Find out what Mumsnetters thought of Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

It held my interest and I didn't see the twist coming. Good read, entertaining.

I won a copy and did try to read it. I'm afraid it's just not for me - it concentrates too much on the characters and not really enough on the plot. But that's my opinion - there will be lots of people who do enjoy the book, I'm sure.

Hi
Thanks for the chance to read the book.
I did enjoy it, and happily raced through it, but I did think it started off strong and ended more weakly. As previous reviews say, the first 72 hours of the byline passed very quickly! I did like Manon, didn't think we really needed all her sex life though. Some of the descriptions were clunky, the continued reference to the boss's slipping brastrap really riled me.
Not as good as similar crime mysteries such as I let you go and Girls on a train.

Am about 2/3 of the way through this book and am loving it. This is my usual type of book but is an author I've not read before and will definitely be seeking out more books by her. I like books that separate chapters by character so you get to know them individually, I like police procedurals and a good mystery and this ticks all the boxes. I can also honestly say I don't know who the culprit is going to be, can't wait to keep reading.

A great read, cleverly written. Really enjoyed it and miss it now I've finished it. I look forward to more from this author

I was lucky enough to receive this book in the giveaway. I love it so far. I haven't finished it yet so I will mark the place and review when I've finished. First impressions good.

I am having great difficulty getting into this book. Normally I can sit and read a book in a few days but I have only managed to read to page 188 so far.

The way the chapters are done from the viewpoint of the different characters is very hard to read. It jumps too quickly from one to the next and I get lost on who's viewpoint it is.

The storyline is very slow and too much of the book (so far) is about Manons love life (or lack of it).

I love a mystery book and this is really well written. I'm 3/4 of the way through and have really no idea how it will end, which is brilliant. I'm definitely going to read more from this author as I love her writing style. Thank you for sending me a copy.

Was so excited to receive this as looks exactly like my kind of book! But...struggling to get into it, not sure why. Maybe the detectives seem a little miserable? Anyway will persevere...

I really enjoyed this book as this is my favourite type of book. I liked the twist at the end which kept me gripped all tye way through. I thought the different characters narrating certain parts was good and added to the story but also kept the focus on manon as the main narrator. A great read!

There are two main characters in this novel. Edith is Cambridge post graduate, and she is missing in suspicious circumstances. We don’t meet her in the story, but learn a lot about her. We are led to believe she is perfectly innocent, ‘resourceful, clever and talented”, but then her character is in doubt, there is an element of selfishness, and sexuality
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Was she killed, or did she disappear, and if so why? DS Manon Bradshaw is investigating the case. The police work is almost eclipsed by her love life though, as she tries to meet someone by on line dating. She is unsuccessful, but finally meets an unexpected person in an unexpected way – someone to share her life with.

The book is well written, with descriptive observations. Edith’s parents described as “silvery in their ageing, as if covered by a hoar frost”. The tired detectives leave the office – “coats threaded onto leaden arms, bags gathered, families phoned”. “The night air drips with moisture, dank and lonely”

There are also some thoughts about life. Manon is alone, and should feel a sense of freedom with no one to answer to, but concludes that there is such a thing of a surfeit of freedom, a sort of weightless free fall through nothing. The assumption that Christmas and holidays should be enjoyable and the guilt felt when the enjoyment is slightly out of reach. Edith has had a lot of expectations heaped on her shoulders by her parents, perhaps she needs to escape and find herself?

Several threads in the book appear to be separate, but finally come together to solve the mystery. There are personal disasters, but no-one intended harm – things happened in a chain of events that started quite innocently. The road not taken, or rather taken and the route muddled through.

I liked the humour in the book, which stopped it getting too heavy. Humour, people and crime woven together in a very compulsive read.

Only halfway through and I'm loving this book..Its well written and the plot is enthralling

I haven't read all the comments yet as I haven't quite finished the book - a cause of some frustration as I was thoroughly enjoying it but am away from home and left the book behind. So far I can say that the characters are proving interesting and the plot is twisty and I can't wait to find out what happens. Thanks Mumsnet, it's a hit!

I loved this book. I thought Manon was a fantastic character and particularly loved her internet dates. I've heard there will be more books with her in and can't wait to read them. I also think a production company should snap up the rights to this, if they haven't already.

The characters were really well drawn - I loved how complicated their lives were. The media presence was frightening, particularly once they'd discovered something salacious about the dead person. Susie Steiner has written a gripping novel which kept me up late at night. Both the plot and the characters have stayed with me since reading it and at odd moments something Manon said will come back to me and I'll burst out laughing. Bit embarrassing at times!

Hi, I'm about three quarters of the way through this book and whilst I am enjoying it when I pick it up it isn't a riveting read that I'm desperate to get to the end if and know what happens.

I like most of the characters but it's been quite slow. The blurb on the back and the strap line made it seem as though the first 72 hours were vital and that we'd have a fast paced desperate race to find her before they were up but the deadline came and went and we're now weeks past it and seemingly no nearer to knowing what happened. I would have preferred something with more pace and action not the plodding. I've almost lost interest in the victim and what may have happened.

It's a shame as I like the writing style on the whole and, as I've said before, the characters.

i just finished it yesterday !

very , very good - and i read a lot of these type of books - most of them are a very obvious who dunnit but this is great. I genuinely did not see the ending coming and if you liked Girl on The Train you would love this

I have already looked at other books by the same author to add to my reading list !

Having just finished reading this I have to say that I found it quite slow moving yet it kept my attention. I usually read more gritty crime thrillers that keep the reader in suspense so I was slightly disappointed at the amount of mundane material.
Having said that I'm looking forward to reading more by Susie Steiner.

Have received my copy of Missing Presumed. Look forward to reading it. Thank you.

I have just finished reading this.

It took me longer to read than a similar book usually would because it just didn't grip me. I loved the style of writing and the little details but it became too much about the mundane and not enough about the actual story so I found myself getting bored.

Maybe the aim was to look at a crime investigation realistically, but generally I think people read crime fiction to be gripped by a fast paced story. I know I do.

Miriam annoyed me at the end, basically saying what Edith did was worse than what Ian did and all the standing by him shit. I don't think we learned anything from hearing Miriams perspective and it didn't move the story along at all.

I did like the relationship between Manon and Fly, and I thought the disintegration of her relationship with Alan was uncomfortably realistic, which was good.

So generally I feel like the issues were with the story, not the writing, and for that reason I would read this author again with hopes for a faster paced and more gripping story.

I really liked this book - especially because I am from Cambridge so recognised lots of the places and descriptions.

I really liked the fact that each chapter was written form one character's perspective (except sometimes when I wanted more from a particular character). The difficult relationships brought it to life for me - and it would have been too clean if Manon and Davy had have found love. I loved the back story of internet dating and then meeting someone like Alan Prenderghast who is just in it for himself. At one point I wondered if Davy and Monon would get together.

I would have liked to have known a bit more about Edith's lovers. And her tutor and uni was totally believable too.

The bit I really didn't like was the "sorted" ending which didn't seem to fit - guess I wanted it to be more messy, coz that would have seemed more real.

I would definitely recommend this book to others and would read more by the same author.

I'm loving this book, am almost at the end and finding the story gripping. I really hope there is a happy ending for Manon. I will definitely watch out for this author again.

Thank you for my copy! I really enjoyed it & will definitely pass it on 😊 I enjoyed all the different story lines & perspectives & was not expecting the ending, I would definitely read something else from this author

Many thanks for the opportunity to review this book and apologies for the delay in writing my review...I had a couple of books I wanted to read before I could get stuck into "Missing Presumed".

I really enjoyed this book! No, it wasn't a particularly thrilling thriller. There were no moments which had me on the edge of my seat. But it was a well written, gripping story. I really liked Manon and so wanted her to find her happy ending, (which I suppose she did, though not in the way we were hoping! ) I loathed Alan Prenderghast! Thank God that didn't work out!

Yes the plot was far fetched, yes the ending was perhaps a bit weak but overall it was a most enjoyable read. My husband is looking forward to tackling it now.

Thank you for my copy. I felt that the book was overly long and padded out with often annoying descriptions : 'he'd felt completely lost. like a sad hole had opened up beneath him'.
Harriet repeatedly adjusting her bra strap was distracting and there were story lines that were difficult to believe, , like Miriam visiting the clairvoyant. Manon was not a sympathetic protagonist and the writing in the first person was annoying,
However, overall I enjoyed the book and wanted to keep reading to see what happened, but as others have suggested, the ending was a bit of an anti-climax.

Thank you for my book.

I love a good thriller / crime novel and this one started out well. I didn't gel with the main character, Manon, but I've noticed that is becoming a trend in modern books / shows of this genre.

At first, I found myself thinking of the plot between reading sessions, which is always a good sign, but found that the book started to drag in the middle a bit. I did, at times, feel that I was reading a wannabe screen play rather than a novel.

Overall it was a good read and I would be willing to read more from this author.