Before the Fall by Noah Hawley + Giveaway

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


From the Emmy, PEN, Peabody, and Golden Globe Award-winning creator of the TV show Fargo comes the thriller to read in 2016.

On a foggy summer night, eleven people--ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter--depart Martha's Vineyard headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the passengers disappear into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs--the painter--and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of a wealthy and powerful media mogul's family.

With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the tragedy and the backstories of the passengers and crew members--including a Wall Street titan and his wife, a Texan-born party boy just in from London, a young woman questioning her path in life, and a career pilot--the mystery surrounding the crash heightens. As the passengers' intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy: Was it merely dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work? Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations--all while the reader draws closer and closer to uncovering the truth.

Amid pulse-quickening suspense, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, human nature, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.

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REVIEW

Before the Fall is an excellent book. I like that the chapters both depicted what happened before and after the crash. Before I learned more about every person on the plan, where they just name on a list of dead people. But, slowly the victims in the plane crash started to take form and I felt sorry for (most of them). The last 100 page was intense to read, finally, now the story was starting to reveal what really happened to the plane. 

I found it interesting and sad how quickly people came to question Scott, why he had survived. Especially loathsome in the book is Bill Cunningham. I hope he gets what he deserves too! Speaking of loathsome, Eleanor's husband Doug is probably the books sleaziest characters (together with Bill). He enraged me every time he opened his mouth.  

Then, I came to the end of the book turned the last page and realized that it was no more to the story. So of course, I turned the page back again and then turned it again like it would magically show at least one more chapter. It was like watching Ivanhoe (one again) and hoping that the damn man would pick the right woman at the end of the book, but no, he still makes the wrong decision. Anyway, what I want to say with this was that despite the satisfying ending where we got closure to the story did I like the characters so much that I wanted to know what would happen next in their life. How would it go for little JJ and his aunt Eleanora and would Scott be part of the boy's life, a safe harbor for him? I like to think so.

I want to thank Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

2 US/CANADA WINNERS WILL RECEIVE A COPY OF BEFORE THE FALL BY NOAH HAWLEY

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley