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

A mystery/thriller told in three distinctive parts.

In 1990, Charlotte Salter disappears, leaving her husband and four children in suspense and giving their neighbors plenty to gossip about. No note, no missing clothing, no clues at all. Then a few days later, Duncan Ackerly, the Salter's next door neighbor, is found floating in the river. In the interest of speed, the local police declare Duncan has killed Charlotte then commited suicide. Case closed, two families destroyed.

Fast forward to 2022. The Salter family is preparing their father for his move into assisted care and dissolving the family home. At the same time, the Ackerly family has returned to their family home to resolve the questions they have had ever since their father's death. Morgan Ackerly is producing a documentary hoping to find clues and solutions to Charlotte's disappearance that would clear their father's name and solve the questions left when the police rushed to judgement. They have been very vocal in their critique of the police investigation at the time.

In response to the public's poor opinion of the police, the case has been reopened and personnel assigned. The story line at this point kicks into high gear as DI Maud O'Connor applies pressure on witnesses and gossip mongers alike. As each action is linked and each story is proved and/or disproved, the story moves into territory that no one could have predicted. The solutions she uncovers lead to many OMG moments. The story may have started in slower, more predictable lines but definitely sets a new high for the reveal.

I will read anything this author writes.
Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French is a gripping thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat! French does a masterful job of creating suspense and tension throughout the novel. The characters are well-developed and believable, and the plot is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? is a must-read for fans of suspenseful thrillers.
This was fantastic, I was so excited reading it and rushed through it in a few hours.

Thank You NetGalley and William Morrow for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I mostly enjoyed this but I will say the first part dragged and I think could have been a lot shorter.

Part two picked up a bit but part three is where it really takes off. But it takes forever to get there. When it did though, I didn’t want to stop reading. I do wish we got maud and Carrie in there earlier though.

I did like maud and Carrie a lot. I kept forgetting how old everyone was in this, they felt like they should be in their late 20s or 30s but they’re all like, 45+.

I was very excited expecting this to be a podcast book and while there is a podcast, we don’t get the episodes written out in podcast transcript form which is what I expected, so if you want that kind of podcast book this isn’t it.

I also wish we got a bit more on how the killer did what they did, for charlotte at least

And this is a little thing, but the constant repetition of the salter last name was really annoying. One sentence said something like “Alec salter was terrible, charlotte salter was afraid of him” (that’s not exact but they used both of their full names in one sentence like that and it was close to the end. we know who they are!)

Overall I enjoyed it and I’m glad I read it but it’s not a new all time fave or anything like that.

I've really enjoyed this book. What I liked the most was the two periods in which was told, and the different characters in the story through the years. And also how it was all connected and how it was revealed. Plus, the settings and landscapes were very well crafted that I felt that I was there. Congratulations to the author(s).

Nicci French is a new author for me. I was surprised to discover that this name is a pseudonym for a husband and wife team, Sean and Nicci French who are known for their suspense novels. They have written quite a few.

Description:
A nerve-tingling and atmospheric thriller from master of suspense Nicci French about two families shattered by tragedy and the secrets that have been waiting decades to be revealed. 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 an emotional novel with families torn apart by the disappearance of Charlotte Salter and the death of Duncan Ackerley soon after Charlotte disappeared. No one seemed to know what really happened. Thirty years later the children were all back in town and Morgan Ackerley (Duncan's son) stirred everything up again by making a podcast and talking with everyone in the families and in the community about the disappearance of Charlotte Salter. When the detective from London becomes involved the investigation is on again. My heart broke for the children, especially Etty. Charlotte's husband Alec was easy to dislike - did he do something to Charlotte to make her run away, or did he kill het maybe? This was a complex and difficult case and there were definitely some surprises. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good mystery.

Thanks to William Morrow through Netgalley for an advance copy. Expected publication on March 19, 2024.

4.5 stars! Pretty sure this is one of the best Nicci French novels I've ever read and I have read them all.
30 years ago, a few days before Christmas 1990, in the small town of Glensted, Charlotte Salter was supposed to be throwing a 50th birthday party for her ungrateful, churlish husband. However, she disappeared and hasn't been seen since before the party. A few days after that, a neighbor, Duncan Ackerly, was found in the river, dead by apparent suicide. The police wrapped up the disappearance and the "suicide" in a neat bow, figuring Duncan must have killed Charlie Salter and then felt guilty and killed himself on Christmas Day. Charlie's children never sat right with this theory and neither did Duncan's sons. Morgan Ackerly even decides to revisit the crimes w/ his podcast But the podcast is turning up new theories and a new police inspector has been hired from London to visit Glensted and finally figure out what happened all those years ago. Told in 3 parts, 30 years ago, the present and then the investigation, this novel was riveting and completely engaging.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this e-arc.*

Ettys mother, Charlotte Salter went missing 30 years ago before a Christmas party and was never found. Days later Duncan Ackerley is found dead floating in the river. Many think the two were having an affair. Duncan’s son Morgan who is a podcaster has returned with his brother Greg to interview people and bring up new evidence.
This was a gripping story with many interesting characters that had me quickly flipping the pages.
Thanks NetGalley and William Morrow for this eARC that will be released March 19, 2024!

I am embarrassed to report that the is the first Nicci French novel I have read. Where is that rock you climbed out from underneath, you ask? I loved this book. The story is basically told in two parts. In 1990 on the heels of a 5oth birthday party for Alec Salter, his wife, Charlotte, mysteriously disappears. He doesn't seem too disturbed by this but the lives of Charlotte's children are shattered. Her daughter Etty especially never really got over it. Charlotte's body is never found which prolongs the misery. Will she walk thru the door? Did she just run away? But then the mysterious death the Salter's neighbor causes the police to leap to conclusions. The police investigation is sloppy at best trying to make assumptions masquerade as facts. The conclusion is unremarkable and the case is closed but never really solved.
Flash ahead thirty years later. Through a set of coincidences, all the players are back in the little village of Glensted. It feels as though the tragedy occurred yesterday and the bones are being disturbed by a podcast examining the deaths. As a result of the notoriety of the podcast, DI Maud O'Connor is dispatched to Glensted to re-examiine the case.
It is unusual that the real mystery starts when Maud shows up and this is about halfway into the story. But this approach, although unusual, really works. I especially liked the character Maud and sincerely hope she features in future books. I loved her story line.
All in all I really loved this book, certainly one of the best I have read recently. I will be looking for more Nicci French books.I highly recommend this book.

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. (4.5 stars)

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and William Morrow books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

A cold case missing person inquiry resurfaces!

1990 December, Etty Salter walked to a family friend’s barn where they were holding a fiftieth birthday party for her father Alec. She was looking for her mother Charlie. Etty is concerned. She looks everywhere and finally contacts the local police.
Charlie never arrived. Her children never saw her again
A few days later Duncan Ackerley disappeared and was found in the river against a buoy. Suicide was the verdict. The general consensus is that Duncan murdered Charlie and then killed himself.
Now, thirty years later the case is being looked at again. Police procedure had not been followed and basically mistakes—many missteps had happened
Now it’s 2022 and Detective Inspector Maude has been asked to reopen the case. Difficulties arise with lost evidence and files, and the attitude of the local police
Another deadly occurrence happens that’s possibly linked to the 1990 case. The woman who was clearing out the Slater home because the family was putting Alec into care, (he has dementia) dies in a house fire
Are the three connected?
A very readable mystery that sucked me in. The reveal at the end is a surprise
Another deft mystery from the partnership that is Nicci French.

A William Morrow ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

“Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter,” by Nicci French is a dual-timeline, multiple narrated fictional tale of love and loss, friendships and betrayals, and missing persons and unsolved deaths in a small East Anglia river town where gossip of king but ignorance is bliss.

I really wanted to like this novel, however the storyline was repetitive, and it was not suspenseful, thrilling nor particularly engaging until the last few chapters. Although, the premise of the story is interesting. It centers on the 30-year-old cold cases about a woman who disappears while walking to her husband’s 50th birthday party and a man that she allegedly had an affair with who is found dead days later.

However, there is no reason that this book should be over 500 pages in length. It’s just a slog-fest of text begging to edited for conciseness and readability. I forced myself to read on just to see who the “killer” was. This was concluded quickly and almost too easily with a bow tied around the package.

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Nicci French, and Publisher William Morrow for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

A kind and caring Mom, Charlotte, who everyone loves never arrives at her husband’s 50th birthday party 2 days before Christmas. Etty is only 15 but knows something is wrong while her 3 older brothers are wrapped up in girls and partying and her Dad doesn’t seem to care. As time goes on she doesn’t show up, their family friends father, Duncan, who was very close to Charlotte commits suicide and they discover her Dad’s been having an affair and her Mom was planning to leave him. Years go by and the closed as Duncan murdered Charlotte and then killed himself in remorse but Charlotte’s kids always felt their Dad was involved. Years and years later Duncan’s boys decide to do a podcast to help them work through this as they never believed that. New information unfolds as well as a new Inspector assigned and all the emotions come back and another person dies linking all 3 deaths. I could not put this one down! Loved it and did not see the twists or end coming!

#Netgalley #HasAnyoneSeenCharlotteSalter?
Thank you to William Morrow for the ARC.

Man, this author never disappoints! What an incredible mystery of a family torn apart by tragedy. And then years later all the children return home and the questions and finger pointing begins again. Blundering cops until Maud shows up. Cool character- love her. Well done!!!