(94)Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Sunday, November 27, 2016


It is a typical summer evening when a group of people gather at a small airport, waiting to leave Martha's Vineyard on a private plane, eager to get back to the city.  The passengers are wealthy and privileged.  Except for Scott - Scott is a painter just trying to get by and was lucky enough to be offered a ride back to the city.  The thought of avoiding weekend traffic was very appealing to Scott, so he accepts the offer.  They aren't in the air long when something goes horribly wrong and the plane falls from the sky.   Scott and a four-year-old little boy are the only survivors.  All of a sudden Scott is thrown into the spotlight in a way he never thought possible.  People are questioning his survival, they are questioning his presence on the plane, they are questioning his heroic efforts to save the young son, and only living heir, of some very wealthy people.   In the days after the crash things start to intensify, but will they ever find out what happened to cause the plane to just fall out of the sky?

Before the Fall is one of those books that I have been hearing about for months.  Now I see why.  Noah Hawley takes his readers on a doozy of a ride.  As a reader, you know the plane crashed, you know that Scott and JJ survived.  But in a series of flashbacks you get to know the other passengers on the plane. Like one of the men is on the verge of being indicted by the SEC.   And JJ's older sister was once kidnapped and held for three days until a very large ransom was paid.   And one of the pilots once had a fling with one of the Flight Attentendents.   Scott seems like a decent guy who got caught in the drama that comes with a little adorable orphaned boy and his billions.  With each passing day, it is easy for the reader to also get caught up in the drama, but you are desperate to find who was behind the plane crash.   I was a little disappointed with the big reveal, I was expecting something...more.

Bottom line - While the end fell a little flat for me, the build-up leading to the reveal was the stuff that legends are made of.  All in all, Before the Fall was a great book.


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