Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Dustin Rowles | News | May 1, 2025
Liane Moriarty is a frustrating novelist for me, because every one of her novels seems to not only come out with a lot of marketing hype, but the Goodreads and Audible algorithms are always trying to cram them down my throat. And I bite. I tell myself: This is gonna be the one I like! But like every season of American Horror Story, about 30 percent of the way through, I realize I’ve been snookered again. There’s too much tedious wheel-spinning, and to be honest, beyond the first season of Big Little Lies, the series based on her novels (Apples Never Fall, Nine Perfect Strangers) have done little for me, either.
The first season of Nine Perfect Strangers largely drifted along on the strength of its cast — Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Samara Weaving, Manny Jacinto, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Shannon, etc. — until it puttered out. They’re really trying to turn this into the next White Lotus, but with microdosing, and it’s not a formula I’m particularly interested in enduring again. And yet, I probably will, because the cast is irresistible: Nicole Kidman is back, along with newcomers Murray Bartlett, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Henry Golding, and Mark Strong, among others. I know I’m gonna get Horror Story’d again.
The second season of Nine Perfect Strangers premieres on Hulu on May 21st.
I wish that Alafair Burke got as much hype and attention as Liane Moriarty, because I’ve read a few of her books, including The Better Sister, and they’re fun thrillers that typically involve legal proceedings (Burke is a former Deputy District Attorney in Portland, Oregon, and a Professor of Law). Burke can craft a compelling twisty murder mystery while developing well-rounded characters, and I’m glad to see that The Better Sister may bring more attention not just to her latest series but also to her back catalog, which includes 14 crime novels.
The trailer also looks excellent. There’s a murdered husband here and a lot of twists, none of which I will divulge. Great cast, too: Jessica Biel, Elizabeth Banks, Kim Dickens, Matthew Modine, and Gloria Reuben.
The Better Sister premieres May 29 on Prime Video.
