Christopher Pike was one of my favorite authors during my early teen years. I got hooked after a classmate loaned me a copy of Remember Me and read everything he wrote after that. Well, up until around high school.
Falling was being featured in my local bookstore so I grabbed it hoping for a nostalgic experience. It’s actually not a YA novel, it’s for adults. Falling explores the sad, emotionally driven lives of Matt Connor and Kelly Fienman.
The novel kicks off with Matt planning to fake his death so he can execute a plot of revenge on Amy, his ex-girlfriend. Matt was once obsessed and in love with Amy, who lied and cheated on Matt with David, her current husband. Matt wants to be fake-dead and kidnap Amy and David’s newborn baby so he’ll never be a suspect in its kidnapping.
Meanwhile, FBI agent Kelly Fienman is tracking a serial killer called The Acid Man. The Acid Man is educated and sophisticated. He lures women to his bedroom and uses hydrochloric acid to kill them in Greek mythology-like rituals.
When the FBI deems the case low priority, Kelly goes rogue to hunt down The Acid Man on her own terms. When Kelly becomes a victim of The Acid Man herself and survives, she becomes more ruthless than ever at exacting her own revenge.
Kelly gets involved in the Matt-Amy-David kidnapping case after recovering from her run-in with The Acid Man. She finds herself connecting with Matt on a level she never would have expected. Together, Kelly and Matt work on facing and overcoming their fears and emotional dilemmas.
At the beginning of Falling, I was skeptical about Matt’s ability to successfully carry out his fake death. But as the story went on, Pike revealed more about Matt’s intellect, which made him infinitely more intriguing. Amy was also well-written in that she was indirectly creepy, deceptive, selfish, and manipulative.
Overall, Falling is more than just a suspense novel. It’s deep and complex, and explores how intense emotions can drive people to do the unthinkable. This book was wholly satisfying. It turned out to be one of the most complex, genius novels I’ve read in awhile!
Are you a fan of Christopher Pike, and if so, what are your favorite novels by him? In addition to Remember Me, I loved Scavenger Hunt and Spellbound.
Last Updated on November 24, 2025 by Sarah Ann
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