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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first two in the trilogy, possibly because I knew it was the last and it was disappointing not to follow Manon, Davy and the other characters any further. The series was engaging with rounded characters and well-developed plots. I wish it could have continued.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Again, the narrator’s mispronunciation of certain words is irritating as are her inconsistent accents. I like the anti-fascist element, the Cambridgeshire and Norfolk references but I don’t like the constant fat phobic comments. Lots of nice observations about parenting although I would have liked more references to Fly who had been a big part of the first two books in the trilogy. It was an ok read overall.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
Excellent! Be sure to read Missing, Presumed and Persons Unknown first.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
‘If I can’t do my job, I’m not anything..I am the job’ , Manon declares at one point when her job appears to be in jeopardy. Herein lies the success of Steiner’s detective, Manon. Manon isn’t just her job, she is a fully realised character with her troubled personal life spilling over into her work and her current investigation spilling over into her home life. This frequently creates a tension for the reader as the story switches between the two , pausing a narrative about cancer or one about a young girl being trapped. Manon has been one of my favourite detectives since I first encountered her in Missing Presumed. She is quite simply so beautifully envisaged she just walks out of the pages and with each book Manon has developed and grown as a character. In Remain Silent Manon’s household now includes a partner with health issues and two children with very different demands and her absolute love for them provides a warm undertow in choppy waters. Manon is in mid - life: analysing her life future , present and past under a cynical microscope. Her view of a jaded contemporary world is one that resonated greatly with me. The book starts with a dead body, that of an Eastern European migrant worker - suicide or murder? Manon must investigate. The case leads Manon and her sidekick, Davy, to parts of rural Cambridgeshire where tensions between Eastern European workers and the local population are high. The life of the workers is absolutely brutal and totally shocking, utterly bleak. Trapped by gangmasters in a foreign land where they are needed but not wanted. Then one of them is dead. Remain Silent is a brilliant read and it will make a brilliant film. I hope Manon will return.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed Manon’s character, but found the subplots unnecessary. I appreciated the experience of the Eastern European struggles as immigrants in England. Slower paced than I’m used to, unsure if I’d read any others by this author.