Recently Read: Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

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Keywords: Police procedural, kidnapping, British crime fiction, female detective fiction, Manon Bradshaw series

This was an accidental read. My wife checked it out as an ebook from our public library and since we share the amazon account it ended up on my Kindle as well as hers.

Manon Bradshaw is a female detective sergeant in the Cambridgshire Constabulary. Cambridgshire is a county in the East of England. On a cold, snowy night, near the Christmas holidays, she is called to the house Will Carter returns to the hoe he shares with girlfriend Edith Hind to find her missing. Her phone, car keys, passport, and winter outerwear are still in the house, the door was open, and there is a significant amount of blood on the floor. Edith is considered a high-risk misper, not only because of the circumstances but because she is the daughter of Sir Ian Hind. Sir Ian is connected in government, loud, demanding, not at all understanding of police procedures. So with intense pressure to solve the case swiftly, the search is on.

As with all procedurals, the police have to investigate all aspects of the victims life no matter how unconnected they may seem. This is a source of conflict since Sir Ian just wants them to arrest the most promising suspect and stop messing about with irrelevant details. For the reader these multiple paths to the investigation begin to peel away at what we know about the victim. Sometimes the investigation might lead to further tragedy.

This was a fun read. Manon is cynical and snarky like I like my British detectives. Her personal life is a mess. On the cusp of her forties, she despairs of finding a relationship and her efforts at online dating have all been wash-outs with no prospects for getting any better. The dates provide humor though her feelings afterwords are sad.

The chapters are told from the viewpoints of five characters, two of which are police officers, Manon and Detective Davy Walker, young, earnest, a promising detective, and admiring of Manon, with his own personal problems.

The personal issues of the two detectives don't get in the way of the story which I appreciated but serve to show who they are and why they act the way they do.

Missing, Presumed was published in 2016. The sequel, Persons Unknown, is now available. I suspect I will continue with this series.