Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?

A Novel

De: Nicci French

Narrado por: Jane Collingwood

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, his wife, Charlotte, vanishes. Most of the small English village of Glensted is at the party for hours before anyone realizes she 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. Then Etty and her friend Morgan find the body of Morgan’s father—and the Salters’ neighbor—Duncan Ackerley, floating in the river. The police conclude that Duncan and Charlotte were having an affair before he killed her and committed suicide.

Thirty years later, Morgan Ackerley returns to Glensted with his older brother to make a 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 when the Ackerleys ask to interview the Salters, the entire town gets caught up in the unresolved cases.

Allegations fly, secrets come to light, 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. 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.

©2024 Nicci French (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Outstanding

The first 20 minutes was hard for me to absorb initially but once it did I was fully engaged in the story. Multi layered and spans decades, a great whodunit with a shocking ending.

Great mystery

Has all the components of a captivating mystery. Emotional depth, strong character development, plenty of potential suspects. Very well-written story. I enjoyed it very much. Especially loved the female characters!

Great listen

This book is wonderful and interesting. Close families each to which are very dysfunctional.

Family, secrets, a crime that would last for 30 years.

Payoff came almost too late

This novel was really really really slow to pay off as a solid police procedural. The first half or more was unsatisfying. I suppose I'm glad I finished it because the DI was interesting. I wish the author would get back to the quality of the Freida Klein novels. This is the second novel of theirs that just wasn't as good.

Just ok

It really had a slow start and a slow middle, but I hung in there and listen to the whole book. It did get better towards the end.

Compelling mystery

The mystery keeps your attention until the very end! Very good mystery!!! Get it….You will enjoy it!!!

Engaging Mystery - Kept me listening

The premise of the story was intriguing- a podcast looking back at a disappearance and a death that had been written off as murder-suicide. But the children of the victims were not satisfied with that conclusion and painful memories resurface as the podcast digs up the past. The characters were strong and the story kept me guessing. I particularly liked the police detective who finally manages to solve both mysteries. The ending was a good one.

Modern Day Authors!

Typical modern day authors! Prolong the story for 99% of the book with repeated details and then rush through the ending! It leaves a lot to be desired. It leaves you wandering what everybody else thought about the killer. What was the mother’s point of view? What did the siblings think? What about the victim’s family point of view? That’s were some of the details should have been spread about! It’s like two hours of foreplay and then it’s all over in 30 seconds leaving much to be desired!

Never guessed the ending

This was an excellent story written in several parts of past and present. Felt so many emotions over the storyline. About a great loss for two families that affect their futures in the hardest way. A loss that affects the entire village. Lots of twists and turns and for the first time I never figured it out until the very end. Excellent narration. Kudos to writer and narrators.

The stories of the families

Really good book, glad I listened. I am not a podcast fan or listener, however, it helps pull the facts and story together.