Susie Steiner, the novelist and former journalist known for the Manon Bradshaw detective series, died July 2. She was 51. Steiner worked in newspapers for 20 years, joining the Guardian in 2001, where she was a staff writer and editor for 11 years. After leaving, she continued to contribute as a freelancer while also working for the Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Evening Standard.
Her debut novel, Homecoming, was published by Faber & Faber "to critical acclaim in 2013," the Guardian reported. Borough Press published her second book, the literary crime novel Missing, Presumed, which introduced Detective Manon Bradshaw and hit the bestseller lists. The book was shortlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year Award. Its sequel, Persons Unknown, was longlisted for the Theakston's. The third in the Manon trilogy, Remain Silent, was published in 2020.
Philip Pullman described the Manon Bradshaw novels as "police procedural with real imagination and heart and a marvelous lightness of style and wit."
Her agent Sarah Ballard said: "Susie's glorious talent as a writer was rooted in her deep appreciation of the undercurrents of human nature. A small domestic exchange might become something magical, heartbreaking or hilarious, as told by her. Her special insight made her not just a critically acclaimed and bestselling writer, but also a generous and sharply funny friend who will be missed by everyone who knew her.... We are heartbroken at their loss, and for ours, and for the absence of the work she planned to write. At the same time, we are so grateful that she leaves her voice with us in the form of her four exceptional novels."
Borough Press publishing director Suzie Dooré added: "Susie was an extraordinary person and a wonderful writer. Personally, I am proud to have also counted her as a friend, and will always remember and cherish her quick wit and brutal honesty, both attributes she was able to pass on to her series character Manon Bradshaw. A train trip to a festival with Susie was guaranteed to bring hilarity, oversharing, Percy Pigs and mini bottles of wine. She was truly unique, full of warmth and incredibly perceptive."