Happiness Falls

Book cover of Happiness Falls

Book description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another in this thrilling page-turner, a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author…

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Why read it?

4 authors picked Happiness Falls as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Sarah P. Blanchard

Author

A quirky mystery on the surface -- a man goes missing -- but ultimately a deep dive into the human condition, with all the flaws and inconsistencies that suggests. Charming, funny, gut-wrenching.

From Sarah's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Kat Hausler

Author

The complicated and wonderful characters in Mia’s family really drew me in. They all have enough to deal with: the pandemic; Mia’s first breakup; her complicated relationship with her twin, who seems to do everything right; their brother Eugene’s disabilities, which mean he’s often discriminated against or underestimated; and their parents’ struggles to keep it all together and move on from heartbreaking false hopes.

When her father disappears, Mia doesn’t let her other problems or even the fear and heartbreak get in the way of her determination to find out the truth–no matter how painful–and protect Eugene from unjust suspicion.…

From Kat's list on sleuths who have enough problems without a mystery to solve.

Adam Mitzner

Author

Sometimes, I read to be entertained, sometimes to enjoy the author’s use of language, and sometimes to make myself think about my own life. Rarely does a book do all three. This one did.

Not only is it a great mystery, with sparkling prose, but it made me think about my own family in a way that is going to stay with me for a long time.

From Adam's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Deep Roots

By Sung J. Woo,

Book cover of Deep Roots

New book alert!

What is my book about?

After solving her first case, private eye Siobhan O’Brien is hired by Phillip Ahn, an octogenarian billionaire with his own personal island in the Pacific Northwest. Ahn, a genius in artificial intelligence, swears that Duke, his youngest child and only son, is an impostor. Is Ahn crazy, or is Duke really someone else? As Siobhan attempts to arrive at the truth, her biggest challenge will be dealing with Ahn’s family, who all live under the same gilded roof: his current wife, his two ex-wives, and their awful, privileged children.

What is the real reason that Siobhan was brought to this…

Deep Roots

By Sung J. Woo,

What is this book about?

After solving her first case, Siobhan O’Brien faces her biggest challenge yet – Thanksgiving! With her lawyer boyfriend Craig in tow, Siobhan travels to Minneapolis to endure small talk with the extended O’Brien clan and chow down on some seriously delicious turkey and dressing. Everything’s swell until her sister-in-law Gwen tells her about her brother Sven's frequent late-night meetings with his co-workers. Since Siobhan’s next case is just a ferry ride from their house in Washington state, she asks for Siobhan’s help.
Big sister is happy to oblige, though she’s got her hands full. Hired by Phillip Ahn, a Korean…

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Luke Jerod Kummer

Author

In Happiness Falls—Angie Kim’s follow-up to her critically acclaimed debut, Miracle Creek—the trial-lawyer-turned-crime-writer takes another giant step towards perfecting what I like to call the “philosophical mystery” novel.

Yes, the engaging plot is a twisting tale about a missing person that had me guessing and re-guessing what happened from the first to the final pages.

But within this tightly wound whodunit, Kim poses—and perhaps even approaches answers to—some of life’s biggest questions, including what one might do to become truly happy.

From Luke's 3 favorite reads in 2023.