Susie Steiner

Susie Steiner grew up in north London, studied English at university and trained as a journalist. She worked in newspapers for 20 years, 11 of them on staff at The Guardian. Her first novel, Homecoming, was published to critical acclaim in 2013. Her second, Missing, Presumed was a Sunday Times bestseller which introduced detective Manon Bradshaw. It was a Richard & Judy book club pick and has sold 200,000 copies to date in the UK. Missing, Presumed was selected as one of the Guardian’s, Wall Street Journal’s and NPR's standout books of 2016. It was longlisted for the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year. Persons Unknown, the sequel to Missing, Presumed, is her third novel.

Recently I asked Steiner about what she was reading. Her reply:

The Dry, by Jane Harper

I loved this whodunnit which is so accomplished, I couldn't believe it was a debut. The setting is outback Australia, a small town under massive pressure from drought which is killing livestock. The murder of the Hadler family is at the centre of this novel and everyone is under suspicion. The pace is whiplike and the writing is heaven.

The Fact of a Body, by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

This non-fiction work blends true crime with memoir in a way I've never seen before. This book is an uncomfortable read, casting its unflinching gaze and guilt and forgiveness. It is the most compelling book I've read in a long time - if you liked the Serial podcast or Making of a Murderer, it's similarly addictive. However, it's also intellectually exacting and rigorous, rather than salacious. A very fine balance.

The Page 69 Test: Missing, Presumed.

My Book, The Movie: Missing, Presumed.

--Marshal Zeringue