Book Description
The Delaney family love one another dearly – it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other…
Joy Delaney and husband Stan have done well. four wonderful grown-up children. A family business to envy. The golden years of retirement ahead of them.
So when Joy Delaney vanishes –
no note, no calls, her bike missing – its natural that tongues will wag.
How did Stan scratch his face? Why no answers from the police?
And who was the stranger who entered and suddenly left their lives? What are they all hiding?
But for the Delaney children there is a much more terrifying question:
did they ever know their parents at all?
Because the closer the family, the bigger the lie….
My Thoughts
Super excited to receive a proof copy of this book – thank you so much Gaby. I adore Liane Moriarty’s writing and let me assure you this one does not disappoint. It is a long read, close to 500 pages but one I enjoyed immensely.
The Delaney’s are tennis players, Joy and Stan played at a high level and their love of the game brought them together, their 4 children grew up with tennis, playing and competing, while their parents coached promising future tennis stars at the tennis club. Now retired, the tennis club is sold and tennis is a somewhat mixed bag now for the 4 adult siblings, although Joy and Stan still play. Elite tennis star Harry Haddad is a slight shadow in their history, having left the Delaney’s coaching school shortly before making it big. The family are close and life is seemingly good. But then on Valentines Day, Joy disappears…
Told in a then and now format the book commences with Joy being reported missing and the subsequent police investigation. But then we go back to the previous September when a stranger knocks on Joy and Stan’s door, desperate and in need, the Delaney’s help her and she ends up staying while. The story moves between September and February as the investigation continues and the preceding events are revealed.
I loved the way this book was written, the plot was excellent but the use of other voices to contribute to the story was superb – like Big Little Lies the use of bystanders to note their observations offers a range of perspectives to the viewer, a way of writing that brings these voices and the book to life. The writing itself is in the third person, but the use of opinion and dialogue adds a vibrancy to the story and I found it to be an engrossing read.
Having read a lot of Moriarty’s books I think this one will be popular with fans, slick and energetic I can see it adapting well to television. While some were a little disappointed with her last offering; Nine Perfect Strangers, Apples Never Fall is, in my opinion Moriarty back to doing what she does best, sharp and intricate family dramas, twisty and edgy with a mystery at the heart, authentically written and highly readable.
Available to buy now and highly recommended by me!
About the Author
Liane Moriarty is the bestselling author of nine novels including The Hypnotist’s Love Story, The Husband’s Secret, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers. Her novels have sold more than twenty million copies worldwide and been translated into over forty languages. Big Little Lies is now an Emmy and Golden Globe – winning HBO series, produced by and starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. Nine Perfect Strangers is currently in production for TV. Liane lives in Sydney with her husband, son and daughter.
ilovedreadingthis 
Looking forward to this one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s brilliant Clair!
LikeLike