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Persons Unknown (Manon Bradshaw, Book 2)

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Persons Unknown (Manon Bradshaw, Book 2)

By: Susie Steiner
Narrated by: Juanita McMahon
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About this listen

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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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
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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I should start by saying that I really enjoyed the first book on this series, and enthused about it. But I was left feeling that this book was a bit of a con, and the hints were there in the first one.

On one hand, the crime novel element was actually really good. Great dialogue, lovely balance in its depiction of the police, and a decent, if slightly contrived plot.
However the obsession with domestic angst that slightly spoiled the first DI Manon Bradshaw book absolutely engulfed this one, to the extent that the last hour (slightly longer actually) was a complete and literal waste of time.
Assuming there was to be a final twist I stuck with it, but I really shouldn’t have. There was actually no point in listening to it and it added nothing.
Reduce the amount of nonsensical padding and you could have a very enjoyable crime novel.
In reality this isn’t written for lovers of crime fiction, and I’m clearly not the author’s target audience.
I don’t want tales of domestic and romantic hand-wringing unless it’s actually part of the plot, or at least adds to the narrative. In this book it does neither, it’s just self-indulgent. Such a shame.

Curates egg.

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This could have been so much better, but has the feel of chick lit crossed with police procedural. There is way to much about motherhood and every cliché about the messy life of fictional detectives. Fellow officers bend the rules in a way that defies credibility in order to accommodate the heroine. There is just enough about it to hold the interest, but it's rather forgettable.

A rather stereotyped female detective

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I devoured this, the second in the series of DI Manon Bradshaw. I nearly gave it a miss because one reviewer said that, unlike the first, this was pure chic lit. It really isn’t at all. It is a really good crime story, and here the character development is excellent. I feel I know the richly drawn characters of Manon, Davey, Mark and I love Birdie, who sadly will probably only feature in this book. I hope not, she is a warm, funny and intelligent character. I am very much looking forward to the next in the series.

Loved it!

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