My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Random House
Summary: At thirty-nine, 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 reported missing for nearly twenty-four 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 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, and 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.
This book was the sort that made me wish I had someone to chat to who was reading along & say "Can you believe that?!" There were moments when I actually recoiled in surprise and then there were the moments where I issued shocked laughter.
When I went into this I thought it was going to be mostly about the mystery of Edie's disappearance. It turned out that this read more like a first in a detective series. The case was followed but what shone through more importantly was the lives of the detectives and how those threads wove together in other ways (some case related & others not). They mystery, in its resolution, was a bit of a let down. I was glad to know the answers but the answers irritated me (as in "That's it? Seriously?!"). The only thing that pulled me back on my rage was realizing that I could completely see a case resolution going just that way in real life. It's not anything that will shock or amaze most readers but it did have all its threads neatly tied. The characters, Manon, Davy especially and to a lesser extent, Harriet, were where the best things about this book were hung. Of the Hinds, Miriam was the best rendered and I wish there was more Rollo. Fly was a very good addition and I liked him so much that I was actually sad when I realized I'd reached the end of the book.
If this is the first book in a series, I will be looking forward to reading the next. Definitely recommended and I'll keep a lookout for future books by the author. This is definitely a very good debut.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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