another excellent read from Steiner - and I'm really looking forward to the third book. Absolutely recommended. Read an excerpt of Persons Unknown.

You can connect with Steiner on her website and follow her on Twitter.

Thanks--so many thanks--to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of "Persons Unknown." (And to Ms. Steiner for writing it!)

I literally cannot recommend it highly enough. In the same lane as Kate Atkinson and Tana French, it's a literary thriller/who-done-it, but with such clever humor and some of the most real, flat-out enjoyable characters around. I'm sad to finish because I love these characters so much--especially Manon and Davey--and Birdie!!

You might also want to check out "Missing, Presumed," which is the first book with this delightful cast of characters, but it's not at all necessary. Can't wait for the next one!

Fabulous!! (I rarely--rarely--give 5 star ratings. I loved this book more than it's probably appropriate to love a book!)

Absolutely loved this book. Man on Bradshaw is smart, determined and relatable. I hope there are more books featuring her.

Author Susie Steiner returns with the second DS Manon book, in which our protagonist has returned to her previous station and fellow officers, this time living with her sister, toddler nephew, adopted 12 yr old son and surprise, she is pregnant. In the previous book, she sobbed in restrooms about being lonely and almost 40 yrs old, now she sobs due to hormone fluctuations in pregnancy. There is a 'Bridget Jones' aspect to Manon that cannot be denied, she wallows in her perceived shortcomings. Whether she is over-eating, crying or drinking, she is struggling to cope with life, all while attempting to solve mysteries that in this case are very close to home. Cue the tears. Eventually she settles down and gets to work and amazingly figures things out. The author has created an amazingly believable character, just one you might not necessarily want to work with on a daily basis. She'd definitely be fun in the office though, if you could get her to focus. The book is very good and the solution is surprising. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

We first met Detective Manon Bradshaw in “Missing, Presumed” which is the first book of this series. If you didn’t read the first one, it is okay. This book reads well as a stand-alone.

This time around Manon is five months pregnant and not feeling at all sexy. She is living with her adopted 12-year-old son Fly, her sister Ellie, and her sister’s two-year-old son Solly. Manon moved away from London to a quieter area for a better environment for Fly. But Fly, the only black in his school, is having problems adapting. He has become distant, moody, and argumentative.

One December night, a man is found stabbed to death in a park in Manon’s jurisdiction. Turns out the man is Jon-Oliver, the father of Ellie’s son. While viewing surveillance tapes from the park, Fly is seen walking through the park about the time of the man’s collapse. Manon is furious, and scared, when Fly is taken in for questioning and eventually arrested for the murder. Now, as the evidence against Fly accumulates, Manon is pitted against her co-workers. Amidst all this stress, it seems Manon may have found a love interest in the attorney she enlists to defend Fly.

The story is revealed through varying viewpoints – Manon, her close buddy co-worker Davy, shopkeeper Birdie, and the mysterious “Angel”. Steiner develops the characters slowly but thoroughly. I enjoyed “getting to know” the characters.

The book was slow at first, not much action, and I almost gave up on it. But I am glad I persevered as eventually it definitely heated up. The last quarter of the book is very suspenseful, and the book has a satisfying ending.

I was thrilled to revisit the world of DS Manson once again. It was brilliant to catch up with her and watch her attempts to provide the best life she can for herself and her son Fly and a new baby to come soon.

This author creates such a fabulous world that just sucks you in and has you so invested in her characters. I loved every moment of this book. It was so fast paced, the mystery was one I took forever to figure out, and the angst it all created for Manon and those she loved kept me flipping pages as fast as I could read them.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a beautifully written thriller with characters you come to adore. I enjoyed every moment of it.

I am going to be honest here. Very honest. I have stayed away from reading/reviewing British police mysteries. I didn’t understand how the British police worked. I decided to bite the bullet with Persons Unknown. Instead of getting my toes wet, I jumped in feet first. While I did get a little confused over the back story with Manon and Fly, I enjoyed reading this book.

I will warn everyone that this is a 2nd book the DS Manon series. You need to read Missing, Presumed to understand the back story of Persons Unknown. I didn’t and I felt that I was missing out on a major part of the back story. It was discussed in the book but it wasn’t the same as reading about it in the first book.

The whodunit with John-Oliver was intense. I didn’t believe for a minute that Fly killed him. They were building their case on circumstantial evidence. When it was revealed who killed him and who was involved in it, I was pretty surprised. I did figure out one part of it (when Angel told her story to Birdie). The other part, well that surprised me. I was not expecting the mastermind to be who it was. I felt bad that Fly was caught in the middle of that whole mess.

I was on the fence on how to feel about Manon. I loved that she loved Fly and that she was willing to risk her job to prove his innocence. But at the same time, she seemed like she was never happy. I am wondering if it was because her character was pregnant. We all know how women get when they are in the last trimester of pregnancy. I know I wasn’t a joy to deal with. I also think that her decision to have a child was an impulse.

The end of the book was good. My only complaint is there was so much going on that there was information overload.

My Summary of Persons Unknown: 3 Stars

Person Unknown is a good British police mystery that does keep you on your feet while reading it. The only reason why I didn’t give it a 4-star rating is that I felt that there was information overload in the ending. Other than that, this is a book that I enjoyed reading and I hope that another book is written in the DS Manon series.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sexual situations, violence, and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*2.5*

I'm obviously in the minority here. I didn't think this was a bad book, I just couldn't get into the writing. I think that maybe British crime novels aren't my thing. I bumped this up to 3 stars because of my poor judgement.

Like a few others have already stated, I found Manon to be annoying. Struggling with motherhood and her career, it just seems like she was a little whiny about it throughout the book.

I don't want to be too critical, because again, I don't think British crime is my genre. This was well written and definitely not boring. I just didn't enjoy the writing style. I like my books to start out exciting and for the drama to be prompt. This seemed to take a while to get going.

I really appreciate the opportunity to read this book. I wished for it on NetGalley since it wasn't available for request anymore, and the publisher granted it.

If you like British crime, this book is probably for you.

This author was new to me but I chose to read it as I enjoy the genre. I gave it 3 stars as it took a bit for me to become interested; I didn't connect right away with the characters. As I continued with it, I wanted to know more. It all came together in the end :) I wouldn't mind seeing if the author continues with the main character having more adventures or reading more by this author.

Detective Manon Bradshaw is on desk duty when a wealthy banker dies of stab wounds. Manon becomes frantic when the search for the perpetrator involves her family. Alternating chapters feature the pov of Manon's co-workers.
Good series. 3.5 stars

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2073653030

This is a good police procedural mystery which, like the first one in the series, has humor to lighten up the seriousness of the investigation. It alternates different POVs in each chapter (a resource that's getting a bit out of hand lately as the new literary fashion in my opinion and one that usually gets to my nerves and prevents me to immerse and enjoy the reading in most cases) but it's well done and did not distract me. Also, it was relevant for the plot to flow.

I liked Manon since the first line of book 1 and liked here even more in this book. She is real, holds herself accountable for her mistakes but also tries to learn and improve with each one. She is a growing character and everything about her pleases me as a reader.

The mystery here was well constructed and I enjoyed how each one of the detectives had their share of doubts, mistakes and recognition of their own naive and prejudices. This is how an author engages readers; with characters that we can relate to, who are human and grow.

Fly keeps being this marvellous kid and my heart ached for him in this novel. I sure hope things will get only better for him from now on but we live in this world and we all know how our societies are disgustingly racists and how his life will always reflect that. It's good that books like this exist and bring the subject up to attention in this manner, without trying to minimize it or to somehow show a different reality.

It's hard for a novel to surprise me nowadays, being a mystery reader most of my life, but although the culprit per se wasn't a huge shock I was surprised by one of the characters' actions, which is always a good thing. <spoiler> As much as we knew Manon's sister wasn't an angel I wasn't expecting that degree of betrayal. What a horrible person, to let all that happen to her sister's son (and with the stress on her sister, pregnant). I never liked her but now I actually despise Ellie. </spoiler>

Finally, I was going to give this novel 5 stars till the point where the "Brazilian" character (a minor one only named, never even met by us readers) was mentioned. This is unacceptable...with a team of people revising a book before completion I cannot stay quiet. Juan is NOT a Brazilian name. I am from Brazil and in almost 4 decades, have never, ever met a Brazilian named Juan. It's a name typical of Spanish speaking countries, not Portuguese speaking ones. This is so easy to google it's really shameful to let it go to the final version. The Portuguese version of the name is João. It wouldn't even work in Portuguese, actually because in our language the letter J doesn't sound like it does in Spanish, the name would be pronounced totally differently. So, for the love of anything, can we stop using Spanish names and words for Brazilian characters?? It may sound petty but when you are from there it gets on your nerves eventually. Every single time I read about some Brazilian character in a novel written by an English speaking writer I already brace myself for the Spanish...

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Susie Steiner, and Random House for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Not having read the first in the series, I was a bit reluctant to dive into this one without any back story. The author did a nice job of filling in any gaps I may have had with the characters. I did feel that it took some time to get into the meat and bones of things and although I was engrossed for most of the story, I was left wanting more. Maybe too many characters or maybe just a bit disjointed at some parts. I may give her first one, Missing Presumed, a go,

Manon Bradshaw's life has changed in so many ways. She's left a lot behind. London, high-paced murder investigations, opting instead to work on cold cases. Her personal life is the priority for a change, both her adopted son, Fly, and her unborn child, to think of. Things never stay simple for too long where Manon is concerned though, and a nearby murder is laced with links to her, and those close to her. She faces a fight to protect those she loves, in the face of overwhelming evidence, and is forced to choose where her loyalties lie.

After reading "Missing, Presumed", I was intrigued to see how Manon would shape up as the lead in a series, and she didn't disappoint. She might have taken a step back in career terms, but she's like a lioness protecting her cubs when things go wrong. The writing is top class, and the characters are so real you could reach in and pluck them from the page. Susie Steiner has guaranteed herself a place on my TBR pile for some time to come.

Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Persons Unknown. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Being five months pregnant, as well as an adoptive mother to a twelve year old boy, Detective Manon Bradshaw already has more than she can handle. When a man dies that ends up having ties to Manon's family, a target is placed directly in her world. Being shut out of the investigation by her colleagues, will Manon search on her own for the truth?

Persons Unknown has a good concept, but the parts that usually make a police procedural thriller exciting simply were not there. The characters plodded after the truth, with the ultimate reveal basically just stated matter-of-factly. The layering and building of the main characters, to give them depth, was largely absent and did not help me to forge a connection. This book was a miss for me, as it was unremarkable in a sea of other police procedural thrillers.

This is book 2 in the DS Manon series. Although I liked the first book (Missing, Presumed) better, this was still an enjoyable read. There was more emphasis on the racial profiling of Manan's adopted son, Fly, than on the actual investigation of the crime, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Also, this book seems to put more emphasis on character development. I hope to see more stories in this series!

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.