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A review by cgj13
Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner
3.0
**** I received this book as an advanced reader copy through NetGalley****
I would give this a 3.5.
The good:
This book did not follow the same format as Gone Girl or Girl on a Train, and that is a good thing. Those type of domestic suspense just leave you with a bad taste in your mouth and no genuine protagonist to root for. It has been touted as a literary mystery for Kate Atkinson and Tana French readers--I am not familiar with either of those others, so I can't make that comparison.
I was kept guessing right until the end. I had a suspicion or two of who did it, but it wasn't ever a clear cut choice. This left me wanting more and kept me turning the pages way into the night
The bad:
The incomplete backstories. We learn tons about Edith, but Manon's history is only marginally hinted at, not to the degree where we can see how her past truly affects her lack of personal connection now.
The intense love story for Manon, that fizzles out as quickly as it started. What's with that?
Too much going on with side stories. Why bring up Stuart--what does he add to the mystery? And the switch from the missing persons case to the life resolutions of Manon with her sister and Fly. Too much to follow, without enough pages devoted to telling the whole story.
The in-between:
The lack of strong women--REALLY!!!! Although, Manon seems like a strong independent woman on the surface, there are bits of her that show her strength, but she is quite reserved and hasn't learned to live a whole with these. Edith runs and hides. Blah--make them strong.
The inconsequential:
I couldn't follow all the vernacular. This is not a downfall of the book, just an observation that made me have to work harder to understand what was going on.
I would give this a 3.5.
The good:
This book did not follow the same format as Gone Girl or Girl on a Train, and that is a good thing. Those type of domestic suspense just leave you with a bad taste in your mouth and no genuine protagonist to root for. It has been touted as a literary mystery for Kate Atkinson and Tana French readers--I am not familiar with either of those others, so I can't make that comparison.
I was kept guessing right until the end. I had a suspicion or two of who did it, but it wasn't ever a clear cut choice. This left me wanting more and kept me turning the pages way into the night
The bad:
The incomplete backstories. We learn tons about Edith, but Manon's history is only marginally hinted at, not to the degree where we can see how her past truly affects her lack of personal connection now.
The intense love story for Manon, that fizzles out as quickly as it started. What's with that?
Too much going on with side stories. Why bring up Stuart--what does he add to the mystery? And the switch from the missing persons case to the life resolutions of Manon with her sister and Fly. Too much to follow, without enough pages devoted to telling the whole story.
The in-between:
The lack of strong women--REALLY!!!! Although, Manon seems like a strong independent woman on the surface, there are bits of her that show her strength, but she is quite reserved and hasn't learned to live a whole with these. Edith runs and hides. Blah--make them strong.
The inconsequential:
I couldn't follow all the vernacular. This is not a downfall of the book, just an observation that made me have to work harder to understand what was going on.