A 13 hour flight to Tokyo seemed like the perfect excuse to indulge the Manon Bradshaw habit I acquired after reading Missing, Presumed. Persons Unknown has the same cast of characters as the first book in the series, but it’s an altogether darker novel. The murder of a high-flying wealth manager leads detectives to a grotesque world of exploitation and violence, but DI Bradshaw is forced to the sidelines of the investigation because the initial suspect is none other than her adopted son.

Whatever superficial differences there might be between the stories, there is a common ingredient that makes this series work so well: credible and likable characters. The long flight passed quickly in Manon Bradshaw’s quirky company. I’m hooked and I have already bought the final book in the trilogy.