Before the Fall

BEFORE THE FALL begins on a foggy summer night, where ten people-nine privileged, one a down-on-his-luck painter-board a private jet in Martha's Vineyard. The plane never reaches its destination, and the only survivors are Scott Burroughs-the painter-and a six-year-old boy, the last remaining member of a very wealthy media mogul's family.
In chapters that weave between the gripping survival story and its aftermath of Scott and his young companion, with the lives of the passengers and crew members before they board the plane, a picture starts to emerge of the mystery surrounding the crash. As the crimes and intrigues of the passengers begin to unravel, odd coincidences and suggestions of conspiracy arise. Could it be a coincidence that so many influential people died in one plane? Was it mechanical or human error, or could it be that there was something more nefarious at work? And what to make of the fact that Scott had spent years before the crash painting pictures of disasters?


Though quick-paced and suspenseful, at the heart of BEFORE THE FALL are the fundamental questions of fate and human nature. How any historical event, when examined in detail, yields suspicious facts. We are pattern-seeking animals seeing faces in clouds. Amidst all the conspiracists and sycophants alike, the book is ultimately about the relationship of Scott and the young boy. As the possibilities for the crash swirl around them, their fragile relationship glows at the heart of the novel, illuminating not only how we are all inextricably linked, family and stranger alike, but also how we seek to find meaning in even the most incomprehensible of tragedies.

Noah Hawley is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, composer, and author. He wrote and produced the television series Bones (2005-present) and also created The Unusuals (2009) and My Generation (2010). Hawley also wrote the screenplay for the film Lies and Alibis (2006) starring Steve Coogan and Rebecca Romijn.

Noah is the author of four novels including A Conspiracy of Tall Men, Other People's Weddings, The Punch, and The Good Father.

Noah began writing as a release from his job at the Legal Aid Society back in New York where he worked with abused and neglected juveniles. He then moved to San Francisco and met critically acclaimed author Po Bronson who invited him to join "The San Francisco Writers' Grotto" an organization where writers, filmmakers and storytellers practice their craft.