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

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This week we're spoiling you and giving away a massive 300 copies of Missing, Presumed! Head to the giveaway page to apply - plus read the top tips on writing crime fiction from author Susie Steiner.

Missing, Presumed tells the story of a missing girl, a desperate family, and a detective at breaking point.

We ask all winners to share their thoughts about the book on this discussion thread. However, you don't have to win a free copy to take part in the discussion - anyone who has read Missing, Presumed can post their feedback here (and you can buy the book now).

Everyone who posts on this thread before 21 October will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Love2shop voucher.

This giveaway is sponsored by HarperCollins

Ok I've read a bit more and I hate the references to the Soham murders of Holly and Jessica.

It feels dirty to use a fairly recent real crime to help write a fictional book.

I'm not sure if I want to keep reading.

I appreciate that I'm probably weird in this but it's leaving a nasty taste in my mouth.

Have just finished this book, what a page turner. Not the kind of book that I would normally read, however I found it to be very well written and I was hooked within the first few pages. I was kept guessing right until the very end, with twists and turns that I did not expect to happen at all. A great book that you will find hard to put down.

Just finished it!

Not your standard crime novel.

Characters are so well shaped that by the end of it, you feel like they are part of your own personall past. Someone you regularly had coffee with, before you changed schools or jobs? Someone you know at a level of actually anticipating their reaction.

I wouldn't praise so much the plot as the actual build-up. Intriguing enough to keep you turning the pages, but not at the point of no-way, life-is-not-a-James-Bond-movie, that other crime novels create.

Gradually bonding you so much with the characters that you can see both a good and bad side to them, which make them so much more believable and easy to relate to.

All in all the book was a happy surprise that I would gladly recommend.

A superb crime novel, a fascinating conundrum, beautifully written, and peopled by well rounded characters, with all the foibles of everyday folk. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to any other books she writes. Thank you Mumsnet for the opportunity to review it, and as they say I feel positive about this as it's a great book, not because it was free. Well worth reading.

Found this a bit slow in places, but was a good read with lots of twists and turns, very well written and contains great humor.
Thanks for the free copy.

Thank you for my copy of Missing Presumed which I raced through in a day. It was a very easy read with enough characters and sub plots to keep interest. I have mixed feelings about the authors' way of inserting real characters or news events into a fictional situation though... In the case of mentioning Soham I think it worked well as it was used to show the difficult decisions facing the police force and press intrusion. When you have "Sam having more time now she's left Smythson" then I found it clunky and rather ridiculous....Not a big criticism just worth a mention!
I really enjoyed the book as a whole, but I did find the ending rather a let down. I would probably read another if the plot sounded interesting. An easy, entertaining read.

KIND OF SPOILERS ALERT

It was easy enough to read, but overall, I didn't like it much. Sorry.

Manon went beyond relatably-imperfect to, well, a bit pathetic. I was embarrassed for her.
Few of the characters were remotely likeable, which meant that certain plot points were robbed of their impact.

The copy I received had "72 hours to find her..." splashed across the front. I think that was a mistake on the publisher's part because the 72-hour deadline passes when there are over 300 pages of the book still to go. It makes it feel like an anticlimax, and the structure of the book unwieldy.

I didn't like the tortured similes. It felt a bit Creative Writing class. For example, the opening sentence "She can feel hope ebbing, like the Christmas lights on fade in Pound Saver." DH just laughed.

And the too-neat ending really pissed me off. It was kind of patronising, in a way. Like 'Here ladies! Have a gritty meaningless sex grim murder story, but don't worry, we'll give it a pink fluffy ending so you don't get upset and cry.'

This book was pacey enough to not get bored, I liked the different mix of characters who each told bits of the story, and there were enough clues to make you guess but not enough to think you already know what's happened.
The introduction of 'real life' into the story was well handled by the author, although its made me realise I don't want to read about using social media - I prefer to read to escape such things!
Overall I'm glad I read the book, I wouldn't rave about it as a must read but would recommend it to others.
Thanks for the free copy!

I'm always stunned that I can read the same book and totally disagree with other people's views on things like whether it was well written!

So I did finish it. As I said I hated the Soham reference. I didn't love the book at all; it was okay but plodding and I felt nothing really happened.

All the characters being linked was silly, I like a few red herrings.

Ending was daft.

My copy took a while to arrive but was worth the wait. I really enjoyed reading 'Missing, Presumed' and though DS Manon Bradshaw was a warm and human lead character, also really funny at times. The story was gripping, making it a bit a of a page turner and it had no trouble keeping my attention. The way the chapters are from the perspective of different characters was interesting and the way the story builds made it well-paced and a good read.

Gripping read - I really didn't see the end coming!
Written at a good pace, I didn't skim read any of it!
Realistic characters, solid plot, nothing left unfinished.
I'd definitely recommend this book!

Copy arrived last week and I am about half way through.

I like the protagonist Bradshaw. However it is an easy read but so far not gripping.

Thank you for my copy of Missing, Presumed , which I've nearly finished reading.
I've had a theory in my head as to what happened to Edith from a few chapters into the book, and I can't wait to find out if I'm right or not.

Enjoying the story so far, but find DS Manon Bradshaw a very sad character indeed.. I just hope she finds a bit of happiness in future books of the series.

I think my biggest issue with the book was that the blurb really didn't match the content. The blurb implied it was a tense, gripping mystery. Instead, I would describe it as slow-plodding exploration of the hole left behind when people go missing. It was kind of interesting to see the effect on the mother and investigating officer, but it could have been executed in a better way. I felt that the switching over of perspectives started to get confusing, therefore I often had to leaf back through the book to remember who someone was. Also, I don't understand why third person narrative was used in a book that keeps switching perspective, made for quite a clunky read. I guess some would argue the author was trying to underline the frustratingly slow pace that the investigation was taking.

All in all, it wasn't a bad book by any means. Just a bit clunky and could do with a more accurate description. Would be interested to see if Manon gets her own series of books, as would consider reading it.

book received and in the queue for reading! Won't read any posts yet as I don't want to spoil it!

I could not put this book down, it is a real page turner. What I also like is there is constant surprises that you weren't expecting. Great read right to the end with the plot still going but not dragged out like some other books I have read. I defiantly was not expecting the end to unravel like it did. Though one thing I would say is really would someone in the police service have a close relationship with the boy, makes you question the professionality but then again it is fiction the rules can be broken! Definitely recommend it though as it is something that might not have thought about trying out so it is good to try something new and refreshing.

I have recently finished reading this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. Once I picked up the book I could not put it down! Brilliantly written and great story. However - I wasn't that impressed with the ending. I'm definitely going to check out more of Susie Steiners books!

Really getting into this book after receiving my copy im only on the third chapter its a little slow paced but manon is a likeable character and hoping the storlyline pace will soon pick up soon , I like suspense in a crime novel

I have received a copy of the book! Thanks Mumsnet. Started reading and so far it's grabbed my attention! Review to follow!

I received my book thank you and finished it last night.
I have to say I didn't enjoy it.I found the flitting from character to character too brief, so you didn't get to know them. I thought it would be a book about someone who was missing, whereas the focus was more on the other players, yes you did get snippets about Edith but not much. The book seemed to be more about the lives of the others rather than the detective work. The end was a surprise but a bit of a damp squib. All in all I was really disappointed with the story, my apologies to Susie Steiner, who I appreciate spent a lot of time on this book. However, I guess that is the point of reviews, you can't please everyone all of the time.

Ok - finished it now! I quite liked this book, and liked the details thrown in throughout.

Unfortunately, though, I didn't really like the main character - too pathetic and annoying for my liking. And whilst every good story needs characters who experience changes, I felt this went a bit too far as every single character had some major change by the time the book ended. I did work out before the end who the main instigators were, although not how it had panned out, and felt the ending was a bit too cosy and rounded with no loose ends.

That said, it was quite fun to read and I felt it did give some insight into the frustratingly slow pace of a major investigation, and the challenges the police have to deal with when the press and people of influence get involved.

Finished the book. I really enjoyed it and wouldnt hesitate to buy another one if Susie Steiner wrote another with the same characters. It was good getting to know the background of the main characters, by the end of the book I knew all about their lives outside of the job they did. I didnt guess how thw book was ging to end and so it left me inrtigued right to the end. Well done Susie lets have some more investigations by DS Bradshaw, or DI as she is by the end!!

I enjoyed this book, a well-written page-turner with some well thought-out characters you really get to know. That said, I found it frustrating that not much happened on the actual missing mystery for most of the book and indeed the 72 hours mentioned on the cover came and went without relevance.

This book arrived & I thought great this is just my cup of tea. I am only a small way in at the moment but it is gripping me so it won't take me too long to read it through. I will try to post again! Thanks

Thank you for my copy. I've really enjoyed reading the book. It has been a while since I've read a thriller - put off by too many gratuitous details about the crimes literally giving me nightmares. This book was different though. I agree the 72 hours in the subtitle is a bit confusing but the book really does describe well the chaos of a missing person / suspected murder case. I liked the range of characters within the book and how these were interlinked. I related to the main character and the pressures placed on a woman in a predominantly male profession. Also the pressures of nearing 40, wanting a family but not meeting a partner or wanting to settle. What could have been a cliched character did not appear to be and I liked the balance of the police case plot against the characterisation of Manon.