That was definitely an inspiration for Manon. I loved that so much – her complexity, the way she was brilliant but needed someone. There were lingering shots of the character sobbing uncontrollably during moments alone, not because she was weak, but because life can be such a struggle. One of my all-time favourite films is Broadcast News, starring Holly Hunter as Jane Craig – a fiercely clever, brilliant news producer who sets impossibly high standards both for herself and others. She wants to get involved, to be in a relationship, but she also doesn’t like most people and is reluctant. She is a chequered character – far from perfect.

Susie Steiner: I think Manon expresses ambivalence about most areas of life and it’s her ambivalence that has made readers respond to her so warmly.

Was there a specific flash of inspiration for her character and this particular paradox? But she’s a cop whose job requires plenty of precisely that, at all levels. Question: Manon Bradshaw acknowledges that she isn’t sure how she feels about human contact. Yes, I think one theme is family and – despite my best efforts – I seem to go back to this motif over and over (my first novel, Homecoming, is about the relationship between grown children and their parents).

Susie Steiner: I always start out with the broad arc of the story, without knowing much of the interweaving detail, so of course the final book ends up being quite a different beast from the original twitch of an idea. Question: Did you know when you started writing that the underlying theme of “family” would be one of the driving forces to Missing, Presumed? And, by the way, do you agree?

She answered my questions via email from her home in North London. Susie Steiner says she was going for a “combination of literary riffing and relationship-led meandering, with a strong narrative drive.”Ĭheck out my full review (you’ll learn the meaning of the word ‘gurn,’ if nothing else) and then come back here to read more about how Susie Steiner approaches her work. And a ticking clock, of sorts.ĭoes that make it crime fiction? Does that mean it can’t be a novel? My review is posted online at New York Journal of Books here. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy. This fabulous novel, Missing, Presumed debuts today (June 28).

Missing presumed book review