Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? She was supposed to be at her husbands birthday party but never showed up….

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Told in a dual timeline.

1990- Wife and mother Charlotte Slater doesn’t turn up to her husband’s 50th birthday party.
People of the small town East Anglia have gathered to celebrate Alec Saltzer's 50th birthday, this his four children: three sons and a daughter, but his wife Charlotte never shows up.
When the body of a close friend and neighbour, Duncan Ackerley, is found a few days after Charlotte’s disappearance the police conclude this is a murder/suicide and close the case. The only remaining question is where is Charlotte or her body?
Her vanishing marks the beginning of a series of tragic events that haunts the lives of both families and the town for over three decades.
Thirty years later, the children of Charlotte Salter and Duncan Ackerley arrive back in the small town. The Salter children have returned to help their father Alec move into a care home he suffering from dementia, and the Ackerley boys are back to make a podcast, they hope to clear their father’s name and find out what really did happen to Charlotte Salter? They never believed their father as a murderer and that he committed suicide. As the Ackerley brothers begin to investigate and make their podcast, their investigation uncovers a Pandora's box of intertwined lives, and dark secrets of their small town.
An outsider detective arrives in their town, soon bringing the potential of a possible closure and answers that have eluded both families for decades, will she be able to figure out what happened to Charlotte?

Thnk you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed this one very much and can definately see this one as a movie. I was very surprised by the ended.

Great book Nicci French!

Thank you NetGalley for ARC. This story is told in 3 parts about a remarkable women names Charlotte Salter who goes missing. This book left my heart pounding and had me guessing until the very end.

I just finished reading Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French and I would highly recommend! This is the first book I have read by this author and I am now a fan! I am looking forward to more of her titles.

Sometimes I feel like mysteries are too bloated, and this was one. I tend to prefer shorter books in the genre, maybe because I like to read them lo at once?

A gripping family drama unfolds as Charlotte Salter disappears on her husband's birthday, leaving her children shattered. Three decades later, the brothers delve into the mystery, igniting a podcast to uncover the truth. The intricate plot, filled with red herrings, kept me guessing until the surprising conclusion. Good reading experience, while Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor's character intrigued me for potential future stories. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copies.

This is a tale with a good bit of family drama and a little bit of police procedure. I enjoyed this for the most part. It does slow down and it is a bit long. But I was intrigued on what happened to Charlotte Salter! Is she dead, did she run off…read this to find out!

There's just something about missing person cases in the media that just really engage my brain, so I knew before I even picked up this book that I was going to be a fan. How could I not be a fan of this one when we try to unravel the mysterious disappearance of a mother and that trauma follows her family around for decades, until a podcast starts to stir up old memories and new evidence.
I loved the pace of this one as I felt I was able to piece things together in my mind while reading what was unfolding on the pages, but ultimately I was way off in my reasoning as to what happened to Charlotte, which meant the ending left me stunned (yay!).

I love missing person thrillers and was interested in this book based on the description. I think most of it falls into family/domestic drama, with only the last third or so being more thrilling.

I think people who enjoy character-driven books will enjoy this book more than I did. The first 2/3 moved a little too slowly for me, lots of background info on the families involved. I came close to DNFing but I really wanted to find out what happened.

I really enjoyed the ending, did not see it coming and am glad I stuck with the book. Again, I just prefer a more plot-driven book.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a well thought-out and written story of family dynamics, devastating emotion, loss, and the domino effect of just one action. With dueling timelines, this keeps the reader consumed by the story and pleasantly surprised by the unpredictable ending. As slow burn mysteries go, this was a solid one full of character development and a perfectly detailed atmosphere. Each character was easy to distinguish from the next and highly memorable. Overall, this is a great pick for any mystery lover like myself. Four Stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and William Morrow, for this ARC.

When Charlotte Salter disappears the same night as her husband's 50th birthday party, initially only her children are concerned. They know something must be horribly wrong. Then another tragedy strikes this small town, and the two families are linked in their grief. The cases are never officially solved, and for 30 years, no one knows what really happened. But now a podcast is bringing everything to light, and both families aren't prepared for what's to come.

This was a dark and emotional thriller filled with tension and suspense all the way through. The mystery at the heart of the story is gripping and certainly stays with you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was entertaining, but confusing as it’s told in dueling timelines and reads much like a drama for the first parts and then a true crime for the last part. Overall, it held my attention as I really wanted to know what happened, but it wasn’t a 5 star read!

Nicci French novels tend to be atmospheric, tense, and wonderfully unpredictable, and Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter is no exception. The story starts out in December of 1990, when Charlotte (Charlie) Salter never arrives at her husband's 50th birthday party. Reactions range from her husband Alec's "she'll show up eventually" to her 15-year-old daughter Etty's certainty that something terrible has happened. After the body of family friend, Duncan Ackerley, is found in the river, the police decide he was having an affair with Charlie, killer her and then himself, and they stop investigating both cases. Skip ahead 30 years, Etty and her brothers are clearing out their childhood home and putting their cognitively impaired father into a care home, while Duncan's sons, Greg and Morgan, are also back in town to do a podcast about the cases. But, as you can imagine, dredging up the past comes and looking into what really happened can be dangerous. Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter is well written and tightly plotted, with perceptive insights into the long-term effects of the type of trauma experienced by the Salter and Ackerley families.

Compelling family drama and mystery.

Charlotte Salter never made it to her husband's 50th birthday party in 1990. Her children almost immediately called the local police but no trace of her was ever found. Although her husband was initially a suspect, another death in the area convinced them that the case was solved despite never finding Charlotte. The absence of their mother destroyed the lives of the Salter children.

Thirty years later, the two brothers whose father had ostensibly committed suicide because of his affair with Charlotte, are making a podcast about the lack of closure between the Salter and Ackerly families. Will this media attention finally bring the answers they need?

This was a slow burning and very well written mystery with lots of red herrings and great characters. I kept trying to guess at what must have happened but never got the right answer and so was surprised at the denouement. And kind of bummed. The audio narrator did a good job and I enjoyed listening to her as I followed along in the e-book.

Normally I don't want books in series, but I really feel that the character of London Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor was fascinating and I'd love to read more about her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for advance copies of this book.

More than just a mystery, this book looks at family dynamics and the secrets that are kept, and how they domino and cause misunderstandings and resentment. Etty takes the responsibility of reporting her mother missing, and waiting for her to return, never believing she is dead. Her brother flees from their father as soon as he can, in a way that causes even more trauma to all. Their older brother meanwhile ends up taking over the family business when their father retires, marries and lives nearby. Etty has left and tried to make a life for herself, but is haunted by what is missing in her life and the unanswered questions. As they all come back together, secrets have to be faced, and as the truth about their mother, and their connections with the Salter family come to light, are their one set of dominos that influenced both families? As the mystery is solved, so do are the lies. It's a roller coaster read, and French nails family dysfunction! Don't miss this one!

In 1990, in a small Suffolk village in the days before Christmas, Charlotte Salter never makes it to the celebration party for her husband, Alec’s, fiftieth birthday. As her family awaits her arrival, her children, Niall, Paul, Ollie and Etty become more and more distraught, while Alec is more than a bit annoyed. As the days progress and Charlie is not found, there’s speculation that she left on her own accord as her marriage wasn’t one made in Heaven, but her kids know she wouldn’t have left them. Especially Etty, the youngest at fifteen. Alec is acting erratically and he’s soon at the top of the suspect list, but when another body turns up on Christmas Day, all fingers point to a murder suicide, at least to the police. The case is never solved, but never followed up with either. Two families struggle for the next thirty years trying to come to grips with what happened that Christmas Season in Glensted. When a famous podcaster, Morgan, the son of the second victim, and his brother come back to town to start a new investigation through Morgan’s newest podcast, no one is truly excited about having them back in town, especially the Salter family. Back in town themselves to settle their father in an assisted living home and sell the house, it’s inevitable that the two families will meet. The podcast ignites old wounds and soon there’s another body, but is it connected to the others. When detective Maud O’Conner comes to town to take over the investigation of the third death, she quickly starts asking questions about the others. After all the original investigation was completely bungled. Will Maud be able to finally find the answers the families seek or has it been too many years to turn up the evidence needed to solve the case? This is the story of “ the tragedy of two families, it’s the tragedy of a village, and it’s the tragedy of a system that failed.” It wrecked all of them in different ways, but is it too late to find the closure they so desperately need? Nicki French is at the top of my must reads, and their newest book is one that will have you guessing the outcome until the very end. With the introduction of Maud O’Conner, I’m seriously hoping we see more of her to come! Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

A good crime drama, this book would.make a great HBO series. There was no giveaway of who done it and while I like podcast based stories I was happy that this time the podcast was not the main mode of storytelling. I also really appreciated that the detective was the one to solve the case, amateur slueth stories are fun but in this case I'm glad it wasn't. The writing style was easy to read without being elementary and the descriptions made me feel like I was there. The pacing was maybe a little slow if I had to have a complaint but not enough to lower my opinion.

I absolutely loved this book. Dark, mysterious and the ending was exactly what I had hoped. The character development was spot on and I was definitely invested in their plights. I can't wait to read more from this author!

This was a book a new I was going to read regardless of being given an ARC (though I greatly appreciate the opportunity regardless). I used to read the author’s Frieda Klein novels with my mom, and this brought me back to her in a way.

Charlotte Salter is missing. She disappeared on the night of her husband’s 50th birthday party, and no one has seen her since. Her four children don’t know where she is, and no one in their small village (father included) seems overly concerned. When another body is found, and both investigations closed mysteriously, there is nowhere else to turn. Until 30 years later, when a podcast is started looking into both cases do the Salter children finally start getting the answers they were both searching for and dreading at the same time.

In true Nicci French fashion, I was hooked immediately. The book is essentially split into two parts: immediately after Charlotte’s disappearance and 30 years later. Both sections were equally compelling, and I did not see the resolution coming. I had a ton of theories while reading, and each was incorrect. I’ve been thinking about this book since I finished it, and I guarantee I’ll be rereading soon.

Top Pick - 4.5 Stars

The latest by Nicci French is a very engaging book. Charlotte Salter, wife and mother, disappears from the English village where she lives. The police, as well as Charlie’s husband, brush off her disappearance. However, her children, especially her daughter, are certain their mother wouldn’t have abandoned them. The case grows cold, but is revisited 32 years later in a podcast. The two brothers doing the podcast have a personal stake in the outcome – their father, a family friend of the Salters, was suspected of killing Charlie before his own death. Many secrets come out during the interviews for the program, but when a killer strikes, Charlie’s case is also reexamined. This time, the detective in charge of the investigation is determined to get answers.

The question of what really happened to “Charlie” Salter is important, but the book also examines how her disappearance affected her family in the immediate aftermath, but also how it changed their lives going forward. The already dysfunctional family starts to fall apart in ways that couldn’t have been foreseen. I felt terrible for Charlie’s daughter Etty and the toll these events took on her. The book has an air of sadness, and it’s heartbreaking to see what happens to some of the Salters in the years following Charlie’s disappearance. The book also has some of the most apathetic and incompetent police officers I’ve ever seen. Thank goodness for DI Maud O’Connor, who is brought in from London to investigate a suspicious death. Maud thinks the death could have ties to Charlie’s case and is able to uncover a surprising solution to the crimes.

I really liked this book, although there are some pacing issues. Some parts of the book move slowly, but then there are a few twists that keep the story moving. As soon as Maud O’Connor enters the scene, things pick up and I was fully engrossed in the story. I think the book is part mystery, part domestic drama, and part character study and one that I truly enjoyed.

~ Christine