Any time Liane Moriarty releases a new title, it’s highly anticipated. While I can’t say any of her more recent books have quite blown me away like Big Little Lies which sparked a near obsession in me, I haven’t read any I didn’t like. This particular book has a slightly different tone. The mystery is a bit more understated.

Synopsis

One fateful day on a domestic flight from Sydney to Hobart, the lives of strangers will all converge at the hands of one otherwise ordinary older woman, a woman soon to be referred to as the mysterious “Death Lady.” While in flight and in an uninteruptible trance-like state, the woman systematically points at each passenger and gives them the age and manner of their eventual death. For some, this is no more than a humorous carnival trick quickly laughed off and forgotten, but for others the grim prediction calls into question their own mortality. At the end of the flight, all passengers go their separate ways only to be brought back together when the first passengers begin to die under circumstances oddly in line with those predicted by the “Death Lady.” The novel alternates between the perspectives of those passengers unlucky enough to learn they will soon be expiring and that of the Death Lady herself where we learn how her past history led her to the fateful day that would make her infamous.

Honestly, at times I felt I was reading a Fredrik Backman book and not a Liane Moriarty book, which is not at all a bad thing. While all of her books are very character-driven, this one is very character-woven. Each person has his or her own place in the tapestry and they all come together into something quite moving, including Cherry, our supposed “Death Lady.” The novel still has that biting humor I expect from Moriarty, but the conclusion is less dramatic and more sentimental than I would normally expect from her. In a way, that’s refreshing, but it was also a bit more anti-climactic. Still satisfying, but not exacly explosive.

What I love most about Moriarty is her ability to bring something new and unique to the surface with every new title. She really digs deep and doesn’t just rehash the same old story with a fresh wrapping. I can’t tell you how refreshing that is, and it’s testament to her ingenuity. Both she and Backman are experts at crafting characters that stick with you. Not only that, but they can place these perfectly imperfect people in situations that feel authentic and pushes whatever narrative they’ve crafted into a conclusion that’s quite moving. I guess you can say I have a type because I’m all in for that. Moriarty isn’t just a writer. She’s a true storyteller. It doesn’t hurt that the audiobooks of every single one of her titles are narrated so superbly by Caroline Lee, sometimes with help from other talented individuals. I absolutely believe that has an effect on my enjoyment factor.

Honestly, when I meet someone who is a reluctant reader, I always have Moriarty in mind as a recommendation. If anyone can intrigue and spark a new-found love of reading, it’s her. Loving her books is effortless.

Published by September 10, 2024 by Random House Audio. ASIN B0CVSJJLW4. Runtime 15 hrs. 53 mins. Read by Caroline Lee and Geraldine Hakewill.