4.5 stars

Charlotte “Charlie” Salter goes missing the night of her husband’s 50th birthday party. The next day, a kindly neighbor is found dead in the river. Both families are devastated. 30 years later, the children return home for various reasons & another murder occurs. A clever detective vows to unravel the truth behind the deaths.

What can I say? This book was so good. It had me guessing and the twisted. The end was completely completely satisfying. I have never read a book by Nicki French before, but I plan on reading more now.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book .

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? is my first Nicci French novel. Although the authors have created multiple series, Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? is a stand-alone series. However, I would like to see the strong woman detective, Maud and her crew, in another novel. This novel is a 3 part, dual timeline novel. Part 1 begins in December 1990, with the disappearance of the title character, Charlotte Salter. For her 4 children, Salter's disappearance triggers tragedy and lasting trauma. Additionally, a neighbor's body, Duncan Ackerley, is found, which leads to the assumption that Charlotte's disappearance and Duncan's death are connected..

Part 2 begins 30 years later. Three of the Salter children, now middle-aged adults, have gathered to clean out the family home. One of the Salter sons has committed suicide. The timeline at this point is a bit unclear, since readers learn that the father has dementia and is to be moved into a facility where he will receive care. This move is to take place in a week, but then, many events happen and time appears to pass, but the move for the father remains in a week's time, at least as the characters describe it. This timeline needs a bit of clarity. Soon enough another murder occurs, seemingly as a result of a podcast, created by Duncan's sons, who want to solve their father's death.

Part 3 brings a London detective to this small rural village, where the police lack direction and some ability. in Part 1, readers see women police detectives treated like barely competent servants. 30 years later, D.I. Maud O’Connor presents a completely different image of a competent police detective, whom readers can trust to solve 3 crimes--Charlotte's disappearance, Duncan's death, and the murder of a woman, whose propensity to brag that she has knowledge, leads to her death.

Except that Part 1 is too long and tends to drag, Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? is a good police procedural. We learn how the Salter children have coped with the disappearance of their mother. We also learn about Duncan and how his family has managed since his death, and we have seen 2 different kinds of policemen. The authors do a nice job of creating tension and of exploring the destructive trauma that results of the kinds of crimes that destroy a family. Readers are not told what happens to the Salter children or to Duncan's family when Maud solves these crimes. There is a suggestion of healing for one group, but life is often complicated and there are no easy answers. I hope we will see more of D.I. Maud O’Connor. It is nice to see a strong woman police detective.

I did enjoy this novel. Part 1 could use a bit of trimming and the timeline in Part 2 needs a bit of clarity, but otherwise, Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? is a first rate thriller. Thank you to the author, to publisher HarperCollins, and to NetGalley for proving this ARC for me t read and review. My comments are my honest view of Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?

An enjoyable suspenseful mystery stand alone from Nicci French that doesn’t disappoint. Thank you Netgalley and publisher.

Poignant, heart-breaking, frustrating but oh so rewarding to read! This well-developed family drama lasts over several decades as several mysteries are solved concurrently. The primary character moves from bewildering teenage years to adulthood throughout the engaging story, finally finding the elusive closure that has haunted her life.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this ARC.

"Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?" by Nicci French is a riveting thriller that skillfully weaves two timelines to unravel a web of mysteries and tragedies. On Alec Salter's fiftieth birthday, his wife, Charlotte, mysteriously disappears, setting off a chain of events that will haunt two families for decades. The narrative seamlessly transitions between the present and thirty years ago, revealing the complex dynamics and secrets surrounding the Salters and their neighbors, the Ackerleys.

The disappearance of Charlotte, the discovery of Duncan Ackerley's body, and the subsequent police investigation create an atmosphere of tension and suspicion in the small village of Glensted. As the Ackerley brothers return to make a podcast about the events, Detective Inspector Maud O'Connor is determined to uncover the truth that eluded earlier investigations.

The authors skillfully craft a narrative that explores not only the central mysteries but also the enduring trauma experienced by the characters over the years. The slow revelation of secrets and the emergence of a new murder in the present add layers of complexity to the story. Despite occasional pacing issues, the book keeps readers engaged with its intricate plot and well-developed characters. "Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?" is a compelling mystery that captivates from start to finish.

Although this was a little different that her usual writing, I really enjoyed this stand alone. I felt as if I may have figured out the twist but was only partially right and it was a great surprise.

I love Nicci French especially the Sunday, Monday, Tuesday series books with the steadfast female psychologist working with the police character. As a standalone, I was so excited to read this latest book and was instantly drawn in by the tragedy of these two families and the relationships between their siblings and parents.

I have read books by this author before. This was not my favorite one. It moves slowly as the reader is getting to know the characters. Unfortunately, once I slowly got to know them, I didn't care for them. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? did a great job with the fake-out. I knew that the killer couldn't actually be the father, but I definitely did not get the suspect right until the very end, which made for a nice shock of surprise when it all did start to finally fall into place. The author also did a nice job creating compelling characters without throwing too much detail at the reader. Etty in particular is well done. I'm a sucker for a story about a dysfunctional family, and this did not disappoint. The added detail about turning it all into a true-crime podcast was spot-on. Will definitely recommend for all the many Mystery/Thriller readers looking for a compelling story.

2 stars.

What would you do if your mother disappeared on your father’s 50th birthday party? How would you react if the only thing police could find was her favorite coat? Who would you suspect?

This was an interesting premise, however I felt that the book could have been about 100 pages shorter. As is, the book is 381 pages. I really think part one should have been only 25-45 pages. There were a few times during part one where I thought about DNF’ing. I just was bored.

Part two picked up the pace a fair bit which I appreciated. For a mystery, this book was very character driven. I definitely prefer plot driven.

Read this book if you like:
-Reading about family dynamics.
-Female detectives.
-Multiple mysteries.
-Character driven stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book. This book was not for me, but it may be for you!

Another exceptional read from the duo Nicci French. Complex structure that was straight forward. A good use of detail and background information. Believable characters. I’d say the only flaw in this otherwise entertaining title is the ending chapter and the DIs personal decision…seemed superfluous unless a series around her is being considered. I understood discussing the turning in her life but that now at the end seemed needless. I would have given this a five star rating except for that.

A slow start and a pace that is occasionally unnecessarily linger-y lost this otherwise excellent read a star. I would have liked for the culprit to be someone else, and for that character's reasoning to be something else entirely, but that's the way it goes.

I have never read this author (and coauthor) before and all I can say is that I should have been reading their books sooner. A mother and wife disappears on her husband"s 50th birthday . How her disappearance will affect her children, friends and the town that she lived in is the gist of this story. Told in two different time periods, this book kept me reading all night. Highly recommendable and I will be going back to the other books written by these authors.

Another well written mystery by this pair of authors. Told in two timelines, present and 30 yrs ago, a missing woman, a man drowned, are they connected. It is both a story of the two families involved the trauma over the years, the mysteries themselves and another murder in the present. And the new detective, determined to solve it despite the ineptitude of the earlier police efforts.. A little slow at times, but overall a good read

I really enjoyed this story. I loved the start of the book, and the mystery throughout. I felt it slowed down a bit for me in the middle, but picked up when Maud was introduced. From there I loved how the story unfolded. With twists I didn’t see coming!
The characters were well thought out and developed and I felt emotionally invested in each of them.
I’m happy to recommend this book!

Ok wow the plot just screamed read me. I loved how the mystery spanned many years and a podcast brought them back to the scene of so much trauma and they were able to solve the crime . I’m so excited for this book to come out I feel like my whole family would love this.

Birthday party 1990. Missing woman. Worried daughter. Lies. Deceit.

Just before Christmas in 1990 Alex Salter was thrown a massive birthday party in their town to celebrate turning 50! Alex enjoying the party doesnt notice that his wife is missing but his daughter does. As the party progresses Etty, the daughter, starts to get more and more worried about her missing mother and where she is. She discovers that she was seem earlier in the day but no one has seen her at the party. Eventually Etty calls the police and they start trying to figure out where their mother went. With little to no help of her brothers they are unable to find her mother. Not long after her disappearance Dean Ackley a close neighbor is found dead and floating in the river. Once again everyone is at a loss of what happened. Thirty years later after Ettys father is needing to move to a home and Deans son is a famous filmmaker they all return to their home. But was that such a great idea? As they start to unravel what actually happened more people get hurt and things change forever.

This was a good book but there were moments it completely missed. I thought it started well and had a good run but as we got towards the middle it started to slow down a good amount. It was repeating a lot of the stuff in the beginning and so at times felt like it was dragging. I did appreciate and enjoy seeing the progression of Etty as a character. In the beginning she is Etty and seems this sweet innocent teenager but as we move through the book we see her develop a harder exterior and start to be called Elizabeth. She has gone through hell and we can see that as we go through the book. It had some thrill and mystery to it at times but was not consistent. I would recommend it!

Assured and entertaining. Nicci French is a consistent recommended purchase for collections where mysteries and thrillers are popular.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This book was really well written. Charlie disappeared 30 years ago and her remaining family tries to still figure out what happened to her when she disappeared. A town and families filled with rumors of what might have happened. No body found anywhere. Great mystery. This was a slower paced mystery but well worth it and great to read.
I was somewhat surprised by the ending. No super surprised because I knew someone was involved but just not who.
Well written and keeps your interest. Has some likable characters and some so so characters. Also a lot of interesting family dynamics.
Another great book by French!

As an avid reader of Nicci French books, I can say that this one did not disappoint. “Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?” is a darkly atmospheric thriller about two families whose lives are irrevocably altered by tragedy and the crushing weight of secrets held for decades.

Charlotte vanishes on the day of husband Alec’s 50th birthday. While Alec has a curious and suspiciously unconcerned reaction to her disappearance, their children become increasingly terrified as days, weeks, months and years drag on with no closure and no comfort from their father. Charlotte is just gone, with only a favorite coat discarded by the river’s edge as a monument to her disappearance. Tragically, the father of a neighboring family is found dead shortly thereafter, in this same river under suspicious circumstances.

Thirty years later, the neighbor’s sons, Morgan and his older brother Greg, return to make a podcast based on the tragedy the share with the Salter family and wind up revealing the dark underbelly of the town. This book was a suspenseful, slow burn read with a fittingly tragic ending.

While perhaps not the best offering from Nicci French, this was still a worthwhile 3.5 star read that I would recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.