Liane Moriarity is sort of a hot commodity these days, following the success of several books and subsequent TV versions of Big Little Lies (a friend called it “real estate porn”) and Nine Perfect Strangers. So I couldn’t pass up the chance to read a copy of Apples Never Fall from Henry Holt and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. 

The central focus is the Delaney family…and THEIR central focus is tennis. The parents, Stan and Joy, after fifty years of what looks like a happy marriage, sell their tennis academy and get ready for their golden years. “Joy had time to wander about specialty supermarkets looking for unusual ingredients, except she wanted to cry with boredom at the thought.” Her opinion is that there is a “…secret of a happy marriage: step away from the rage.” So are they REALLY happy?

Their four adult children, two men and two women, are all strong competitive tennis players, and are all doing well despite never attaining the level of success their father dreamed of. And it seems Joy has spent years tiptoeing around Stan often at the expense of their children, particularly daughter Amy, as the “…risk of upsetting Stan outweighed the risk of upsetting Amy.” Joy has been on the edge for a looooong time: “When the kids wer little her mood remained set at a permanent low level of irritability.” Now, years later, it becomes evident that “…she’d never wanted his gratitude, just his acknowledgement. Just once.”

So, life is quite unsettled when a stranger named Savannah knocks on their door late one night, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. They invite her in, and she ends up staying….and staying. After Joy disappears, Savannah then goes missing, and the police begin a serious investigation. Stan claims innocence and ignorance, but he sure seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the adult children think their father is innocent, while the other two aren’t so sure. It’s a classic domestic drama with well-developed characters, clever plotting, and a solid ending. Four and a half stars, but since I can’t split stars, let’s call it a solid four. Another solid effort from Ms.Moriarty,