Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter! by Nicci French

In Nicci French's gripping thriller, "The Lost," the Salter and Ackerley families are thrust into turmoil when Charlotte Salter disappears on her husband Alec's fiftieth birthday. As the small English village of Glensted reels from the shock, suspicions mount, especially when Duncan Ackerley, the Salters' neighbor, is found dead in the river. Police conclude it's a murder-suicide spurred by an affair between Duncan and Charlotte.

Three decades later, Morgan Ackerley returns to Glensted with his brother to create a podcast about the intertwined tragedies. Alec, now suffering from dementia, is moved to a care facility, leaving his daughter Etty to handle his affairs. When the Ackerleys seek to interview the Salters, the town is drawn into a web of long-buried secrets and unresolved mysteries.

As allegations fly and tensions escalate, a suspicious fire leads to another death, prompting Detective Inspector Maud O'Connor from London to take charge of the case. Determined to uncover the truth, Maud faces resistance from the tight-knit community and must navigate through layers of deception to untangle the twisted events of the past.

As the podcast gains national attention, the spotlight intensifies, revealing startling revelations and painting a chilling picture of the dark underbelly of Glensted. With each revelation, Maud edges closer to unraveling the truth behind Charlotte's disappearance and Duncan's death, but the answers she seeks may be more disturbing than anyone could have imagined.

"The Lost" is a nerve-tingling tale of suspense that explores the depths of human deceit and the haunting consequences of buried secrets, leaving readers on the edge of their seats until the final shocking revelation.