I had read the first Manon book but not the second so there was a bit of catching up on family relationships.
I felt there was too much going on. The before and after with the Lithuanian workers and the switching between narrators. It all got a bit much and made the story drag.
The ending is all tided up too neatly at the end, very rushed.
Some character seemed superfluous, what was with lazy Nigel and even Edikas.
And a real bugbear, people are hanged and not hung, grrr.
It was OK but I won't be rushing to read any more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for my ARC in return for an honest review.

This is the third book featuring down-to-earth but stressed out detective Manon Bradshaw, and it is another cracker. The case features the plight of East European economic migrants, who come to England for a better life but end up trapped and exploited into what amounts to slavery. The story begins with one such found hanged in a tree in a local park-was he murdered, and why? The mystery is gripping, thought-provoking and sympathetically handled, but what makes this series stand out for me is following Manon’s progress, especially as I have read all three books. She is totally believable, a woman struggling to get through life as a professional, a partner and a mother, with all the joys and anguish involved. She is a bit of a mess in many ways, but warm and engaging whilst totally unsentimental. Recommended especially for fans of Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler and Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie. I can’t wait for Manon’s next outing.

This is my first book by this author and I didn't realise it was part of a series but it can be read as a standalone.

It was such a good story and it kept me turning the pages well written book. while out walking with her son. Manon they find a man handing from a tree. but is it murder? I enjoyed the characters and I love Manon banter such a good character.
Its a really good escape read to whats happening in real life right now and worth the read. I will be checking out her other books in this series now. I enjoyed this one so much.

A really relevant read due to current migrant and Brexit situation. I like this author. She writes well and creates believable characters.
I gave this 4/5 and I’d recommend it to stave off and boredom whilst self-distancing!

An utterly engrossing and poignant book made all the more sad by the Acknowledgments at the end.
I have loved both of Susie Steiner’s Manon Bradshaw books; they have made me laugh out loud on many occasions. This one feels darker and more complex somewhat. Manon is battling middle-age, overworked and struggling with her home life. A bombshell rocks her and Mark’s relationship and the way this is handled brilliantly.
This book works on so many levels. It is a great police procedural book, a gripping and realistic story about immigrants and racism and a wonderful character analysis of what it is to be a woman and human.
It felt like an ending of sort but I hope and pray that Manon and Susie come back to us soon.
Thanks to NetGalley and The Borough Press for letting me read it.

I'd read and enjoyed the first 2 books in the Manon Bradshaw series and really enjoyed them - so when I saw Marian Keyes mentioned on Twitter that a third was coming out in May, I immediately saw if it was available for request on NetGalley - and it was!
Here is the blurb.
"The body of a young migrant is found hanging from a tree.
No signs of struggle. No indication that it is anything other than a tragic suicide.
Except for a note, pinned to his trousers, that reads ‘The dead cannot speak’.
A murder investigation begins with DI Manon Bradshaw at the helm. But with the other migrants unwilling to speak, and protests on the streets, hatred is starting to drown out the facts.
Can Manon uncover the truth before it happens again?"
I think this might just be my favourite of all of the Manon Bradshaw books - it is great!
As usual it twists and turns with a police investigation - along with the private lives of the police too. Manon's homelife is also undergoing turmoil as her partner has a cancer diagnosis and she has a teenager and toddler to cope with too. I loved this side of it - and my favourite quote has to be 'I'd rather boil my head in oil than home school' - a statement with which I completely concur and is particularly relevant in the current climate! (It also reminds me of when I was taking our son to hospital in an ambulance when he was about 3 and had a nasty head injury, and the paramedic asked if I worked or was a stay at home Mum - and I replied 'I couldn't be a stay at home Mum, I'd kill one of them'. Whoops.)
Anyway - back to the book.
Essentially it's an investigation of a death which looks like a suicide - except for a note on the body which makes it look more like murder.
However, it's not just a murder investigation - it looks at the treatment of Eastern European migrants in Wisbech and their interaction with the 'locals' and how they are treated by their gangmasters. It feels worryingly relevant and there are definite similarities between some of the people in the book and famous people in the media (mentioning no names!) .
It is clever, and twists and turns - and I think is my favourite of the Manon books. I would thoroughly recommend it when it comes out in May.
I don't always read the acknowledgements at the end of the book - but I am so glad I did in this instance. Just after submitting the original manuscript for this book, Susie Steiner was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma brain tumour. Sadly I know more than I would like to about GBMs - as our friends' son died from one when he was just 11 years old - 17 months after diagnosis. The acknowledgements are really moving - and whilst it is clear Susie has a fabulous support network - her fear of the b*stard brain tumour is also evident. When she said that she didn't know if she'd still be here for the publication of the book it was just so very very sad. I was pleased that a quick Twitter search shows Susie is still here and normal life (ranting at TfL, toilet paper purchasing) is still ongoing. And the fight goes on to find a cure for this horrific disease that kills more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer - and yet has historically only received 1% of the national spend on cancer research.

A thought provoking story involving immigrants and how they are often exploited. DI Manon returns to work to uncover the circumstances surrounding the death of Lucas-a Lithuanian.

Manor Bradshaw is so real you feel as if she has stepped out of the room when you finish the novel. She is gritty, earthy, all those things, so flawed she is like someone you know, maybe even your own internal monologue. I recommend Susie Steiner to people for this reason, Manson is struggling to raise a family, work full time and hold onto a marriage like so many people. She is driven when it comes to cracking her cases but she is also worrying about who will pick up the toddler from nursery. It’s a welcome departure from the perfect women of much fiction;.
The crime stories hang together and the narrative normally runs along side by side with her stress but in this novel I found the pace maybe a little too frenetic? The present tense makes me rush from sentence to sentence like a thing possessed and I found at times that the plot jumped in when I was least expecting it. Then I had to read back a couple of paragraphs and check I hadn’t missed any foreshadowing.
I also felt Manson herself was a little bit manic, her wise cracking thought processes on fast forward all the time. It leant a rather flippant air to the crime story if I am honest. Dead bodies and exploited immigrants nestled uneasily for me with a sort of black humour disrespect that raced along behind it all. I just felt like Steiner was racing towards something, and I found it slightly exhausting, read the whole thing in less than 48 hours. Maybe it’s me, but I didn’t get this from the two previous novels.
Reading the acknowledgment moved me and made me wonder if this was at play whilst she wrote out edited the novel. I can imagine that diagnosis having a bomb blast effect on just about everything, writing style and pace included. I wish her the very best, she can teach others a thing or two about realism. A good read just slightly weird compared to its predecessors.

Got to be the worst so called ‘crime novel’ I’ve ever read. The author spent more time writing about her main character Manon and life with her family and friends. Did the reader really want to know about Davy’s fiancé’s plans for a very expensive wedding? Which he couldn’t afford any way! Had planned to give up on this novel but stayed with it to the end hoping for an exciting finish - alas this was not to be!

I have read Manons first two outings and I was a little apprehensive that the standard might dip a little .
Of course I had nothing to worry about. Mabon is as curt and sarcastic of ever but we see a softer underbelly in her this time. Its somewhat of a slow burner but hugely enjoyable.

This is a gripping and well written novel. It’s the first I am reading from Susie Steiner but this is the third in the series DI Manon Bradshaw series. Despite this, I did not struggle to read it without having read the previous books.

DI Bradshaw is out in a park with her son when she finds a man hanging from a tree. He is identified as Lukas, a migrant worker involved in a gang. Now DI Bradshaw, with the help of her team, need to figure out if this was a suicide or a murder.

The investigation is dark and at times difficult to read but DI Bradshaw funny personality makes it far more manageable and turns it into such a better reading!
Her personality is fantastic and I truly enjoyed seeing her loyalty and her “no filter” attitude. Her relationship with DI Walker is fascinating!

The setting is really atmospheric and so appropriate for the book, that narrates a dark and upsetting story. The writing is raw and so to the point. There are twists and turns as the team uncovers the truth.

Overall, a really good book that I quite enjoyed! I’m looking forward to reading the previous books from this author.

I would like to end up by thanking Netgalley and Harper Collins Uk for the opportunity to read this fantastic book prior to its publishing date.

An interesting and enjoyable story that keeps you involved from the beginning right through until the final page. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this genre.

3.5 stars .

I have read the first two books in the series and really enjoyed them, so was excited to be given the opportunity to read the third instalment to catch up with Manon.
It's an interesting and topical look at economic migration into the UK, how this stirs up anger and violence in some people, and the way that a lot of these migrants are exploited and treated. Ms Steiner paints a picture that shows this is far from a black and white issue and shines a light on the grey areas that gave me food for thought.
However, the plot didn't grab me in the same way that her previous books did, and I found the pace slow and at times, a little sporadic. There were asides into Manon's life that in the first two books created a wonderfully 'real' character who I could imagine having a drink with. In this book though the asides often jarred with the flow, and in some instances felt unnecessary.

At the end of the book, Susie Steiner has written about her recent health struggles and the fear she is living with. I wish her the best going forward and salute her bravery in opening-up and sharing her situation publically.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Remain Silent by Susie Steiner begins with the discovery of the hanging body of Lithuanian migrant worker Lucas Balsys. Suspecting that it might be the work of of a serial killer D.I. Manon Bradshaw is given the case to investigate.. From there on it's a story or exploitation,prejudice and the effect of mass migration and racist rhetoric on a small town, in this case Wisbech but a similar tale could be set almost anywhere in Britain today. The loneliness, broken dreams and the grip on those sucked into modern slavery by evil gangsters is related with punches pulled as is Ms Steiner's obvious contempt for a certain very divisive politician who makes an appearance here thinly disguised under a different name.
Aside from the actual crime Manon Bradshaw's personal life,thoughts and opinions are a very big a part of this book as she struggles with age,family life and disillusionment with her job. Manon is no vera being an opinionated, sweary lady and there are plenty of laugh out loud moments,not least from the conversations between her and her friend Bryony .
Parts of the book deem seem exceptionally gloomy, Manon's partner is seriously ill and towards the end of the book it appears she's at the start of something possibly life-changing herself . I was wondering why then I finished the book and read the "Acknowledgements" and it appears Ms Steiner herself has been ,and possibly still is, affected by something really nasty herself so perhaps a touch of autobiographical influence..
I really enjoyed the book, it's dark at times,very funny at others and Manon is a fantastic character. Hopefully the book will make people think about the invisible people that work in the car washes, pick our fruit and work on our farms and realise that they're often victims of some seriously evil people and deserve compassion,not contempt and even hatred from some quarters.
A great read that sadly is probably the last Manon Bradshaw book.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK, Netgalley and above all Susie Steiner,who I wish a long life and best wishes with her medical problems, for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed two of Susie Steiner’s earlier books so I was keen to read her latest book, Remain Silent and once more I was totally immersed in the story. It’s the 3rd Manon Bradshaw book and I loved it.

This is not just a police procedural and a gripping mystery it is a tragedy, a scathing look at modern life, centred on the exploitation of immigrant labour, racism and abuse that some of the foreign workers have to endure.

Manon Bradshaw is a Detective Inspector, a working mother with a young toddler, Teddy, her adopted teenage son, Fly and her partner, Mark Talbot who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. She is working in the Major Crime Unit on cold cases on a part-time basis and is not getting on well with her new boss, Detective Superintendent Gloria McBain. Despite that when she finds the body of Lukas Balsys hanging from a tree with a note attached saying ‘The dead cannot speak’, McBain puts her in charge of the investigation into his death – did he commit suicide or was he murdered?

The story, as in the earlier books, has a complicated plot. This one revolves around the plight of a group of Lithuanian immigrants living and working in terrible conditions under a cruel gang master, Edikas. There is a large cast of characters – as well as the Lithuanians and the police there is a local racist group leading a campaign of hatred with protest marches and the threat of violence. All come over as incredibly real people, with the star characters being Manon, Lukas, his friend Matis and Elise who falls in love with Lukas, despite her racist father’s hatred of the immigrants.

This has all the ingredients of a successful crime novel for me. Although it starts off slowly building up a picture of the characters and their situation, it is gripping and intense, dealing with problems of prejudice and downright hatred and xenophobia – a most thought-provoking and shocking novel.

#RemainSilent #NetGalley
Crime Fiction at its best.
Lukas Balsys’s body is found hanging from a tree. No one knows whether its a suicide or murder. DI Manon is called to investigate the case but upon investigating the crime scene, she comes to know that she's dealing with not so simple case.
This is a crime fiction at its best with a heart wrenching plot and dialogues. Its characters were intriguing and funny sometimes. It covers many issues that occur in small areas and description of everything is great.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK for the ARC.
I really am in two minds about this book. I must say I haven't read any previous of the series but that didn't cause any problems, it was the writing style which completely threw me. I was expecting a crime thriller but constantly felt I was in the middle of a comedy of sorts and found it difficult to reconcile the two until I realised I had watched a police series, written in the same vein, and was then able to enjoy it more.
Manon Bradshaw is a middle-aged D.I., happily (or not) working on cold cases for 3 days a week. Out with son Teddy in Hinchingbrooke Country Park, she discovers a body hanging from a tree. A warning note written in Lithuanian - The Dead Cannot Speak- is pinned to it. Manon subsequently finds herself as SIO of a murder investigation, exploring motives within the migrant community in Wisbech and within an anti-migrant group called One Wisbech alongside DS Davy Walker. for the death of Lukas Balsys.
Told from several points of view, leading the reader to understand the young men from Lithuania's desires for a better life and subsequent indebtedness to gangmasters; we learn of Manon's struggles in her personal life with husband Mark, toddler Teddy and adopted son Fly, as well as her irreverent thoughts about her boss; and Davy's personal struggles with impending marriage to Juliet whilst coveting a relationship with Bridget, and the incessant nagging he gets from Mannon.
Yes - all sounds a bit, well - comedic?

Nevertheless, there is the topical theme of migrant labour being exploited in the Fens; appalling living conditions and very little payment, and it's through Lukas's close friend Matis's point of view that the truth of the matter gradually emerges.

I have to admit to a lot of skim reading because I was more interested in the investigation than lengthy passages relating Manon's incurable angst against the world.

A Susie Steiner book is always a reason to celebrate. The main character, Manon, is a riveting and unusual detective, beset by the problems of age, family and self doubt. Very intricate plotting. This is the third book in this series and is hopefully not the last.

Susie Steiner's latest addition to her superb DI Manon Bradshaw of Cambridgeshire police is pure gold. Steiner invests Manon with the emotional truths, realities, and ennui of a middle aged woman, the constant fatigue, the chaotic tensions of family life with a hyperactive two year old toddler, Teddy, with the joys and maturity of her adopted black teen son. Fly, doing his GCSEs, and trying to keep a relationship alive with partner, Mark, particularly with the stresses of his cancer diagnosis. Working a 3 day week focusing on cold cases, should, in theory, make a work life balance easier, but as we observe, it ain't necessarily so, particularly when she becomes SIO of a ambiguous investigation of a man she finds hanging in a tree on a walk with her son, Teddy, a strange note is left at the scene that suggests it could be murder rather than suicide.

The victim is a Lithuanian migrant trapped by the inhuman slavery operated by illegal gangmasters who refuse to pay and confiscate passports, providing accommodation unfit for humans, creating a climate of fear and threats that has made it impossible for a police operation to get victims to turn evidence on the likes of the sadistic and abusive Edikas Petrov. The misery of the working conditions the Lithuanians live under is harrowing, cruel and horrifying, working all hours, moving from job to job, their lives at risk, with their families back home under threat if they fail to comply with orders or consider escaping. If all that is not enough, their terrors are exacerbated further with the intense febrile atmosphere of racism, with local hostility whipped up by swivel-eyed maniacs compelled to spew out their hatred, knee jerk reactions, and ignorant opinions in a political climate that grant them a gravitas and respect that makes a mockery of any concept of decency, or rationality.

If it wasn't for Manon's wit, banter, humour and spot on snark, I would have found the horrors of the plight of the migrant workers just too unbearable, not to mention the despair I feel at the rise of anti-immigrant populism in the country. She is a joy to accompany through the darkest of narratives, having to handle the ambition, incompetencies and ego of her over promoted boss, the woefully incompetent and good for nothing Nigel, whilst her relationship with the able DS Davy Walker, under the stress of wedding preparations, illustrates the depth of their friendship and loyalty to each other. Particular Manon highlights for me were her confrontation with Peter at his office, he is planning to leave her best friend, Bryony, and their children and I had hysterics over Bradshaw's School of Motoring Etiquette. This is superior British crime fiction, and if you haven't read any of the series, you are seriously missing out. In a world gone mad, this book is the tonic you need. Do I really need to say I highly recommend this??? Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

I have loved this series from the start, and was really excited to get the third book with DI Manon Bradshaw. Without a doubt this series just gets better and better.

Manon is out walking with her young son Teddy, in a country park, when she finds a man hanging from a tree. It is found the person hanging is from Lithuania, Lucas Balsys, he is a migrant worker, being used by the brutal gang master Edikas. Manon now has to find out if this was suicide or murder.

Manon finds this to be a tough investigation as she struggles with personal issues and some demons. I think from book one Manon has been a great character, it’s great to have seen her grow, I love her relationship with DS Davy Walker. The banter always flows. Manon knows how to be witty, she is brilliant at her job. I have just thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the characters and hope this will continue. The story is told through various points of view, mostly Manon, but the other characters help to make the story work, and it works well.

This story hi lights the exploitation of Lithuanian workers, who are put on zero hour contracts, below minimum wage, for back breaking work, along with appalling living conditions. The story seems adequately relevant to the times we are living in.

I highly recommend this book just to read about Manon Bradshaw again, i absolutely love her humour. I loved the first two books and this one is another great one

I would like to thank #netgalley and #HarperCollinsPublishers for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.