Title: Persons Unknown
Author: Susie Steiner
Publisher: The Borough Press
[Synopsis]
The sequel to Susie Steiner’s bestselling MISSING, PRESUMED
Manon has settled back into life in Cambridgeshire with her adopted son Fly. She’s perfectly happy working on cold cases until a man is stabbed to death just yards from the police station, and both the victim and the prime suspect turn out to be much closer to home than she would like. How well does Manon know her loved ones, and are they capable of murder?
[My Review]
When you enjoy the first in a series so much (Missing, Presumed) you can only hope that the second isn’t a disappointment. There’s no need to worry, though, because although it feels different in some ways to the first, this is a great follow up.
DS Manon is back, and plenty has happened since we’ve seen her last. She’s pregnant, perhaps a little emotional at times, but as determined and switched on as ever. The characters are all well crafted, intriguing and convincing, and Manon doesn’t fail to disappoint in her dogged determination to solve the case. It does present some doubts, though, in how well she knows the people around her – there are plenty of surprises!
The storyline jumps between different people , and these multiple perspectives offer interesting insights into the case. The ways in which characters are linked to each other are complex, tying in with the tangled web of lies and deceit surrounding the murder, and it really kept me guessing. Race and social standing is addressed a great deal in this novel, and I feel that Susie Steiner presents them with sensitivity.
I feel like Persons Unknown is a bit more of a slow burner than Missing Presumed, but this certainly isn’t a negative. There is now far, far more at stake for Manon and this adds an interesting spin; the writing is still excellent and kept me wanting to read on, leading me to devour this in a day.
This is a really great follow up to Missing, Presumed and one I’d highly recommend. Bring on book 3!
[Rating: 4/5]
Many thanks to the publisher and LoveReading for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
I haven’t read the first one but it’s a sign of a great author if you can make the second novel just as good as the first one. Excited to read both of them now!
Definitely! Enjoy ????
I really enjoyed Missing Presumed, looking forward to this one! Thanks for a great review ????????
[…] it’s the third in a series but I loved Last Breath by Robert Bryndza. I also really enjoyed Persons Unknown by Susie […]
Loved it and love Manon!