"On the day of Alec Salter s fiftieth birthday party, just before Christmas 1990, his wife Charlotte vanishes. Most of the small English village of Glensted is at the party for hours before anyone realizes Charlotte 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. When Charlotte s coat is found by the river, they fear the worst. Then the body of the Salters neighbor, Duncan Ackerley, is found floating in the river by his son Morgan and Etty. The police investigate and conclude that Duncan and Charlotte were having an affair before he killed her and committed suicide."--
