Missing, Presumed Undead is Elmore Leonard meets Dashiel Hammett meets Terry Pratchett with China Mieville peering through the window (they got along fine until Terry spilt his tea all over Elmore's Italian sports jacket...). It has an intriguing mystery driven plot, dipped in funny syrup and set in a classical fantasy-style world with the mood and magic driven "technology" of a Casablanca-style 30's detective story. It isn't so much hard boiled as char grilled, with a side salad.