I finished this book in a few days, having become completely gripped.
Etty becomes concerned when her mum doesn't arrive for the 50th birthday party she had planned for her husband. Days later, Charlotte hasn't returned and a further tragedy strikes close to home.
The first part follows the family as they try to find out where Charlotte has gone. Part 2 takes place 30 years later as a podcast aims to uncover the truth.
I particularly liked the characters of Etty and Maud and was completely engrossed in the story, having no idea who the guilty party was. Another great read from the writing duo, Nicci French.
Thanks to netgalley for this ARC.

This book starts off a bit too slowly and takes time to get into the story of the Salter kids who are looking for their mother. Charlotte goes missing on the day of their father's 50th birthday party and suspicion falls on him. Then a few days later there's a death in their small village. The story leaps forward 30 years, the Salter kids are grown and a new detective is sent to investigate the cold cases. It's a solid crime story with a focus on complicated family dynamics and relationships. The star of the book is the detective, Maud O’Connor, who steals every scene she is in. I do hope she gets another outing and even her own series. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a thriller and story of secrets. When Ettys Mum fails to turn up to her Dads 50th birthday and is never seen again, everyone seems to have a theory but the case has never been closed. Now 30 years later a pod cast is being made about the disappearance and murders in a quiet English village. With fresh eyes on the case in form of Maud a detective from London, I was left turning the pages to find out whether the buried secrets finally come to surface. I found the book engaging and enjoyed the suspense and writing style. I will be recommending.

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? Nicci French

Charlotte Salter fails to show up at her husbands 50th birthday and as her family start to worry what unravels is a chain of events that tear 2 families apart and create a mystery that take 30 years to solve.

Husband and wife duo Nicci French have been creating unputdownable thrillers for a long time now. Always filled with complex, layered characters and multifaceted stories. Charlotte Salter is no exception. I was thrilled to not work this out! I love a mystery that actually gets me! Thanks to #NetGalley for this one.

"Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter" is a twisty thriller giving multiple views of the disappearance of the titular character. The Salters are a rather dysfunctional family and their characters are exposed over the course of the narrative. Mostly we see events through the eyes of youngest child (and only girl) Etty, but the boys also feature strongly.

We also get a view of the action in the local police station as they attempt to piece together the events of Christmas 1990. When the action moves to the present day we are initially still in the dark about what happened to Lottie. Fear not though as all is revealed in the final chapters of this excellent, atmospheric novel.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

A slow burn, psychological thriller, which explores events surrounding Charlotte Salter, who goes missing on the day of her husband’s 50th birthday party in 1990 and the devastation left on her family and close friends.
30 years later the remaining family members are back in their childhood home to help move their father into a care home. At the same time, friends from childhood start a podcast to uncover details of their father's apparent suicide. A twisty tale told in 2 timelines (1990 and 30 years later) and multiple POVs which were easy to follow. Well written, this story is full of secrets, lies and self-preservation. The characters are interesting, well developed and richly drawn in this intriguing novel. Especially enjoyed Maud, Cassie and Etty.
The podcast for me added to the tension and atmosphere.
Overall this was well written and totally immersive. At times totally intriguing.
Very enjoyable. Recommended.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

A slow burning, excellent thriller. Books by Nicci French are alway well thought through and carefully crafted. Thanks @netgalley for the early copy.

Absolutely brilliant book, plenty of twists and turns with great characters. I haven’t read a bad book from this pair. I would recommend this book to thriller lovers

This was a very enjoyable family saga/small town thriller. I liked the dual timelines and how the mystery was slowly revealed. Lots of unlikeable characters but no obvious candidates for murdering Charlotte Salter.
I felt this story was ultimately a sad one, poor Charlotte hasn't been able to see her children growing up and the children for almost 30 years don't know what happened to their mother. The inept and biased police investigation led to the case going cold and things don't get moving until a new squad are drafted in.
I would question the motive behind the original crime but that is just my opinion.

I always enjoy reading Nicci French books but after the Frieda Klein series, it's been a bit touch and go for me. However this latest one, "Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?" sees the author duo back at their A game. It is a fresh to see the time difference brought about by a podcast and subsequent reopening of a cold case. Perhaps not a page turner and I wasn't suspecting every character but it was just the right pace and you really felt for the characters and the hole that their mother left in their lives.

This was one of my favourite books of the year! A pure masterpiece of mystery, when the past has a grip on the present affecting the lives of so many.

Thirty years ago Charlotte salter didn’t arrive to her husbands 50th birthday party, three decades on and she was never seen again. A few days after her disappearance in 1990 a family friend was found drowned in the river of their hometown. Now the two sons of the drowned man are back in the village doing a podcast to uncover truths they think were missed by a botched police case. But someone doesn’t want them finding out the long buried secrets.

Brilliant read, short chapters (my personal preference) believable characters and a story that will leave you blown away.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for my arc.

In 1990, Charlotte Salter sets off to walk to her husband's fiftieth birthday party, only to disappear without a trace. The police investigation isn't up to much, even when another crime takes place within days. But the effect on her four children - Niall, Paul, Ollie and fifteen year old Etty - is profound.

Thirty years later, the children gather to move their father, who now has dementia, into a care home. And it's not longer before another murder stirs up the past.

Although she isn't introduced till quite late in the story, I really liked Maud, the detective who arrives to take charge of the case from the (incompetent) local police. I'm not sure if she's appeared in a previous book, but she had the feel of a recurring character and it would be good to see her again.

There's a satisfying mystery to solve, but really, this story is about the devastating, lasting impact on her children of Charlotte's disappearance, though they all deal with it - or don't - in different ways.

A great read.

This is my first book from this author and it won't be my last. I enjoyed the style of writing and the characters were very well written. This is a tense mystery which I didn't want to put down.

My favourite author. This duo writing under one name are consistent in writing thought provoking and tense mysteries. This is no different. You can pick up any Nicci French book and know you’re reading a book that won’t disappoint. Enjoyed this as much as the others. Made sure I spread the word that this is on its way to being published.

A profound study on the impact of grief. I've always associated the writing team behind Nicci French with stylish and atmospheric crime thrillers. Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? is so much more. It starts as a real-time exploration into the mysterious disappearance of mother of four Charlotte. She fails to show up at her husband's 50th birthday party. I was hugely disappointed with the bungled police investigation, while reminding myself that this is quite often what used to happen. Charlotte's husband and children are, at this stage, extremely annoying. Only 15 year old Etty seems to have any nouse and sense of loss.
Part 2 is several years later. Two brothers, whose father Duncan was linked to the disappearance of Charlotte, start a podcast looking afresh at the mystery. The case had been scaled down with the lazy police assumption that Duncan committed suicide. The podcast interviews cause tensions and unresolved grief surfaces. Etty, a solicitor living alone in London, has built an armour around her feelings, and developments cause her carefully constructed defence to sheer away.
Part 3 sees an overhaul of the police investigation following a new incident which seems to be linked to the Salter disappearance and Duncan's death. A female detective, Maud, is sent from London amidst hostility from the local force. This part of the story is hugely satisfying as good police work is finally done.
It was touching to read both at the start and finish of the book some of Charlotte's likes. It didn't seem as if many had actually "seen" her during her life, apart from platitudes about how she made everyone feel special.
A great read on many levels.

Liked the family saga and the crime story, just felt the bungling police was just a little too charactur for my liking. It didn't fit with the rest of the book which I enjoyed reading.

I found this to be an excellent standalone thriller which I enjoyed very much. It's not a complicated plot but I loved the attention to detail, how everyone is behaving and what they are all thinking after their mother Lottie fails to show up for their father's 50th birthday party.
Written with compassion, the characters are so believable and I was quicly drawn into the drama. I liked how all the secrets unravel and nothing is what it first seems. Highly recommended.

This was an enthralling thriller which for me got better and better as the book progressed. It started at the 50th birthday party for Alec Salter which is brought to an abrupt end when his daughter is so concerned about her missing mother she contacts the police. The police fail to take her disappearance seriously until another local is found drowned leaving the Salter children in despair but even then the police effort is ill managed and eventually unofficially written off blaming the victim of the drowning for Charlotte Salters presumed death. The story continues 30 years later with a podcast about the disappearance and drowning and for me this is where the story gets more interesting. The Salter family are very disjointed and this makes for great dynamics whilst the makers of the podcast have their own agenda, When a third person dies in the area the pace really moves up with the introduction of Maud, a detective inspector sent in from outside the area as there’s concern about how the investigation is being handled by the local police. This really causes consternation amongst the local force and makes for great reading, I actually loved Maud and would love to read another book featuring her as she was a great person but also very competent. The conclusion was good and also slightly creepy, the whereabouts of Charlotte Salter was very well thought out though. Overall this had great characters and a solid plot and for me very engrossing. 9/10

At last! The writing team, Nicci French, are back on form with ‘Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?’ Whilst this latest read does not quite top the very best of the Frieda Klein novels, the quality of the characters, the immediacy of the settings and the complexity of the murder mystery to be solved are all very involving.
Set over two time periods – 1990 and the present day – we meet the four Salter children as their father celebrates his fiftieth birthday which is also the day that their mother goes missing. Nicci French captures the confusion, fear and despair of the children superbly as, in the days after the party, they begin to understand that the story of their mother’s disappearance will not have a simple ending. Friends in the village are perplexed and sad but they will never understand just how important a family lynch pin Charlotte was.
In the present day, these children are middle-aged, difficult and complicated – those who have survived, that is. They agree to return to the village where they used to live to meet up with the Ackerleys – Greg and Morgan. The latter is now a respected documentary maker and he wants to make a podcast exploring the disappearance of Charlotte and the death of his father, Duncan, around the same time. The Salters aren’t keen but what can they do? Most of their energy is being taken up with clearing the family house and planning their father’s move to a nursing home.
Back in 1990, the police made a dreadful job of investigating the case, coming to a lazy, convenient conclusion. In the present day, the powers that be decide that, with the broadcasting of the podcast, it must be looked at with fresh eyes. And fresh from London comes DI Maud O’Connor. What a great new character. Outspoken yet sensitive, clever and tenacious, she begins to shake up assumptions. Eventually she realises that, ‘…the case had seemed like a photograph developing in a dark room: very slowly, the murky images had clarified and resolved. It had seemed at first like a violent mess, and now it had sharp outlines, and stated to make sense. Horrible sense.’
Hopefully, Nicci French will develop Maud further in future crime stories. She could become a worthy replacement for Frieda Klein!
My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Nicci French have been writing consistently good books for too many years for me to remember, and this might be one of my favourites.
The sympathy I felt for the family left behind for thirty years always wondering... it was more than I expected to feel for people who aren't real.
The book had a few characters I just felt connected to, Etty , and Maud (who I'm hoping we might see more of)
The conclusion came as a surprise, which is always pleasant.
Always good to have a new French book.