Jeremiah Simmons

Before the Fall promises a gripping mystery about a doomed plane crash and its lone survivors, but what you get instead is a tedious slog through lifeless prose, flat characters, and laughably contrived backstories. The central mystery is drowned under chapters of irrelevant flashbacks and philosophical filler, delivered with all the energy of an in-flight safety manual. The characters are so hollow they might as well have been luggage. Not one of them behaves in a way that feels remotely believable. The plot drips forward like a leaking faucet, begging you to care — but the writing is so emotionally vacant, you’re more likely to nod off than turn the page. By the halfway mark, I found myself thinking: crashing into the ocean sounds like a better use of my time than finishing this book. Avoid unless you enjoy being bored at 30,000 feet.