...[a] wonderfully written novel ... The author gets inside the minds and lives of her book’s socially disparate personalities with the grace of a novelist of manners, even as she pulls tight the strands of one of the most ambitious police procedurals of the year.
Manon is portrayed with an irresistible blend of sympathy and snark. By the time she hits bottom, professionally and privately, we’re entirely caught up in her story ... In some ways, Miriam is the true heroine of Missing, Presumed, and her observations are among the most affecting in a novel that ends up being as much about loneliness and longing as it is about the solving of a crime.
You might come to Missing, Presumed for the police procedural; you'll stay for the layered, authentic characters that Steiner brings to life ... the thoughtful, well-paced conclusion that Steiner gives to Missing, Presumed [is] weirdly audacious. The voices of women take center stage, and all of them achieve some kind of peace ... That's what matters to Steiner — character. It's more than enough to make this book matter to readers, even if it occasionally gets bogged down in ticking off boxes.
The novel’s plot is serviceable, possessing an appropriate roster of possible culprits and a wide array of laptops, cell phones, and CCTVs through which to rummage; still, the book’s real strength lies in its characters: their personalities, their emotions, and their little ways ... This is a most promising start to what, I hope, will be a substantial series.
