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.

**BRINGING DANGER CLOSE TO HOME . . . THE GRIPPING NEW THRILLER FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR NICCI FRENCH, COMING SPRING 2023. PRE-ORDER NOW!** 'Fantastic - a breathless drumbeat of dread and suspense . . . no one does it better than Nicci French' Lee Child 'Heart-thumping, head-scratching, nail-biting stuff: The Favour is classic Nicci French. I read it in one breathless sitting' Erin Kelly A good deed Can turn deadly... When Liam unexpectedly turns up in Jude's life after ten years of no contact, asking her for a favour, she just can't say no. He was her first love, and even though she is now a successful doctor and about to get married, he will always be someone special to her. But after she does the favour, she is contacted by the police, informing her that Liam has been found dead, and suddenly she is caught up in a murder investigation. And she realises this one decision could cost her everything - even her life... Praise for Nicci French: 'Brilliantly twisty, the final reveal will send shivers down your spine' Woman & Home 'Pacy and page-turning, this is a gripping thriller about what happens when one small decision spials out of control... Ardent fans and new readers alike will love it' Prima 'Expertly paced, psychologically sharp, thoroughly enjoyable' Louise Candlish 'Meticulously plotted, psychologically astute' Sarah Vaughan 'Absorbing.' Sabine Durrant 'No-one does the dark distortion of good intentions like Nicci French' Cara Hunter 'Perfection.' Sophie Hannah 'An absolute masterclass of crime writing.' Kate Rhodes 'An intriguing, compelling page-turner.' Liz Nugent 'Elegant and beguiling' C. M. Ewan 'Taut, well-paced and frighteningly familiar' Polly Phillips

She’s loved by all who meet her. But someone wants her gone . . . 1990 When beautiful and vivacious Charlotte Salter fails to turn up to her husband Alec’s 50th birthday party, her kids are worried, but Alec is not. As the days pass and there’s still no word from Charlie, her daughter, Etty, and her sons, Niall, Paul and Ollie, all struggle to come to terms with her disappearance. How can anyone just vanish without a trace? Left with no answers and in limbo, the Salter children try and go on with their lives, all the while thinking that their mother’s killer is potentially very close to home. Now After years away, Etty returns home to the small East Anglian village where she grew up to help move her father into a care home. Now in his eighties, Alec has dementia and often mistakes his daughter for her mother.  Etty is a changed woman from the trouble-free girl she was when Charlie was still around - all the Salter children have spent decades running and hiding from their mother’s disappearance. But when their childhood friends, Greg and Morgen Ackerley, decide to do a podcast about Charlotte’s disappearance, it seems like the town’s buried secrets – and the Salters’ – might finally come to light. After all this time, will they finally find out what really happened to Charlotte Salter? PRAISE FOR NICCI FRENCH:  'Fantastic - a breathless drumbeat of dread and suspense . . . no one does it better than Nicci French' Lee Child 'Expertly paced, psychologically sharp, thoroughly enjoyable' Louise Candlish 'Heart-thumping, head-scratching, nail-biting stuff' Erin Kelly 'Perfection' Sophie Hannah 'No-one does the dark distortion of good intentions like Nicci French' Cara Hunter 'An absolute masterclass of crime writing' Kate Rhodes  

PRE-ORDER THE BRAND NEW NICCI FRENCH NOVEL, HAS ANYONE SEEN CHARLOTTE SALTER, COMING SPRING 2024. **BRINGING DANGER CLOSE TO HOME . . . THE GRIPPING NEW THRILLER FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR NICCI FRENCH** 'Fantastic - a breathless drumbeat of dread and suspense . . . no one does it better than Nicci French' Lee Child 'Heart-thumping, head-scratching, nail-biting stuff: The Favour is classic Nicci French. I read it in one breathless sitting' Erin Kelly A good deed Can turn deadly…   When Liam unexpectedly turns up in Jude’s life after ten years of no contact, asking her for a favour, she just can’t say no. He was her first love, and even though she is now a successful doctor and about to get married, he will always be someone special to her. But after she does the favour, she is contacted by the police, informing her that Liam has been found dead, and suddenly she is caught up in a murder investigation.   And she realises this one decision could cost her everything – even her life…     Praise for Nicci French: 'Brilliantly twisty, the final reveal will send shivers down your spine' Woman & Home 'Pacy and page-turning, this is a gripping thriller about what happens when one small decision spials out of control… Ardent fans and new readers alike will love it' Prima ‘Expertly paced, psychologically sharp, thoroughly enjoyable' Louise Candlish ‘Meticulously plotted, psychologically astute’ Sarah Vaughan 'Absorbing.' Sabine Durrant ‘No-one does the dark distortion of good intentions like Nicci French' Cara Hunter ‘Perfection.' Sophie Hannah 'An absolute masterclass of crime writing.' Kate Rhodes ‘An intriguing, compelling page-turner.’ Liz Nugent 'Elegant and beguiling' C. M. Ewan ’Taut, well-paced and frighteningly familiar’ Polly Phillips

THE NEW THRILLER FROM THE MASTER OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE 'He did kill. Kill and kill and kill.' Tess's number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy's father Jason means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe. When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter's brightly coloured paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words. But no one will listen. It's only a child's drawing, isn't it? Tess will protect Poppy, whatever the price. But when she doesn't know what, or who, she is protecting her from, how can she possibly know who to trust . . . ? 'What an intriguing, compelling page-turner. I ate it up in two days' Liz Nugent, author of Our Little Cruelties 'I love Nicci French's books, and with The Unheard they are right at the top of their game. Few crime writers can match their psychological acuity, of their ability to lead a reader through dizzying plot twists without ever losing pace. It's an absolute masterclass of crime writing' Kate Rhodes, author of the Locked-Island Mystery series Praise for Nicci French: 'Confirms Nicci French as the giant of the genre' Erin Kelly 'Part ingenious locked-room mystery. Part you've-got-the-wrong-person nightmare drama. Part intricate memory game. Yet all seamlessly woven together. French's best book yet' A J Finn 'Expertly paced, psychologically sharp, thoroughly enjoyable' Louise Candlish 'Meticulously plotted, psychologically astute' Sarah Vaughan 'Great writing, razor-sharp plotting, and powerful characterisation. I was 100 pages in before I even drew breath, and I defy anyone to see the ending coming' Cara Hunter 'It's Nicci French perfection - which, as we all know, is the best kind of perfection. So, so gripping and brilliantly clued' Sophie Hannah 'A novel that blissfully plays with two genres: on the one hand an against-the-odds legal thriller a la John Grisham... and on the other a Miss Marple whodunnit' Sunday Times 'Nicci French husband-and-wife writing team responsible for some of the UK's best psychological thrillers have created a gem of a protagonist in Tabitha' Observer 'First-class' Independent 'Gripping' Literary Review 'Gritty and moving - the husband-and-wife team have scored another hit' Best 'A twisty and shocking read' Bella 'Engrossing' Good Housekeeping

THE NEW THRILLER FROM THE MASTER OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE 'He did kill. Kill and kill and kill.' Tess's number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy's father Jason means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe. When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter's brightly coloured paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words. But no one will listen. It's only a child's drawing, isn't it? Tess will protect Poppy, whatever the price. But when she doesn't know what, or who, she is protecting her from, how can she possibly know who to trust . . . ? 'An intense, brilliantly crafted thriller that hums with menace from start to finish' TM Logan, author of Trust Me and The Holiday 'What an intriguing, compelling page-turner. I ate it up in two days' Liz Nugent, author of Our Little Cruelties 'I love Nicci French's books, and with The Unheard they are right at the top of their game. Few crime writers can match their psychological acuity, of their ability to lead a reader through dizzying plot twists without ever losing pace. It's an absolute masterclass of crime writing' Kate Rhodes, author of the Locked-Island Mystery series Praise for Nicci French: 'Confirms Nicci French as the giant of the genre' Erin Kelly 'Part ingenious locked-room mystery. Part you've-got-the-wrong-person nightmare drama. Part intricate memory game. Yet all seamlessly woven together. French's best book yet' A J Finn 'Expertly paced, psychologically sharp, thoroughly enjoyable' Louise Candlish 'Meticulously plotted, psychologically astute' Sarah Vaughan 'Great writing, razor-sharp plotting, and powerful characterisation. I was 100 pages in before I even drew breath, and I defy anyone to see the ending coming' Cara Hunter 'It's Nicci French perfection - which, as we all know, is the best kind of perfection. So, so gripping and brilliantly clued' Sophie Hannah 'A novel that blissfully plays with two genres: on the one hand an against-the-odds legal thriller a la John Grisham... and on the other a Miss Marple whodunnit' Sunday Times 'Nicci French husband-and-wife writing team responsible for some of the UK's best psychological thrillers have created a gem of a protagonist in Tabitha' Observer 'First-class' Independent 'Gripping' Literary Review 'Gritty and moving - the husband-and-wife team have scored another hit' Best 'A twisty and shocking read' Bella 'Engrossing' Good Housekeeping

She’s a murderer.

Everyone knows she killed Stuart Rees – why else would his dead body be found in her shed?
So now Tabitha is in prison, awaiting trial.

Coming back to the remote coastal village where she grew up was a mistake. She didn’t fit in then, and she doesn’t fit in now.

That day is such a blur, she can’t remember clearly what happened. There is something she is missing, something important… She only knows one thing. She is not capable of murder.

And the only one she can trust to help her out of this situation is herself.
So she must fight. Against the odds.

For her life.

Beautifully written about prejudice, loneliness and fighting spirit, this new book by Nicci French is shocking, twisty and utterly compelling.

Zoe. Jenny. Nadia. Three women of varying ages and backgrounds with little else in common but for one thing: Someone has sent them each a note informing them that they will be killed. A cruel joke? A hoax? The police don't seem to think so. Now, with no clear suspect and amid the growing threat of violence, the victims become the accused as authorities dig into their backgrounds for clues as to why they might have attracted the unrelenting attention of a killer. As Zoe, Jenny, and Nadia find themselves being victimized twiceover, once by the faceless stalker and again by the police, each must ultimately face the question of which is stronger: the instinct to survive, or the desire to destroy?

A good deed can turn deadly…

When Liam unexpectedly turns up in Jude’s life after ten years of no contact, asking her for a favour, she just can’t say no. He was her first love, and even though she is now a successful doctor and about to get married, he will always be someone special to her.

But after she does the favour, she is contacted by the police, informing her that Liam has been found dead, and suddenly she is caught up in a murder investigation.

And she realises this one decision could cost her everything – even her life…

'Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition' Sophie Hannah *** You open your home and your heart to a victim. But your house is anything but safe . . . Samantha Laschen is a doctor specialising in post-traumatic stress disorder. She's moved to the coast to escape her problems and to be alone with her young daughter. But now the police want her to take in Fiona Mackenzie, a girl whose parents have been savagely murdered. Yet by allowing Fiona in, Sam is exposing herself - and her daughter - to risks she couldn't possibly have imagined . . . *** Praise for Nicci French: 'French leads the field' Sunday Express 'Brilliantly crafted . . . masterly control of suspense' Daily Mirror 'Tense, frightening, gripping' Easy Living 'Dark, nerve-tingling and addictive' Daily Express 'Gripping, chilling, moving' Observer

For Frieda Klein the days get longer, the cases darker . . . Psychotherapist Frieda Klein thought she was done with the police. But once more DCI Karlsson is knocking at her door. A man's decomposed body has been found in the flat of Michelle Doyce, a woman trapped in a world of strange mental disorder. The police don't know who it is, how he got there or what happened - and Michelle can't tell them. But Karlsson hopes Frieda can get access to the truths buried beneath her confusion. Painstakingly, Frieda uncovers a possible identity for the corpse: Robert Poole, a jack of all trades and master conman. But the deeper Frieda and Karlsson dig into Poole's past, the more of his victims they encounter - and the more motives they find for murder. Meanwhile, violent ghosts from Frieda's own past are returning to threaten her. Unable to discover quite who is telling the truth and who is lying, they know they are getting closer to a killer. But whoever murdered Poole is determined to stay free - and anyone that gets too close will meet the same fate. A gritty heroine, a gruesome crime and a terrifying hunt for a psychotic killer, Tuesday's Gone is not to be missed by fans of psychological thrillers. Praise for Nicci French: 'Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition. No one understands human psychological frailty better. No one writes better about grief, love, fear or emotional damage. Not many books are as insightful as they are addictive; Nicci French's are.' Sophie Hannah 'Nicci French knows just how to play on our worst fears' Daily Mail

Feel chills down your spine with the thrilling first novel in Nicci French's bestselling killer series 'Undeniably at the top of British psychological suspense writing' OBSERVER 'Utterly gripping . . . I could hardly turn the pages fast enough' 5***** READER REVIEW _______ Monday: five-year-old Matthew Faraday is abducted. His face is splashed across newspaper front pages. His parents and the police are desperate. Can anyone help find their little boy before it is too late? Psychotherapist Frieda Klein just might know something. One of her patients describes dreams of seizing a boy who is the spitting image of Matthew. Convinced at first the police will dismiss her fears out of hand, Frieda reluctantly finds herself drawn into the heart of the case. A previous abduction, from twenty years ago, suggests a new lead - one that only Frieda, an expert on the minds of disturbed individuals, can uncover. Struggling to make sense of this terrifying investigation, Frieda will face her darkest fears in the hunt for a clever and brutal killer . . . _______ 'The twists within the last few chapters left me thinking about it for hours after' 5***** READER REVIEW 'I was really gripped from start to finish' 5***** READER REVIEW Praise for Nicci French: 'Sophisticated, compassionate, gripping . . . Not many books are as insightful as they are addictive; Nicci French's are' Sophie Hannah 'A brilliantly crafted new crime series' Daily Mirror 'Terrific. The writing is pacy, the jaw-dropping twists are plentiful' Short List 'One of French's hardest-to-put-down novels' Sunday Express 'French is undeniably at the top of British psychological suspense writing, expert in the unguessable twist, supremely skilled at ratcheting up the tension' Observer 'A nerve-jangling and addictive read' Daily Express

THE NEW THRILLER FROM THE MASTER OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE 'An intense, brilliantly crafted thriller that hums with menace from start to finish' TM Logan 'He did kill. Kill and kill and kill.' Tess's number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy's father Jason means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe. When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter's brightly coloured paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words. But no one will listen. It's only a child's drawing, isn't it? Tess will protect Poppy, whatever the price. But when she doesn't know what, or who, she is protecting her from, how can she possibly know who to trust . . . ? Praise for Nicci French: 'Expertly paced, psychologically sharp, thoroughly enjoyable' Louise Candlish 'Meticulously plotted, psychologically astute' Sarah Vaughan 'A heart-wrenchingly plausible spiral into paranoia, fear and unbearable tension. Literally pulse-pounding' Christopher Brookmyre 'Totally absorbing. Such great plotting and characters, but also so human and full of insights about ordinary life and relationships. That's what always sets Nicci French's work apart - it makes the narrative feel so real' Sabine Durrant 'I love Nicci French's books, and with The Unheard they are right at the top of their game. Few crime writers can match their psychological acuity, of their ability to lead a reader through dizzying plot twists without ever losing pace. It's an absolute masterclass of crime writing' Kate Rhodes 'Utterly absorbing, brilliantly plotted, twisty and original' Rachel Abbott 'Great writing, razor-sharp plotting, and powerful characterisation. I was 100 pages in before I even drew breath, and I defy anyone to see the ending coming' Cara Hunter 'It's Nicci French perfection - which, as we all know, is the best kind of perfection. So, so gripping and brilliantly clued' Sophie Hannah 'What an intriguing, compelling page-turner. I ate it up in two days' Liz Nugent 'I love Nicci French's books, and with The Unheard they are right at the top of their game. Few crime writers can match their psychological acuity, or their ability to lead a reader through dizzying plot twists without ever losing pace. It's an absolute masterclass of crime writing' Kate Rhodes 'The Unheard is elegant and beguiling, masterfully crafted, with an almost hallucinatory sense of jangling unease' C. M. Ewan 'Taut, well-paced and frighteningly familiar, I found it difficult to put down and hard to forget' Polly Phillips 'A mesmerising portrait of a child under stress, observed obsessively because every tiny trait is a possible clue to an important crime' Sunday Times 'A haunting investigation of our darkest fears' Mail on Sunday 'The Unheard is excellent - a breathless read brimming with misdirection and fear' The Observer 'fast-moving domestic thriller' Literary Review 'The usual French polish from an accomplished husband-and-wife duo' Saga 'Husband and wife duo Nicci Gerrard and Sean French have created another enthralling, tantalisingly twisty read' Heat

THE CHILLING SEVENTH NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING FRIEDA KLEIN SERIES 'Menacing' Guardian Someone is coming for Frieda, someone deadly . . . Psychotherapist Frieda Klein has believed serial killer Dean Reeve escaped justice for years. Despite what the police say, she is convinced he's still alive. And finally she has the evidence. Because under her floor is the rotting corpse of an ex-policeman who she'd hired to hunt for Reeve. Now the police have to take her seriously. It's clear that whoever did this is very dangerous and must be found, but it's also clear that they're not finished with Frieda - or those she loves most. As Frieda is about to learn - it's always darkest just before the dawn . . . 'Addictive' Daily Express 'Nail-biting' Marie Claire 'Ingenious' Daily Telegraph

Waiting For Wednesday by Nicci French is the thrilling third novel in the highly acclaimed Frieda Klein series. Ruth Lennox, beloved mother of three, is found by her daughter in a pool of her own blood. Who would want to murder an ordinary housewife? And why? Psychotherapist Frieda Klein finds she has an unusually personal connection with DCI Karlsson's latest case. She is no longer working with him in an official capacity, but when her niece befriends Ruth Lennox's son, Ted, she finds herself in the awkward position of confidante to both Karlsson and Ted. When it emerges that Ruth was leading a secret life, her family closes ranks and Karlsson finds he needs Frieda's help more than ever before. But Frieda is distracted. Having survived an attack on her life, she is struggling to stay in control and when a patient's chance remark rings an alarm bell, she finds herself chasing down a path that seems to lead to a serial killer who has long escaped detection. Or is it merely a symptom of her own increasingly fragile mind? Because, as Frieda knows, every step closer to a killer is one more step into a darkness from which there may be no return . . . Praise for Nicci French: 'Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition. No one understands human psychological frailty better. No one writes better about grief, love, fear or emotional damage. Not many books are as insightful as they are addictive; Nicci French's are.' Sophie Hannah 'Brilliantly crafted' Daily Mirror 'Full of dark psychology and tension ... nerve-tingling and addictive' Daily Express 'Magnificent' Evening Standard