Apples Never Fall

by Liane Moriarty

Overview

#1 New York Times Bestseller

From Liane Moriarty, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, comes Apples Never Fall, a novel that looks at marriage, siblings, and how the people we love the most can hurt us the deepest.

The Delaney family love one another dearly—it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .

If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?

This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.

The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?

The four Delaney children—Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke—were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.

One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.

Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure—but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250220257
Publisher:	Holt, Henry & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	09/14/2021
Pages:	480
Sales rank:	171,884
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Liane Moriarty is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Big Little Lies, The Husband’s Secret, and Truly Madly Guilty; the New York Times bestsellers Nine Perfect Strangers, What Alice Forgot, and The Last Anniversary; The Hypnotist’s Love Story; and Three Wishes. She lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and two children.

Editorial Reviews

07/26/2021

Set in Sydney, Australia, this engrossing psychological thriller from bestseller Moriarty (Nine Perfect Strangers) centers on Joy and Stan Delaney, who have been married for 50 years and are discontented in their retirement. Joy often fantasizes about their four grown children giving them grandchildren to help them out of their rut. One night, a young woman appears at the Delaneys’ door. Introducing herself as Savannah, she claims she’s a victim of domestic abuse and has the injuries to show for it. The couple welcome Savannah into their home, where she soon becomes a permanent guest. Eventually, the Delaney children notice oddities in Savannah’s behavior and suggest it may be time for her to leave. Tension builds between Joy and Stan, and suddenly she vanishes. The police and two of the Delaney children believe Stan is responsible for her disappearance as he won’t talk about it. Moriarty expertly delves into the innermost thoughts of each of the children, exposing secrets unbeknownst to each other; artfully balances the present-day plot with revealing backstory; and offers several different possibilities for what happened to Joy. Only the overlong conclusion disappoints. Moriarty’s superb storytelling continues to shine. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

#1 New York Times Bestseller

“Liane Moriarty hits an ace in Apples Never Fall.” —The Associated Press

"Game, Set, Murder. . . . Liane Moriarty's next blockbuster novel Apples Never Fall [is] a high-wire act that blends marital drama, a long con, a potential murder—and competitive tennis. Everything Liane Moriarty touches turns to gold. . . . The Australian author's next project, which is already destined for the small screen, is a throwback to her best-known—and most beloved—material: family secrets."—Entertainment Weekly

"Moriarty tells a great story, understands her characters and cares about them, too. Readers who have kept up with her books will adore Apples Never Fall, and readers just discovering Moriarty will seek out her previous titles after savoring this fresh, juicy tale."— The Washington Post

"Do yourself a favor and read this ASAP 'cause it'll likely be everyone's next binge-worthy TV obsession by next year. The author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers returns with another unputdownable book about what it really means to be family."—E! Online

"[Liane Moriarty] cements herself as a master of mystery, using every detail in her tangled narrative web to keep the reader guessing until the final shocking twist."—Vulture

"Combines domestic realism and noirish mystery. . . . The structure follows the pattern of Big Little Lies by setting up a mystery and then jumping months into the past to unravel it. Funny, sad, astute, occasionally creepy, and slyly irresistible."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Moriarty is at her best. . . . No clue is left abandoned, not even in the chilling final chapter."—Booklist (starred review)

"I loved it. An absolute page-turner with all the wit and nuance that put Liane Moriarty head and shoulders above the crowd. Liane Moriarty shows once again why she leads the pack."—Jane Harper, New York Times bestselling author of The Dry and The Survivors

“Moriarty has an eye for the telling details that rivals Anne Tyler’s—and a knack for building suspense. This tale of a tennis mom gone missing will keep you guessing.”—People Magazine, "Best Books Fall 2021 Must-Reads"

"A wifty tale of domestic suspense, and a satisfying, layered family drama where the tension comes from the treachery of memory, the specter of generational violence and the effects of decades’ worth of unspoken resentments that have curdled over time. . . . Moriarty once again shows her mastery with the inner working of women."—The New York Times Book Review

“Liane Moriarty devotees, rejoice!”—CNN

“Joy Delaney has gone missing — and her husband, Stan, seems like the most likely suspect. Two of their grown children think he’s probably guilty, two think he’s innocent, and everyone seems to be squaring off against each other in this delicious family drama.”—New York Post

“With Moriarty’s trademark humor and smart insights about families, this entertaining, twisty read will keep you guessing until the final page.”—Real Simple

Must Reads for September:

Entertainment Weekly

Pop Sugar

People Magazine


Praise for Liane Moriarty's Novels

"A total pleasure."—The New York Times Book Review

"Funny and scary."—Stephen King

"Sharply intelligent."—Entertainment Weekly

"Like drinking a pink cosmo laced with arsenic."—USA Today

"Powerful."—The Washington Post

"God-smacking."—BookPage

"Irresistible."—People

"Superb."—Parade

"Gripping."—Oprah.com

"A wonderful writer."—Anne Lamott

"Expect lots of well-deserved interest."—Starred Booklist

"Simply exquisite."—Bookreporter

"Mesmerizing."—Family Circle

"Provocative."—Woman's World

"So, so good."—Jojo Moyes

From the Publisher

★ 2021-06-16
Australian novelist Moriarty combines domestic realism and noirish mystery in this story about the events surrounding a 69-year-old Sydney woman’s disappearance.

Joy and Stan Delaney met as champion tennis players more than 50 years ago and ran a well-regarded tennis academy until their recent retirement. Their long, complicated marriage has been filled with perhaps as much passion for the game of tennis as for each other or their children. When Joy disappears on Feb. 14, 2020 (note the date), the last text she sends to her now-grown kids—bohemian Amy, passive Logan, flashy Troy, and migraine-suffering Brooke—is too garbled by autocorrect to decipher and stubborn Stan refuses to accept that there might be a problem. But days pass and Joy remains missing and uncharacteristically silent. As worrisome details come to light, the police become involved. The structure follows the pattern of Big Little Lies (2014) by setting up a mystery and then jumping months into the past to unravel it. Here, Moriarty returns to the day a stranger named Savannah turned up bleeding on the Delaneys’ doorstep and Joy welcomed her to stay for an extended visit. Who is Savannah? Whether she’s innocent, scamming, or something else remains unclear on many levels. Moriarty is a master of ambiguity and also of the small, telling detail like a tossed tennis racket or the repeated appearance of apple crumble. Starting with the abandoned bike that's found by a passing motorist on the first page, the evidence that accumulates around what happened to Joy constantly challenges the reader both to notice which minor details (and characters) matter and to distinguish between red herrings and buried clues. The ultimate reveal is satisfying, if troubling. But Moriarty’s main focus, which she approaches from countless familiar and unexpected angles, is the mystery of family and what it means to be a parent, child, or sibling in the Delaney family—or in any family, for that matter.

Funny, sad, astute, occasionally creepy, and slyly irresistible.

Kirkus Reviews