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Persons Unknown

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Persons Unknown

By: Susie Steiner
Narrated by: Juanita McMahon
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Summary

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A brutal murder. A detective with no one left to trust.

‘[Steiner] solidified the promise of last year’s debut, Missing, Presumed, with another hyper-realistic police procedural’ Guardian: Books of the Year 2017

A YOUNG MAN MURDERED
A city banker bleeds to death yards from a Cambridgeshire police headquarters.

A DETECTIVE OUT OF HER DEPTH
DI Manon Bradshaw’s world is turned upside down when the victim turns out to be closer to her than she could have guessed.

WHO SHOULD SHE BELIEVE?
When even her trusted colleagues turn their backs on her, it’s time to contemplate the unthinkable: are those she holds dear capable of murder?

Manon Bradshaw is back.

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'Steiner has a quirky, evocative prose style that is often very funny and her novels are highly entertaining and full of memorable, well-rounded characters' Sunday Express

'Bradshaw is an engaging heroine, full of self-doubt and contradiction, but whose caustic wit gleams through the grim murder inquiry' Daily Mail

'Winning prose, sympathetic characters and an appreciation of life’s joys as keen as a knowledge of its dangers' Wall Street Journal

‘An ingeniously and extravagantly plotted, multi-voiced thrillride … wise and witty … beautifully written’ Irish Times

‘I loved it … Persons Unknown is like walking on quicksand, for reader and detective alike' Val McDermid

'A smart and funny rumination on motherhood' New York Times

'Strikingly modern…It is refreshing to see a detective grappling with real life dilemmas but they never get in the way of the plot, which is clever and original. A series to watch from a confident writer who draws even minor characters with care and sympathy' Sunday Times

‘By turns tense and tender, gripping and moving, and always beautifully written. I didn’t read this book so much as live it: DI Manon Bradshaw is so convincingly human that I often wonder what she’s up to now’ Erin Kelly

‘The best new crime series in years’ Sarah Perry

Crime Crime Thrillers Dark Humour Detective Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Thriller Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Suspense
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Continue the series

Remain Silent cover art
Remain Silent By: Susie Steiner

Critic reviews

‘[Steiner] solidified the promise of last year’s debut, Missing, Presumed, with another hyper-realistic police procedural’ Guardian: Books of the Year 2017

'Steiner has a quirky, evocative prose style that is often very funny and her novels are highly entertaining and full of memorable, well-rounded characters' Sunday Express

'Bradshaw is an engaging heroine, full of self-doubt and contradiction, but whose caustic wit gleams through the grim murder inquiry' Daily Mail

'Winning prose, sympathetic characters and an appreciation of life’s joys as keen as a knowledge of its dangers' Wall Street Journal

‘An ingeniously and extravagantly plotted, multi-voiced thrillride … wise and witty … beautifully written’ Irish Times

‘I loved it … Persons Unknown is like walking on quicksand, for reader and detective alike' Val McDermid

'A smart and funny rumination on motherhood' New York Times

'Strikingly modern…It is refreshing to see a detective grappling with real life dilemmas but they never get in the way of the plot, which is clever and original. A series to watch from a confident writer who draws even minor characters with care and sympathy' Sunday Times

‘Susie Steiner goes from strength to strength: Persons Unknown is by turns tense and tender, gripping and moving, and always beautifully written. I didn’t read this book so much as live it: DI Manon Bradshaw is so convincingly human that I often wonder what she’s up to now’ Erin Kelly

‘The best new crime series in years’ Sarah Perry

‘Superb storytelling – a joy to read. I am hooked on Manon Bradshaw’ Renée Knight

‘Stylish, literary fiction at its very best’ Peter James

All stars
Most relevant
Like other reviewers, I found this way too heavy on the mother child relationships and way too light on the detecting. And the narration was so variable - fantastic I thought for Birdie, but 12 year old Fly was given the voice of a middle aged vagrant with a 40-a-day habit. Unless reviews for the third volume suggest the series gets back on track, I’m sadly giving up on Manon Bradshaw.

Musings on motherhood

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What can I say. My vocabulary is inadequate to do justice to the myriad ways in which I could recommend this book. A crime novel with a gripping plot and a charismatic protagonist indeed but you get so much more into the bargain. These are characters you can reach out and touch. Each one fleshed out in all their messy minutia. The bone crushing tiredness of pregnancy was so perfectly observed in sections that I found myself inwardly groaning in recognition. The messiness of human relationships is never pushed aside for the sake of convenience and yet nothing else suffers, not plot, nor pacing. Susie Steiner is an extremely gifted writer who has created a compelling world that I hope to return to time and again.

I thought the narration was generally very good, the narrator being a natural at bringing out the humour in the writing. There were times I howled with laughter. My only teensy bugbear was the slightly inconsistent accents of some of the characters. But, all in all, a really enjoyable listen.

Literary crime fiction at its very best

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this was a ok book not a great story, a bit too light for me no real meat

would not want to listen to more my the auther

OK listen

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Loved this book. Perfect. Surpassed presumed innocent, which was brilliant too. Such well drawn characters that actually matter. So engaging, had me struggling to turn audio off. Particularly loved Birdie and want to hear more from her.
Locations well suited to various capers. Lived at seven sisters so the jaunt in West Green Road was an unexpected thrill.
Beautifully read as ever by Juanita.
Thank you.

Beautiful characterisations.

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I love these Manon Bradshaw stories, although this is only the second. Do read in order or you may get confused. She is so believable. The murder is not centre to the story, all the characters with their own issues, stories revolve around it. Hope there will be another story soon. Good narration.

Very very good

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