This is the third outing in the crime series featuring DI Manon Bradshaw. Recalled from her post in the cold crimes unit, she investigates the apparent suicide of a Lithuanian worker whilst juggling a hectic personal life, sick partner, boisterous toddler and adopted teenage son. This is a brutal and topical novel, a vivid portrait of the vulnerability of immigrant workers and exploitation. There are also flashes of humour and Manon is a very real and recognisable character. I had read the two previous novels and enjoyed this one very much.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. It began with DI Manon Bradshaw finding a body hanging from a tree whilst out walking with her young son. She investigates this - is it murder - and is drawn into the world of migrant workers. The author describes their working and living conditions very well. I really liked Manon’s character, she is feisty, opinionated, funny, flawed and trying to juggle being a mum alongside her job and home life. I loved her working rapport with Davy, her DS. The book had many laugh out loud moments - Manon’s thoughts about herself, lazy Nigel, her boss. There were plenty of twists in the story, some I guessed, some I didn’t. Whilst there are a few references to the previous books, this book can still be read on it’s own. Overall I really enjoyed this book, the subject matter is current and it was well written with a sad ending. I was slowly drawn into the story and it held my attention from start to finish. I will be looking to read her two previous books. 4 stars.

I read the authors afterword. 😟

I’d like to thank HarperCollins UK, The Borough Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Remain Silent’ by Susie Steiner in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

During a walk in Hinchingbrooke Park with her young son Teddy, DI Manon Bradshaw comes upon the body of Lukas Balsys hanging from a tree with a note written in Lithuanian attached to his trouser leg reading ‘The dead cannot speak’. A murder investigation commences with Manon in charge, at the same time as she’s juggling the care of her family and coping with her husband Mark’s illness.

‘Remain Silent’, the third in the DI Manon Bradshaw series, is well-written with a gripping and involving storyline, suspense, drama, and twists and turns. Although slow to start I kept reading and soon became involved with Manon Bradshaw who isn’t your normal run-of-the-mill police officer, and the way the story’s been written has had me chuckling out loud at Manon’s view on life, love and marriage. It has an interesting plot that draws you in, a variety of interesting and likeable characters, and an ending that’s thoroughly in keeping with the story. It’s a thoroughly entertaining novel that’s easy to read and one I can recommend.

This was a bit of a slow burner for me. It didn’t thrill me.

I’m glad I stuck with it to discover the outcome of the story though perhaps it would have been more enjoyable had I read the previous books in the series.

I love the Manon Bradshaw series she is such a real character sometimes funny and so normal .She is now married to Mark with a small child Ted and of course Fly who she has adopted .Manon is back at work on Cold Cases when she is out walking with Ted and finds a man hanging from a tree .She is put back in charge of the case with her old team .I had no idea that male migrant workers were treated so badly quite shocking really .This book is gripping and fast paced full of Manon's sarcasm and humour which I love .I really enjoyed this book but I was very sad to read in the Acknowledgements of the Authors ill health and I wish her well .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

Marvellous novel dealing with the unfortunate reality on the UK and Immigration. It shows the hateful side some can have and the consequences that it can lead to.

This book had me laughing out loud at times, angry at others, and heart broken. I would recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this book
This is the first book I have read by Susie Steiner and I didn't realise it was part of a series
I found it a bit hard going at first, but it was a gripping read and I would highly recommend. It certainly won't be the last book I read by this author

I love the character of Manon Bradshaw, the opposite of a stereotypical male action detective: slightly overweight, irreverent, brutally honest and devastatingly self-critical with a sharp wit and very un-PC sense of humour. In all three of Susie Steiner's books she is the shining light, and every scene she attends or oversees is a winner. However I found the gritty and uncompromising setting for this latest case rather too depressing, perhaps because of its nearness to recent contemporary situations. I felt there was rather too much focus on the Eastern European characters and their backstories, particularly in the first half of the book, unrelieved by Manon's leavening humour and perceptive comments. However as soon as Manon reappears the sun comes out, no matter how angry or frustrated she is. Thankfully the ending, however slapstick at times, made up for the dire reality of the slave-work setting.
May Susie recover quickly from her recent health issues and continue to write more cases for her wonderful detective.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of Remain Silent, the third novel to feature DI Manon Bradshaw of the Fenland Police.

When Lukas Balsys’s body is found hanging from a tree nobody is sure if it is suicide or murder. Manon is asked to investigate but the fraught situation of exploited workers and anti-immigrant sentiment do not make her job easy.

I thoroughly enjoyed Remain Silent which not only has a good crime plot but is an interesting exposition of the issues surrounding immigrant labour and is extremely funny to boot. The novel is told from various points of view, not an approach I am overly fond of as it doesn’t always allow the reader to identify with the characters and really get involved in the read but, in this case it works well as Manon, a strong character, gets most of the attention and the other points of view flesh out the narrative in ways that Manon alone can’t.

I don’t work and live in a small town with little immigration so I have absolutely no understanding of the problems involved. It sounds harsh but it’s therefore not a subject that animates me or I have much interest in, other than a feeling that people shouldn’t be discriminated against. I found the novel enlightening as it discusses both sides of the argument and some of the practicalities involved. I also thought that it is one of the best novels I have read on the subject in terms of making the arguments human and relevant to the characters.

The plight of exploited immigrants is at the root of the crime and I liked the various avenues of investigation so they held my attention throughout. I thought the solution was a bit of a letdown and overly high minded for the setting but it makes a sort of sense.

The novel is all about Manon. It had me laughing out loud at some of her reactions and caustic takes on life. It should be noted, however, that I am in the same age group as her so her complaints and observations ring many bells but may be lost on younger or non middle aged female readers.

Remain Silent is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I really enjoyed this book. I have read other books by Susie and thoroughly enjoyed them. This had a layer of depth to it that most crime fiction doesn’t; an element of truth of the current unrest and political upheaval that affects the average persons life. The story itself was so bloody sad. Heartbreaking at times. I didn’t pick it. I’m looking forward to her next book, and wishing her a speedy recovery.

I struggled to get into this book and I didn’t realise it was part of a series. It has an interesting storyline but I didn’t finish it so cannot comment on the overall book.

Thanks for letting me review this book

Foolishly I've not read book 2,and that left me confused as to what was going on in this third installement...mainly in everyone's home life.
I'm afraid the story dragged for me,I never felt any tension or pace or indeed much interest.
I skim read some pages to get to the end

This was not your usual crime novel. I have read the others in this series and this was so different. The crime seems to take a back seat to Manon and her husband and there various issues. It’s ok but not the best. I read that the author is having treatment for cancer and I wish her well. #RemainSilent#NetGalley

Exciting read. Once you pick this up it draws you in and you cannot put it down. It was fast paced. Well written. Full of suspense and mystery. Perfect read for these cold dark nights

A great addition to the series. The writing is great and the story held my interest from start to finish.

4 Stars from me

There is a simple beauty within these pages - among the chaotic debris of Manon's life, and the depravity, abuse, racism, squalor and disappointment in the story - that is found within the relationship based narrative. It is so acutely observed, so raw, so natural and so accurate. A truly wonderful and unexpected delight. The way Susie Steiner has captured the relationships and emotions is quite brilliant.

DS Manon Bradshaw is a great character, she leads us unflinchingly through every aspect of this book and she shares a lot along the way.

There is an uncomfortable truth in this story as the thread of the abuse of immigrants is all too close to home. The inhumane way in which these men are treated was captured perfectly and highlights a sad truth within our society. 

I really enjoyed the setting of the book too as it is reasonably local to me which I guess made me connect with the book virtually from page one - 'oooh I've walked through that park where the dead guy was hanging...'

I very much enjoyed this book although was saddened to read in the authors notes at the end of her own ill health. It made for very humbling reading and I hope that treatment is going well.

Synopsis: Newly married and navigating life with a toddler 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 which 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 assumed would be domestic bliss: fights about whose turn it is to clean the kitchen, the bewildering fatigue of having a young child in her forties, and the fact that she is going to couple's counseling alone because her husband feels it would just be her complaining.

But when Manon is on a walk with her two-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.

This was a well-written, gripping read by a talented author which I haven't enjoyed before. I will rectify that soonest! Recommended for anyone who loves a good solid read with a lot of thrills and excitement.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Liked the first 2 books and liked even better the 3rd book with DS Manon Bradshaw. Fast paced storyline that had me hooked from the beginning to the end.

An interesting read. Detective Manon faces problems at home, with her partner undergoing hospital treatment, problems at work with overload, young family needing her, etc., etc. She battles on and finds herself trying to sort out unexplained deaths amongst Eastern European workers who have been trafficked. Her persistence prevails amidst the horrors that meet her. She meets opposition from her superior but is convinced that she is on the right track. Death - is it murder or suicide? Death, but no body? Persistence eventually pays off. A book that I devoured rapidly - enjoy.

I so looked forward to reading this as the previous novel in the series ended with Manon and Mark so happy and a baby on the way. Unfortunately I found this book very hard going. A timely and terrible story of the exploitation of illegal immigrants, made a sad, dark read.
Many thanks to netgalley and HarperCollins for an advance copy. My best wishes to the author for her fight against her horrible cancer.