A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • A page-turning mystery that brings to life a complex and strong-willed detective assigned to a high-risk missing persons caseNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • NAMED ONE OF THE 10 BEST MYSTERIES OF THE YEAR BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL “An extraordinarily assured police procedural in the tradition of Ruth Rendell and Elizabeth George.”… the tradition of Ruth Rendell and Elizabeth George.”—Joseph Finder, author of The Fixer
“Surprise-filled . . . one of the most ambitious police procedurals of the year. Detective Bradshaw’s biting wit is a bonus.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Missing, Presumed has future BBC miniseries written all over it.”—Redbook
“A highly charismatic and engaging story.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“This combination of police procedural and an unfolding family drama that continuously twists and turns will work well for fans of Kate Atkinson and Tana French.”—Booklist
At thirty-nine, Manon Bradshaw is a devoted and respected member of the Cambridgeshire police force, and though she loves her job, what she longs for is a personal life. Single and distant from her family, she wants a husband and children of her own. One night, after yet another disastrous Internet date, she turns on her police radio to help herself fall asleep—and receives an alert that sends her to a puzzling crime scene.
Edith Hind—a beautiful graduate student at Cambridge University and daughter of the surgeon to the Royal Family—has been missing for nearly twenty-four hours. Her home offers few clues: a smattering of blood in the kitchen, her keys and phone left behind, the front door ajar but showing no signs of forced entry. Manon instantly knows that this case will be big—and that every second is crucial to finding Edith alive.
The investigation starts with Edith’s loved ones: her attentive boyfriend, her reserved best friend, her patrician parents. As the search widens and press coverage reaches a frenzied pitch, secrets begin to emerge about Edith’s tangled love life and her erratic behavior leading up to her disappearance. With no clear leads, Manon summons every last bit of her skill and intuition to close the case, and what she discovers will have shocking consequences not just for Edith’s family but for Manon herself.
Suspenseful and keenly observed, Missing, Presumed is a brilliantly twisting novel of how we seek connection, grant forgiveness, and reveal the truth about who we are.
Praise for Missing, Presumed
“Smart, stylish . . . Manon is portrayed with an irresistible blend of sympathy and snark. By the time she hits bottom, professionally and privately, we’re entirely caught up in her story.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Nuanced suspense that’s perfect for Kate Atkinson fans.”—People
“Drenched in character and setting, with pinpoint detail that breathes life and color into every sentence.”—The News & Observer
“You might come to Missing, Presumed for the police procedural; you’ll stay for the layered, authentic characters that Steiner brings to life.”—Bethanne Patrick, NPR
“Where [Susie] Steiner excels is in the depth and clarity with which she depicts her characters. . . . It all adds up to a world that feels much bigger than the novel in which it is contained.”—The Guardian
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Steiner’s MISSING, PRESUMED is one of the best police procedurals I’ve read in a very long time. The characters a complex and contradictory (like real people), the situations unpredictable (like real life), and the police work detailed and savvy. I also admire the smart, stylish writing. Excellent, start to finish.
Missing, Presumed is a wonderful mystery that I found based on another writer’s recommendation. I’m passing on the favor to you.
The beautiful and gifted adult daughter of a privileged English couple disappears from the home she shares with her boyfriend. A front door half ajar, and inside the house, a spatter of blood, signs of a struggle and her phone, coat, keys and passport left behind seem to say that she did not leave of her own accord. Police launch an intensive investigation. But graduate student Edith Hind has not left them much to go on.
Detective Sergeant Manon Bradshaw, a competent professional with a crumbling personal life, and her colleagues work the case with more intensity than the case of a missing adult might normally receive. Edith’s parents are influential, and the press is eager to pounce on any sign that the local police aren’t up to the job. But every lead they follow hits a dead end. When news of a body discovered in the river reaches Manon and her team they fear the worst. But the victim isn’t Edith. It’s a 17-year-old boy, a small-time drug dealer with no connection to Manon. One family’s relief becomes another’s sorrow. And still Edith is missing.
The story is told from multiple points-of-view, with Manon’s being the primary one. That technique gives readers insights they wouldn’t have if the plot were filtered through Manon’s eyes only. It also gives the author Susie Steiner wide scope for some lovely writing and wickedly amusing observations.
I was drawn to this book because I’m very fond of British police procedurals, but this one struck me as a character study as much as a detective story. I’m not citing that as a flaw. I enjoyed the book very much and will soon be moving on to the next one in the series. However, it isn’t a straight-down-the-line procedural. That said, there is a twisty mystery at its heart, with plenty of red herrings, hidden-in-plain-sight clues, and a satisfyingly surprising ending. I highly recommend it.
Thoughtful full-blown characters bring to life 21st century issues in London – any city, really – as realistic detective struggles with issues we all face while working with colleagues to unravel overlapping crimes. Race, love, children, careers, justice system – the whole shebang beautifully articulated in this slice of thre world.
I really could not predict the ending of this book. I think it only took me a few days to read it because I so desperately wanted to find out how the story ends.
This is another entertaining mystery read, and worth the time.
Humorous, heart felt and mysterious. An English mystery that keeps you entertained with the witty one liners and great character development. Looking forward to the next Susie Steiner book.
great characters
I couldn’t stop reading this book. There was more than one twist near the end. I loved the characters from the police department. I hav always said the writers from Great Britain are the best mystery writers, and this book is one more proof!
Good writing, and interesting new police characters. I have bought the 2nd book in series.
I would like to thank Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book. It took me a while to actually pick this book up because of uni and just life getting in the way which made it hard for me to read. But I finally did read this book and I didn’t really like it, I couldn’t get into the writing and honestly all the way through I was just like when is this going to end. I wouldn’t say it’s a fast-paced novel, obviously, it’s a mystery so it does need a pace but erm that really distracted me for this.
I feel like for me getting back into mystery this maybe was not the best book to start off with, there were quite a few characters we had multiple POVs which wasn’t a bad thing, I really liked the multiple POV because it helped to see in each of the characters’ head and what they were thinking.
The plot was very complex the main thing was Edith going missing but the author managed to weave some other plot points into it including personal lives and other things. The way that everything linked to the main plot truly was clever and I really enjoyed how complex it was, and to be honest at no point in this story could I guess what was about to happen. I had no idea there was loads of twists and turns and I didn’t guess any of them which is always good. Sometimes it sucks when I guess plot points.
Detective Manon was a really interesting character and she was very complex with being in charge of the case and trying to keep everything away from the press as well as trying to solve the case. We also saw into her personal life and we saw how much she wanted a life away from her job and she kept trying online dating as well as dates to try and do this, we also discovered that she didn’t really talk to the family. I love the fact there were many different sides of her character. It wasn’t just her character it was all the characters that were very 3D. I did care about this character and what she was going to do with her life.
Detective Davy he works with Manon and honestly I loved the friendship those two have at times they just bounced off each other and I really loved the chapters of Davy and I did just love his chapters that’s all I have to say about him.
Edith, we don’t see much of, she is the person who has gone missing and we learn about her life from other people and what she was involved in, we do get her reasons for everything at the end of the book but I really didn’t like her and I honestly couldn’t care about the fact that she had gone missing.
Miriam was Edith’s mother she showed a lot just how much she missed and cared about Edith but again I really didn’t care about what happened to her. The concern she had for her daughter was fair enough but it was quite annoying when they didn’t want certain knowledge about her daughter getting out because it would make them look bad as well as her. The knowledge they wanted to release to me really wasn’t damaging to her as a person it was just choices she had made so there was no reason to protect that. Her husband Ian and Edith’s father he was dodgy from the beginning I really can’t go into much more detail because it gives it away.
Her husband Will I think he may have been called I really can’t remember that’s how effective he was to me in this book I felt like at times he used the fact his wife had gone missing just as publicity because he does go on television and I felt like he was just using it.
As I say I wasn’t a fan of the writing though it was good writing I just couldn’t get into it, but it was a good novel just not for me. What was a big plus was that this was set in England, so when the writer was talking about places and stuff I actually knew where it was so that was a big plus.
Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner: Another terrific Detective Sargent Manon Bradshaw investigation into a missing person in Cambridgeshire. This British police procedural ticks all the excitement boxes in the storyline. Recommended read.
This was a easy great book I enjoyed it a lot
I read one or two mystery/thriller novels a week. This is a first-rate writer and a very good story. I’m eager to read more of her work.
I really liked it right up to the end which felt forced. Very strong characters and plotting.
I liked this book and the protagonist. It was a fast read and I got the next one. Not so good.
very different from the usual crime story,liked it
An Unpredictable Ending. A bit slow paced at times, but good.
Started out slow but then grabs you and takes you on a roller coaster ride
Anyone would enjoy the mystery in this book but women will identify with the angst of the dedicated detective suffering through internet dating, baby envy and a clock that never stops ticking. I’m probably being unfair to men as they suffer with internet dating too. As a matter of fact I was pleasantly surprised at the sympathy expressed by the detective’s male partner. All the characters were well drawn and each character named chapter by chapter worked to achieve this. The mystery was great but the exploration of mother love is the best reason to read this book.
Great new writer. Loved the heroine. Loved the story and could not put the book down. And I am now very hard to please. Look forward to her books in the future.
Just plain wonderful writing!!! This author has heart. Her books are much more than mysteries. Excellent!