October 2021

Liane Moriarty returns with APPLES NEVER FALL, which is a family tale. Bring on the Delaneys, who are well-known and loved in their Sydney suburb. For years, Joy and Stan ran a tennis academy that turned out champions, including their own four children. Now they have sold this family business and are trying to kick their lives back a notch, but this is proving to be pretty challenging. They seem to miss the sound of the ball smacking its way onto the court just a bit too much. They miss the energy of competition.

Just as they are stepping away, one of their earlier protégés seems to be hitting some new high strides. Yes, Harry Haddad, the tennis genius who Stan coached for years, is now slamming down wins, which is making Stan wistfully wish that they had stayed working together. Harry could have been his ticket to fame as a coach. Yes, all four of their children also lobbed the ball over the net, some better than others, but none were Harry.

And what about these four? Well, there is the usual sibling tension among them, but for the most part they get along. They each have their own lives, but they are drawn together when the unthinkable happens. Their mother goes missing. One day she is just gone. As they ponder her disappearance, there is discussion on where the blame for this lies. Is it their father’s doing? What DID he do? Two of the children think he had a hand in it. The other two are not so sure about that.

But as always with a taut thriller, there’s something else awry, including a subplot of sorts that includes a young woman who shows up on Stan and Joy’s doorstep. Just who is she? And why is she so very interested in this family?

I confess that I was not enamored with Liane’s NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, but she won me back with APPLES NEVER FALL. You want to bite into this one. I know, I know. I could not resist!