Missing, Presumed; Susie Steiner<\/p>\n
For every damsel-in-distress-falls-for-handsome-detective-white-knight-hero mystery (that I admittedly love) there is a better, grander, unpredictable and more complex mystery novel that needs to be read. Susie Steiner’s novel Missing, Presumed is one of those (and her second novel – covered in a separate review – is another).<\/p>\n
The lead character, Manon, is smart, abrasive, \u00a0flawed and extremely difficult to like. And yet I like her! She doesn’t conform to obvious female stereotypes, and yet is bound by them. She unapologetically sleeps with people she dates, not as a means to exert power, but as a way to get rid of them more easily. \u00a0She competes with a younger, male coworker for the attentions of her misogynist veteran boss. She has an estranged sister as a result of some unresolved grudge from long past. I suspect many people would have difficulty liking her, but I would challenge those people to honestly ask themselves if their feelings would be different if she were a man. Or, more specifically, if she were a ruggedly handsome man. It’s my experience (and therefore not at all applicable to anyone else) that ruggedly handsome flawed men are seen as characters that can be “saved” by the right women, but nondescript flawed women are simply seen as tiresome at best, and bitches at worst. Just my experience. Feel free to disagree, and let’s discuss.<\/p>\n
What I liked most about the story itself is that, while there were many little surprises and unexpected turns, there wasn’t one big twist that could easily be spoiled simply by knowing that there was a twist. The ending did have a bit of \u00a0a “let’s wrap this up” feel, but for a first novel to introduce a diverse set of interesting characters, I really enjoyed it.<\/p>\n
Rating: Borrow it. Save your money, because this is going to turn into a multi-book series.<\/p>\n
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Missing, Presumed; Susie Steiner For every damsel-in-distress-falls-for-handsome-detective-white-knight-hero mystery (that I admittedly love) there is a better, grander, unpredictable and more complex mystery novel that needs to be read. Susie Steiner’s novel Missing, Presumed is one of those (and her second … Continue reading