The plot grabbed me straight away. Who doesn't love a plot involving a podcast. It was definitely a slow burner which unfortunately affected my rating. I failed to connect with the story, I'm disappointed as I had such high hopes.

My Rating: 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ build up was slow but good… ending was a let down!!!

The GoodReads synopsis gives a quite in-depth overview of this one so I recommend reading that before you go in… it will probably annoy a lot of people going in blind because this one is a slow burn.

I personally didn’t mind the slow burn… it was quite slow at times with a lot of Where is Charlotte talk as you can imagine but I don’t mind a build up. It was also split into three parts the 1990 section of when Charlotte disappeared, Thirty years later when Charlotte still hasn’t been found and part three is still in the present but from the police department’s perspective.

I found the split really interesting and I liked all three of the POV’s and timelines… it was interesting to see how different things were (in the story) thirty years prior and how poorly the police handled the storyline. The writing was quite good I didn’t really have any qualms with that.

Why you ask did I only give this three stars… well mostly it was because of two reasons, some red herrings were really laboured and leant on to steer you in the wrong direction way to heavily and the ending. The ending didn’t work for me.

I didn’t understand why it happened… I mean I do get it but after all those pages and all that backstory and history the reason behind the why Charlotte disappeared was breezed over in a matter of the last 10% and then see ya later we are done. There was no insights, no flashback to that night…after all the angst and sadness to just blast through it and wrap it up felt disrespectful to the reader.

I was also really sick and tired of all the red herrings… this person surely did it… and it became super obvious that they didn’t cause it was being shoved so far down our throats that it would be too obvious.

Overall it was good… but for a book that was highly anticipated for me it fell flat and it took me ages to read partially because I was busy, but mainly because it wasn’t grabbing my attention enough. If you have it on your list and you feel that you must read it… then definitely read it its not bad… its just not one of those novels that I will ever think about again unfortunately. I would like to try some of the authors other work. I do hope its a bit shorter because I feel like this could have been 100 pages shorter.

Thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks, NetGalley and Nicci French for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a great book and great writing from Nicci French. The story of a missing mother, never found and the search which begins again many years later. Etty is now a grown woman and has returned to her home town to settle her dad in a care home. But will this bring back the angst and heart-break of when her mother went missing all those years ago? Will Etty get the answers she is looking for?

This is a book that is a wonderful psychological thriller and one that will keep you wondering. What did happen all those years ago. So well written it gets into your mind and makes you think, you can feel the tension on the pages of this book.

This is a book full of great characters, the plot will keep you guessing and you will be scratching your head trying to work it out. A book not to be missed and not to be put down until you finish the final page!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

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.

I have always enjoyed books by Nikki French and this one did not disappoint. Family dynamics that span over many years usually always provide a captivating read, books like this I really enjoy, I am sure we all have members of our own families that have their own inner secrets and truths that may remain hidden at times, this is quite often just a part of human nature as we are all can be such complicated beings. I found the book to be exceptionally emotive and got lost in the characters and revelations as the book progressed.

My only issue with the book is that it could have been condensed a bit, some of the plot was a bit drawn out and did drag at times, I still continued to read as I wanted to see how this would all pan out and am glad I did. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Another winner from Nicci French! This book spans decades and provides tragic insights into the lasting effects of family trauma. The town and the characters truly came alive for me in the descriptive language and the cleverly presented interactions. The use of the podcast as a plot device was perfect. I didn’t work out the solution until very close to the reveal, which made it such an exciting experience as a mystery reader.