Nicci French writes with authority and hidden clues. The characters are vivid and believable. I thought I knew who the killer was but couldn't figure out how it was done. I was wrong about both things. Good plot that never have anything away.

Really good! My first by French. An interesting approach, three parts in two timelines. The first in 1990 which resonated with my inner 19yo; the second in 2022; and the third (also 2022) that tied the two together. A decades long family drama spawn from deception and murder. The twists French took were great and the true story was hidden from me. Recommend!

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Nicci French

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and William Morrow and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: On the day of Alec Salter’s fiftieth birthday party, just before Christmas 1990, his wife Charlotte vanishes. Most of the small English village of Glensted is at the party for hours before anyone realizes Charlotte is missing. While Alec brushes off her disappearance, their four children—especially fifteen-year-old Etty—grow increasingly anxious as the cold winter hours become days and she doesn’t return. When Charlotte’s coat is found by the river, they fear the worst. Then the body of the Salters’ neighbor, Duncan Ackerley, is found floating in the river by his son Morgan and Etty. The police investigate and conclude that Duncan and Charlotte were having an affair before he killed her and committed suicide. Thirty years later, Morgan Ackerley, a successful documentarian, has returned to Glensted with his older brother Greg to make podcast based on their shared tragedy with the Salters. Alec, stricken with dementia, is entering an elder care facility while Etty helps put his affairs in order. But as the Ackerleys ask to interview the Salters, the entire town gets caught up in the unresolved cases. Allegations are made, secrets are revealed, and a suspicious fire leads to a murder. With the podcast making national news, London sends Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor to Glensted to take over the investigation. Resented by her mostly male colleagues, she has no tolerance for either their sexism or their incompetence. And she will stop at nothing to uncover the truth as a new and terrifying picture of what really happened to Charlotte Salter and Duncan Ackerley emerges.

My Thoughts: This is the first book in the Maud O’Connor series. We get a sneak peek at Detective O’Connor in this atmospheric psychological thriller. The story opens up in 1990 with a birthday party for Alec Salter. It is soon discovered that his wife has gone missing. Etty becomes more and more anxious on where her mother has gone. First Charlotte’s coat is found by the river and soon thereafter, the Salters’ neighbor, Duncan Ackerley is found floating in the river. Fast forward 30 years, Alec has dementia and the children have returned home to get him placed in a home and settle the house affairs. Morgan Ackerley and his brother has returned to Glensted to do a podcast on the disappearance. As things begin to heat up, London sends Detective O’Connor down to take over the investigation, she is a woman detective that is highly resented by almost every male colleague. Will she finally get to the bottom of what happened 30 years ago?

This story is told in three parts: 1990, 2022, and Part 3 doesn’t have a title. The initial police investigation was lack luster, it was shut before they really ever investigated, which infuriated Etty. She knew her mother and knew her mother was not capable of the presumptions of the investigation. When secrets start to bubble to the top and another tragedy strikes that makes it too much of a coincidence for it to not be related. The first two parts went slow but the third part was fast-paced, could’t put down. French does an amazing job at describing a beautiful woman who would do anything for her children. Etty struggles the most with her mother’s disappearance. I can understand her anger, her grief, and her snarky attitude. I think my favorite character was Detective O’Connor, I loved her no nonsense approach to not taking any crap by the male colleagues. I was pulled into her aurora. The characters were well developed with depth, mystery, secretive, and creatively curated, setting up a brilliant detective going into the next book. The author’s writing style was complex, twisty, unpredictable, thought-provoking, soul reaching, and just brilliant.

This atmospheric psychological thriller has everything you want. It was compelling, captivating, twisty, gripping, unpredictable, and kept you on the edge of your seat. In French typical fashion, the plot was built in twisty layers enriching the unpredictability. This is not my first French book and I always throughly enjoy anything I read by the writing duo. Nicci French is a pen name for a husband and wife writing team that writes incredible heart wrenching narrative where families have someone missing that really shakes me to my core, right through my soul. i highly recommend picking this book up!

I just reviewed Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French.
Absolutely brilliant!! Starts as a bit of a slow burn, but I was totally hooked about 30% in. Some of the chapters were very sad, but worth the heartache. I hope we have more of DI Maud in the pipeline!! Thank you NetGalley for the complimentary ebook

Nicci French books are hit or miss for me, but this was a hit! Read at Christmastime, and the mystery starts then as well. Interesting and quite the page-turner.

This book was told in 3 sections and it was so detailed and kept me reading to find out what exactly happened. I enjoyed that it finished everything up and answered all questions at the end. Charlotte Salter goes missing on the day of her husband's 50th birthday party right before Christmas. Her poor kids are left wondering what happened and why their mother abandoned them. Etty is a strong female character and if it weren't for her they would have never found out the shocking truth of what happened.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. The storyline in this book follows a podcast. It is a trope that has been overdone in recent books but this was well done. The story was suspenseful and interesting.

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

What your favorite show right now?

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.