Before the Fall

By: Noah Hawley
Location: FIC HAW
Genre: Mystery


“It's hard to be sad when you're being useful.”

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.
The fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this novel, raising questions of fate, human nature, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.

"There's really just a lot more than a plane crash mystery suspense thriller going on here. It's a very memorable book that will stick with me for a bit. I didn't expect much from it, and I was pleasantly surprised and completely sold after just a few chapters. I guess what I'm saying is you really can't judge a book by its cover, and I'm glad I decided to give this one a shot because it was well worth it." Justin