Before the FallBefore the Fall
Score Modern
What it's about
From the creator of TV's Fargo, Noah Hawley's thriller begins with a private plane crashing into the sea. The only survivors are a struggling painter and a four-year-old boy, and as investigators and the media dig into the passengers' lives, questions mount about why the plane went down.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Edgar Award for Best Novel and the International Thriller Writers Award.
You'll love it if you liked
The Woman in the Window
Gone Girl
The Silent PatientGood to know
It moves between the investigation and the passengers' backstories.
By the numbers
- Readers10 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics49 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller48 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz5 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #396 of the 555 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #1187 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #2194 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
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Quick answers
Is Before the Fall worth reading?
Yes. It won the Edgar Award for Best Novel and the International Thriller Writers Award. It ranks #2,194 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 61.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Before the Fall about?
From the creator of TV's Fargo, Noah Hawley's thriller begins with a private plane crashing into the sea. The only survivors are a struggling painter and a four-year-old boy, and as investigators and the media dig into the passengers' lives, questions mount about why the plane went down.
How long does it take to read Before the Fall?
About 10 hours (400 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Before the Fall won?
Edgar Award winner (2017).
What should I read after Before the Fall?
If you liked it, try The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn or The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.