Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner
“Mid-December, and Cambridgeshire is blanketed with snow. Detective Sergeant Manon Bradshaw tries to sleep after yet another soul-destroying Internet date – the low murmuring of her police radio her only solace.
Over the airwaves come reports of a missing woman – door ajar, keys and phone left behind, a spatter of blood on the kitchen floor. Manon knows the first 72 hours are critical: you find her, or you look for a body. And as soon as she sees a picture of Edith Hind, a Cambridge post-graduate from a well-connected family, she knows this case will be big.
Is Edith alive or dead? Was her ‘complex love life’ at the heart of her disappearance, as a senior officer tells the increasingly hungry press? And when a body is found, is it the end or only the beginning?” Goodreads Summary
I was really excited to pick up this novel at the library as it had come highly recommended. However, I was not completely enthused with the story. As we follow Manon through her investigations, her character is exaggerated at times and therefore, hard to relate to as a reader.
The mystery itself is interesting, complete with family drama and intrigue. I did like the use of class conflict within the investigation to add some spice, but I was left wanting. My ideal mystery novel keeps me on the edge of my seat, but this was no page-turner. Good potential, but my attention wandered during this underdeveloped story. 2.5 stars from me.
Beth's Book Blurbs 