The book was not readable, but not quite as deep as I thought it was going to go from the cover. The story was quite straight forward, maybe I was expecting something a little more complex. The characters were fully formed and empathetic, but I was hoping for more twists. Easy read.

Through alternating perspectives, Missing, Presumed follows the investigation into a young woman's disappearance in an engaging and somewhat unique way. With a few notable but brief exceptions, the narration is handled by the victim's mother and the two main detectives on the case -- typically bright and optimistic Davy and his opposite, Manon.

Over the course of the atypically long and lead-starved investigation, there is far greater "inside baseball" into the political and budget concerns of the investigation, the effects on the personal lives of the detectives, the team dynamics, etc. Manon and Davy actually swap moods as a result of changes in their personal lives that are somewhat connected to the case, and that gives them a greater semblance of humanity as well as helps make the passage of time more apparent.

There are certainly several standard scenes -- interviewing the boyfriend, parents, other friends; local lowlifes, etc -- but those are also handled with good mixes of humor, depth, and twists. Even if you pick up some foreshadowing about who might be involved, HOW they are involved is inventive.

There are some great supporting characters rounding out the scene, such as the handsome but boring boyfriend, a teen named Fly, and members of the police team.

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Missing Presumed came out at the same time as All the Missing Girls and I decided I could only handle one missing girl story in the summer so I went with All the Missing Girls. This book was selected for our local book club and it also had received a lot of buzz from critics. I would not say this was a bad book, but I will say that I discovered that I do not enjoy police procedural books very much at all. The reason I am including it though is that I know many of you do so this might be a perfect pick for you especially if you are a fan of British mysteries.

This explores the case of a wealthy college girl who goes missing and the 72-hours that are spent trying to find where this girl went. With no signs of struggle and no real evidence left behind, the police have a case that seems almost impossible to solve. They begin with her closest friends and boyfriend, looking for any information that they can to find Edith. The reader gets to go through the case from start to finish, interview by interview, leading up to the discovery of what happened to Edith.

If you love a good British mystery, this book just might be for you! For me, not my favorite!

I loved this book! It kept me turning pages late at night to see what was happening next!

Thoroughly interesting and captivating, a must-read.

Thirty-nine year old DS Manon Bradshaw of the Cambridgeshire Constabulary has tried Internet dating with unimpressive results--she considers herself a "misanthrope, staring down the barrel of childlessness" who gives off "WoD (a Whiff of Desperation)"; she has been unable to settle down with a romantic partner and worries that she will remain single forever. Manon is a dedicated detective who is good at her job and gets along well with her boss, DI Harriet Harper, and other members of the Major Incident Team. Their latest case involves the mysterious disappearance of Edith Hind, a twenty-four year old woman whose father is a well-connected and prominent surgeon. In Susie Steiner's "Missing, Presumed," the police meticulously follow up every lead, but as the weeks pass, they have little to show for their efforts.

Steiner's wit, clever turns of phrase ("the loneliness rising off her like a mist"), solid descriptive writing, and intriguing character development turn what might have been a run-of-the-mill police procedural into an engrossing and entertaining novel. We grow to care about the self-deprecating and quirky Manon even when she behaves foolishly, because she is so good-hearted, smart, and funny. We are pleased when she finally has a chance at to form a relationship with the man of dreams, but is he the right one for her? Meanwhile, as the search for Edie widens, Manon and company look at a former prison inmate, a professor, and a close female friend of Edie for information that could lead to a breakthrough.

As is common in this genre, predatory reporters in search of a juicy story relentlessly harass the missing person’s family and friends. In addition, people's secrets, lies, and betrayals invariably come back to haunt them. Steiner breaks new ground with a touching subplot about Manon's growing concern for an eleven-year-old boy, Fly Dent, who has no one to care for him. In addition, Manon shows a newfound determination to reorder her priorities. She and her colleague, DC Davy Walker, both come to realize that their private lives are as significant as their professional accomplishments. The plot of "Missing, Presumed" has some clever twists and a bittersweet yet satisfying ending.

This book bored me. It dragged. It took a long time to get into. I was close to quitting.

Solving a murder mystery should be filled with twists and turns. There were some twists and turns but nothing that left my heart racing. Oftentimes the investigation was left behind to fill chapters about Manon's love life which was a mess. It was a disappointment every time I was left to read about Manon's dates. The only reason I felt Alan should have even been included was if he were placed into her life as a strategy to keep tabs on her investigation. Alas, he was just another horrible attempt to make Manon's relatable to the reader.