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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I love how she talks about being a parent. I just found out she passed in 22. I really hate falling in love with an author only to find out that they are no more. There's something so special about how she writes about the vulnerabilities of the human condition. I don't usually write reviews but I started this one before I found out, and I'm really sad that I only have two more books to read from her.
This was a good mystery to listen via audiobook. I honestly don't remember the first one as much, except I do remember thinking Manon was not that likable since she seemed to be panting after men and making poor life choices. In this one, she still manages to suddenly turn stupid around an attractive man, but she has matured in other ways, thankfully.
Decent mystery, nothing too extraordinary.
Decent mystery, nothing too extraordinary.
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 she’s 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 a truly 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. -Suzanne R.
I really enjoyed the first Manon Bradshaw novel—British police drama—and was excited to see that two more have been published.
This present tense novel lurches between a few characters, including Manon, in short, sketchy chapters. There are too many narrators and stories here resulting in a lack of depth. By the end, several strands have been resolved and others left loose, presumably to compel the reader on to the third volume of this series.
Some fine writing here and there about women, middle-age, motherhood, and work. If only the whole book had been more consistent.
This present tense novel lurches between a few characters, including Manon, in short, sketchy chapters. There are too many narrators and stories here resulting in a lack of depth. By the end, several strands have been resolved and others left loose, presumably to compel the reader on to the third volume of this series.
Some fine writing here and there about women, middle-age, motherhood, and work. If only the whole book had been more consistent.
I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately. The last few books I’ve read have been ok…nothing wrong with them but not anything that made me lock myself away & force abandoned family members to forage for themselves ’til I was done.
When I read the blurb on this, I was hoping for an exciting & complex police procedural that would keep me guessing. Sadly, it was not to be. Yes, Manon Bradshaw is a cop but despite the fact it opens with a body this is much more about the MC’s domestic situation than hunting down bad guys.
To be fair, she is forgiven for being a bit scattered & preoccupied. Manon is 42, 5 months pregnant & lives with sister Ellie, nephew Solly & adopted son Fly. She recently left the bright lights of London for a slower life with the police force in Huntingdon. Her crushing workload at the Met has been replaced by regular hours spent combing through cold cases. Impending single-motherhood is daunting enough. So she really doesn’t need the added stress of Ellie’s problems, Solly’s tantrums & Fly’s troubles at school. The proverbial icing on the cake is provided when the body is identified as Ellie’s ex.
That’s just the beginning of a convoluted story line that will cause Manon’s professional life to come crashing into her personal one. The author has a very distinctive writing style, often in present tense with characters’ random thoughts popping up in the narrative. Chapters alternate narrators so you get multiple POV’s. The investigation throw up a few surprises but you’ll have your suspicions early on as to who is involved. Instead of being full of suspense, it’s more of a vehicle to foreshadow big change to Manon’s home life.
The case is wrapped up by the end but several other plot lines are left open. I haven’t read the first in the series & perhaps that’s why I had a hard time connecting with the MC. That’s on me. It all comes down to the fickle element of personal taste & if you read & loved [b:Missing, Presumed|27191692|Missing, Presumed|Susie Steiner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449076888s/27191692.jpg|46094369] , no doubt you’ll find much to enjoy here.
When I read the blurb on this, I was hoping for an exciting & complex police procedural that would keep me guessing. Sadly, it was not to be. Yes, Manon Bradshaw is a cop but despite the fact it opens with a body this is much more about the MC’s domestic situation than hunting down bad guys.
To be fair, she is forgiven for being a bit scattered & preoccupied. Manon is 42, 5 months pregnant & lives with sister Ellie, nephew Solly & adopted son Fly. She recently left the bright lights of London for a slower life with the police force in Huntingdon. Her crushing workload at the Met has been replaced by regular hours spent combing through cold cases. Impending single-motherhood is daunting enough. So she really doesn’t need the added stress of Ellie’s problems, Solly’s tantrums & Fly’s troubles at school. The proverbial icing on the cake is provided when the body is identified as Ellie’s ex.
That’s just the beginning of a convoluted story line that will cause Manon’s professional life to come crashing into her personal one. The author has a very distinctive writing style, often in present tense with characters’ random thoughts popping up in the narrative. Chapters alternate narrators so you get multiple POV’s. The investigation throw up a few surprises but you’ll have your suspicions early on as to who is involved. Instead of being full of suspense, it’s more of a vehicle to foreshadow big change to Manon’s home life.
The case is wrapped up by the end but several other plot lines are left open. I haven’t read the first in the series & perhaps that’s why I had a hard time connecting with the MC. That’s on me. It all comes down to the fickle element of personal taste & if you read & loved [b:Missing, Presumed|27191692|Missing, Presumed|Susie Steiner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449076888s/27191692.jpg|46094369] , no doubt you’ll find much to enjoy here.
I was looking forward to reading this book bc I fell in love with the characters in the previous book. It was enjoyable to learn about the characters as they solved a mystery. I still love them! I just didn’t fall in love with the plot. Without giving too much away, the case fell too close to home. The plot felt too much like a Hallmark series rather than a good mystery with interesting characters. I opted to not finish the book bc of that. :/
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Persons Unknown is the second book in Susie Steiner’s police procedural mystery series. The lead character is a detective, pregnant through artificial insemination, who has recently moved to provide a better life for her adopted black son Fly. Then the father of her sister’s toddler is murdered, and Fly becomes the main suspect when he is seen on camera walking home from school near where the man was killed. The evidence is flimsy and circumstantial, but Manon’s colleagues seem to be working against her as she tries to prove Fly’s innocence.
Steiner is a good writer, and I wanted to see where the case was going and how Manon was going to cope with pregnancy while striving to clear her son’s name. Manon is messy and imperfect, and while I don’t always like her I appreciate that she seems like a real person.
The plot was inspired by a real case. While I fully believe young black man are falsely accused and even convicted on weak evidence, I did have a hard time fully buying that the adopted 12-year-old-son of a white police officer would be railroaded in quite the way that Fly is in this book. Still, like the first book (Missing, Presumed), Persons Unknown is a definite recommend from me for lovers of British police procedurals.
I read an advance reader copy of Persons Unknown. It will be released in early July.
Steiner is a good writer, and I wanted to see where the case was going and how Manon was going to cope with pregnancy while striving to clear her son’s name. Manon is messy and imperfect, and while I don’t always like her I appreciate that she seems like a real person.
The plot was inspired by a real case. While I fully believe young black man are falsely accused and even convicted on weak evidence, I did have a hard time fully buying that the adopted 12-year-old-son of a white police officer would be railroaded in quite the way that Fly is in this book. Still, like the first book (Missing, Presumed), Persons Unknown is a definite recommend from me for lovers of British police procedurals.
I read an advance reader copy of Persons Unknown. It will be released in early July.