Missing, Presumed

A Novel

By: Susie Steiner

Narrated by: Juanita McMahon

For listeners of Kate Atkinson and Tana French comes a pause-resisting literary mystery that brings to life the complex and wholly relatable Manon Bradshaw, a strong-willed detective assigned to a high-risk missing person case.

At 39, 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 24 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.

©2016 Susie Steiner (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"An extraordinarily assured police procedural in the tradition of Ruth Rendell and Elizabeth George." (Joseph Finder, author of The Fixer)

"A vein of dark humor pulses beneath this compelling whodunit with an appealing, complicated heroine at its center." ( Publishers Weekly)

"A highly charismatic and engaging story.... This novel stands out from the pack." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Not worth your time

Any additional comments?

I found this story to be very boring. It started off slow and didn't have many exciting or interesting parts. I kept listening and thinking it would get better towards the end, but it just never did.

Excellent writing, excellent narration!

An extremely well written story! Am looking forward to the author's next book. Reminds me of Ruth Rendell.

High on sub-plots low on suspense

liked the book, loved the performance. a fair amount of trivial subplots that didn't apply.

A mystery lover's treat!

This is one of those books I couldn't put down, but didn't want it to end. I did read on Amazon that this author's next book is about this same character, which makes me feel a lot better - I don't want to say goodbye to her!

I can't say enough good things about this book. The characters are real, and at times very funny. I laughed out loud a lot! They're also full of issues, longing, vulnerability, and they tend to kick themselves around a bit, especially the main character.

The narration was superb. There are men's voices, women's voices, and children's voices, and everyone has a lovely British accent. With this book, the narration enhanced the story - which is often not the case with audiobooks. I haven't enjoyed narration so much since I finished "The Help" and "Angela's Ashes."

This book is on a par with those written by Tana French and Robert Galbraith. I wait eagerly for their next books, and this author has been added to that list.

Loved this book!

For those of us that enjoy a mystery that is wrapped inside complex characters, often flawed characters, this is a must read. I enjoy serial stories, so hope that this is just the beginning of Manon and Fly's story.

One of the best yet

This book held my attention throughout, I loved it, what more can I say? I read a lot and this was most enjoyable.

What a great character!

Love Manon Bradshaw! Hope Audible continues to get this series. It's truly one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a while and a great intro to a very complex character. Funny and heartwarming too. McMahon's performance is flawless.

Really slow but great characters!

I liked this book overall. It's definitely a different style than I'm used to, it requires more focus... so I couldn't listen as often as I normally would. I think I'll try her next novel because I care about the characters. Hope there's a little more action in this one and not quite as much flowery language.. OR maybe it'll make me appreciate the style more! Regardless, I recommend trying it out.

Terrific audio performance of a classic British mystery

Really enjoyed this one! Female copper is a little more weepy and discombobulated than your typical Kinsey Millhone or VI Warshowski, but likable all the same. Mystery plot is complex and unpredictable. Stellar audio performance.

Kept my attention and it was a fun listen.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I really enjoyed both the story and especially the characters.

Which character – as performed by Juanita McMahon – was your favorite?

Definitely Detective Manon Bradshaw. Hopefully there are more books with the young detective as the central character.