Title: Remain Silent by Susie Steiner
Manon Bradshaw Series Book Three
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
An immigrant’s mysterious death sets off a chilling hunt for the truth in this gripping crime novel from the author of Missing, Presumed, featuring a “delightful protagonist who deserves a place alongside other beloved literary detectives” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
Newly married and navigating life with a preschooler as well as her adopted adolescent son, Manon Bradshaw is happy to be working part-time in the cold cases department of the Cambridgeshire police force, a job that allows her to potter in, coffee in hand, and log on for a spot of Internet shopping—precisely what she had in mind when she thought of work-life balance. But beneath the surface Manon is struggling with the day-to-day realities of what she’d assumed would be domestic bliss: fights about whose turn it is to clean the kitchen, the bewildering fatigue of having a young child while in her forties, and the fact that she is going to couples counseling alone because her husband feels it would just be her complaining.
But when Manon is on a walk with her four-year-old son in a peaceful suburban neighborhood and discovers the body of a Lithuanian immigrant hanging from a tree with a mysterious note attached, she knows her life is about to change. Suddenly, she is back on the job full-force, trying to solve the suicide—or is it a murder—in what may be the most dangerous and demanding case of her life.
Review:
Remain Silent by Susie Steiner is an intriguing mystery with a topical storyline. This newest addition to the Manon Bradshaw series can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend books one and two as well.
Detective Inspector Manon Bradshaw is enjoying her shortened work schedule so she can be home with four year old Teddy, sixteen year old Fly and partner Mark. But after discovering the body of Lithuanian immigrant Lukas Balsys hanging from a tree, her new boss Detective Chief Superintendent Glenda McBain assigns her work the case with Detective Sergeant Davy Walker. The investigation is slow moving but Manon and Davy doggedly track down every lead in hopes of catching Lukas’s killer.
Manon has been working cold cases so she is excited to be working a fresh case. Becoming more involved in the investigation, she struggles with leaving Teddy with a childminder and keeping up with everything at home. More stress arrives when Mark is hospitalized and they nervous awaiting his test results. Gruff and to the point, Manon tries to put her family problems out of mind as she continues following each new piece of evidence.
Davy is nervous and a little uncertain as his fiancé Juliet plunges head first into wedding plans. He, too, is also dealing with the work/home balance as Juliet once again becomes a little resentful of his late nights and long hours. But Davy tries to push these worries aside as the investigation takes them to the unsettled town of Wisbech where anti-immigration sentiments are on the rise.
Lukas’ friend Mattis is of special interest to Manon since he has gone missing. The two men came to England for a better life but they instead find themselves working for traffickers. Their living conditions are absymal as they are crammed together with other men in tight quarters. All of the men work long hours for little pay as their handler takes most of their money for the men’s “debt”.
Remain Silent is a clever police procedural which deftly balances murder, people trafficking and the realities of life with humor. Manon is a very true to life character who is flawed yet incredibly appealing. The investigation takes a while to gain traction, but once it does, the truth about Lukas is uncovered. With a couple of unexpected twists, Susie Steiner brings this engrossing mystery to a satisfying and realistic conclusion. I highly recommend this third installment of the Manon Bradshaw series to readers of the genre.
(After reading the afterword, I immediately went to Twitter and WHEW! Very relieved.)
