First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 

. . . First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros . . . now hosted by Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews, where bloggers share excerpts from a book they have read, are currently reading, or are planning to read.

 

Today I'm featuring a recent read, Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson. The excerpt shared is from an advance reader copy I received from the publisher via NetGalley is exchange for an honest review.

First Chapter:  She first spotted him at Bobbie's Coffee Shop on Twenty-Second Street. He was at a window seat, idly looking at his phone, a white mug in front of him. Abigail was on her way to the office for her half day, dodging pedestrians on the sidewalk, thinking about the wedding, wondering if maybe she should have invited her cousin Donald and his wife whose name she always forgot.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

For me, Peter Swanson's novels are must-reads. And his newest novel doesn't disappoint. 

My review . . . Abigail Baskin is soon to marry her affluent fiance Bruce Lamb when, on a bachelorette weekend at a west coast winery, she has an intimate encounter with a charming stranger. The one-night stand leaves her feeling guilty and introspective, questioning her true feelings for Bruce and their relationship. Despite her ambivalence, Abigail has decided to bury her secret from that weekend, secure in the fact that she and the stranger hadn't disclosed any personal information to each other and had used false names.  Thus the wedding plans proceed, flawlessly executed by Bruce's attentiveness and wealth. 

Shorty before the wedding, however, Abigail realizes that her mystery man may be stalking her. And when Scottie shows up on the remote island where Abigail and Bruce are honeymooning, an unimaginable nightmare begins to unfold . . .

Every Vow You Break is filled with the breathtaking twists and turns that are characteristic of each of Swanson's novels. This expertly crafted, pulse raising, page turning, psychologically suspenseful novel shows yet again why Swanson is one of the best contemporary writers in the genre.

 

This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog. © 2021, Book Club Librarian All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Book Club Librarian without attribution, know that this post is being used without permission.

 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

Today I'm featuring a recent read, Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson.  The excerpts shared are from an advanced reader's edition that I received from the publisher.  The book will be available on March 3, 2020—and now's the time to place a hold at your library if you're so inclined.  

 

Beginning:  Disclaimer: While what you are about to read is largely true, I have re-created some events and conversations from memory.  A few names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the innocent.

Chapter 1

The front door opened, and I heard the stamp of the FBI agent's feet on the doormat.  It had just begun to snow, and the air that rushed into the store was heavy and brimming with energy.  The door shut behind the agent.  She must have been just outside when she'd called because it had only been about five minutes since I'd agreed to meet with her.

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Page 56:  "Uh-uh."  She shook her head rapidly, and I thought she might elaborate, but that was the end of the conversation.  I didn't mind that she was a private person.  I was, as well.

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My thoughts:  Peter Swanson established himself as a master mystery/thriller author with his very first novel, The Girl With a Clock for a Heart.  Each of his novels has unique plot developments and twists, making him one of my favorite authors in this genre.  Eight Perfect Murders displays more of Swanson's talents—in this case, drawing on eight classic mysteries that, in addition to paying homage to the genre, presents a well-plotted and compelling read.

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From Goodreads:  A chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction’s most ingenious murders.

Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Death Trap, A. A. Milne's Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox's Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain's Double Indemnity, John D. Macdonald's The Drowner, and Donna Tartt's A Secret History.

But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookshop in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move—a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.

To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects—and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead—and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.

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This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter with appropriate recognition is appreciated.

Thursday Thoughts ~ Books from the Backlog

Happy Thursday . . .  aka, Happy Almost Friday!!

It's time for Books from the Backlog, hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books.  It's a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks . . . or on your eReader.

 

This week's neglected book is . . . 

  

Release Date:  January 10, 2017

Publisher:  William Morrow

From Goodreads:  Growing up, Kate Priddy was always a bit neurotic, experiencing momentary bouts of anxiety that exploded into full-blown panic attacks after an ex-boyfriend kidnapped her and nearly ended her life. When Corbin Dell, a distant cousin in Boston, suggests the two temporarily swap apartments, Kate, an art student in London, agrees, hoping that time away in a new place will help her overcome the recent wreckage of her life.

Soon after her arrival at Corbin’s grand apartment on Beacon Hill, Kate makes a shocking discovery: his next-door neighbor, a young woman named Audrey Marshall, has been murdered. When the police question her about Corbin, a shaken Kate has few answers, and many questions of her own—curiosity that intensifies when she meets Alan Cherney, a handsome, quiet tenant who lives across the courtyard, in the apartment facing Audrey’s. Alan saw Corbin surreptitiously come and go from Audrey’s place, yet he’s denied knowing her. Then, Kate runs into a tearful man claiming to be the dead woman’s old boyfriend, who insists Corbin did the deed the night that he left for London.

When she reaches out to her cousin, he proclaims his innocence and calms her nerves--until she comes across disturbing objects hidden in the apartment and accidentally learns that Corbin is not where he says he is. Could Corbin be a killer? What about Alan? Kate finds herself drawn to this appealing man who seems so sincere, yet she isn’t sure. Jet-lagged and emotionally unstable, her imagination full of dark images caused by the terror of her past, Kate can barely trust herself, so how could she take the chance on a stranger she’s just met?

Why I selected it:  This book has a front and center place in my bookcase of books that I most want to read.  Moreover, I love this author.  The plots of his previous books have blown me away.  I even have a copy of his latest book, which I got from the library.  I've been too distracted by other enticing books, and I really must find the time to move this one off the shelf and into my hands ASAP.

This Thursday Thoughts ~ Books from the Backlog post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter, Google+ and/or other blogs with appropriate recognition is appreciated. 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #73

It's Friday . . . time to share excerpts from one of my current reads with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an ebook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

Today I'm featuring:

 

  

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

I loved this author's previous novel, The Girl with a Clock for a Heart, which was a twisty thriller that I couldn't put down.  The Kind Worth Killing is just as good so far.

Beginning:  Part 1

The Rules of Airport Bars

Chapter 1

Ted

 

"Hello, there," she said.

 

I looked at the pale, freckled hand on the back of the empty bar seat next to me in the business class lounge at Heathrow Airport, then up into the stranger's face.

 

"Do I know you?" I asked.  She didn't look particularly familiar, but her American accent, her crisp white shirt, her sculpted jeans tucked into knee-high boots, all made her look like one of my wife's awful friends.

 

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Page 57 (page 56 is blank):  "I told him that I had found something in the meadow on the other side of the woods and needed his help."

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Which book are you reading now or about to start?

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #73 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  (Retweeting encouraged.)   

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #80 and Teaser Tuesdays

   It's Tuesday . . . time to share book excerpts with:
         

• First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea, where bloggers post the first paragraph(s) of a book they are currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.

• Teaser Tuesdays hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading, where bloggers post two (2) random “teaser” sentences--no spoilers allowed--to try to entice others to seek out these books.

Today I'm featuring the opening paragraphs and a teaser from my current read, The Girl with a Clock for a Heart by Peter Swanson.  The book has a very strange title, but it is a mysterious page turner.

 

 Prologue

It was dusk, but as he turned onto the rutted driveway he could make out the perimeter of yellow tape that still circled the property.

George parked his Saab, but left the engine running.  He tried not to think about the last time he'd been to this almost-hidden house on a dead-end road in New Essex.

# # # # # # # #

Chapter 1

At five minutes past five on a Friday night, George Foss walked directly from his office to Jack Crow's Tavern through the gluey air of a Boston heat wave.  He'd spent the final three hours of work meticulously proofreading a rewrite on an illustrator's contract, then staring numbly through his window at the hazy blue of the city sky.  He disliked late summer the way other Bostonians disliked the long New England winters.  The weary trees, the yellowing parks, and the long humid nights all made him long for the crisp weather of autumn, for breathable air that didn't make his skin stick to his clothes and his bones feel tired.

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Teaser:  "He knew instinctively that turning around was the worst thing to do, but he turned anyway, looking in the general direction of her face, avoiding her eyes that shone wetly under the high sun.  Her eyebrows were raised a fraction, her mouth set in a worried half frown." ~ p. 34

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

What are you reading now or planning to read soon?

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #80 and Teaser Tuesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.