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 an upcoming read, What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline. The excerpt shared is from an eARC from the publisher.

First Chapter:  I glanced in my rearview mirror at the pickup truck, which was riding my bumper. I hated tailgaters, especially with my family in the car, but nothing could ruin my good mood. My daughter's field hockey team had just beat Radnor, and Allison had scored  a goal. She was texting in the back seat, one of  a generation that makes better use of opposable thumbs than any prior.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

I agree with the narrator--I hate tailgaters too. They create dangerous and uncomfortable situations. I'm eager to read this book for two reasons: (1) I love the author and (2) my book club selected it as our November read.

 

This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.

 

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 an upcoming read, A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

 

 

Beginning:  Blood-sodden, the girl staggers into the black. Her clothes are disheveled, hanging off her young body, revealing expanses of pale flesh. Shoe lost, foot bleeding. She is in agony, but the pain has become inconsequential, eclipsed by other sufferings.

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Page 56:  "Maybe I could come with you?" Theo suggested. "You, me, and Ben – we could make a weekend of it?"

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My thoughts:  I was so captivated by The Girl on the Train that I am really looking forward to starting the author's newest novel.

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From GoodReads:  The scorching new thriller from the number-one 'New York Times' best-selling author of 'The Girl on the Train'.

When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the troubled one-night-stand last seen in the victim’s home. Carla is his grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the recent death of yet another family member. And Miriam is the nosy neighbor clearly keeping secrets from the police. Three women with separate connections to the victim. Three women who are – for different reasons – simmering with resentment. Who are, whether they know it or not, burning to right the wrongs done to them. When it comes to revenge, even good people might be capable of terrible deeds. How far might any one of them go to find peace? How long can secrets smolder before they explode into flame?

Look what you started.

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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. 

 

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 current read, Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner. The excerpt shared is from an advance reader eBook copy I received from the publisher via NetGalley.

First Chapter:  Helen

At the top of the beer-stained carpet, a taped sign on the door reads National Childbirth Trust. The doorknob feels like it might fall off if I turn it too hard. Inside there is a semicircle of chairs. A flip chart. Trestle tables with juice and biscuits. The sash windows are jammed shut.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

The narrator is expecting a baby. As the story progresses, Helen is befriended by Rachel, another pregnant woman attending the prenatal classes. Rachel is a mysterious character, and when she disappears after a party at Helen's house, Helen and everyone in her circle are questioned by the police. Helen herself can't remember anything that happened after she argued with Rachel that night, and the answers the others give are evasive. Brimming with tension and secrets, Greenwich Park is a page-turner.

 

This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog. 

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, Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins. The excerpt shared is from a Net Galley eBook copy.

First Chapter:  Sometimes I wonder if people on vacation think they're actually on another planet. 

Or maybe just another dimension?

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

I did . . .  and here's what I thought . . . of this novel about a vacation that goes horribly wrong . . .

When Lux and Nico are hired to ferry two young women aboard their boat, the Susannah, the four twenty-somethings set sail from Maui in search of adventure. Their destination is Meroe Island, a deserted atoll in the Pacific. Aware of the dark history of the island, the group is surprised to find a couple docked there who are also pursuing a sense of wanderlust. The six become fast friends--lounging and swimming all day and partying all night in the idyllic setting. To all appearances, they are a carefree group of vacationers.

But they discover that the island paradise is not as perfect as it seems--and living off the grid becomes quite perilous as the secrets and lies these individuals are keeping begin to unravel. As their past transgressions come to light, a series of betrayals emerges. Not knowing who--if anyone--is trustworthy, each must rely on their survival skills in hopes of returning to civilization alive.

Reckless Girls is an intricately woven tale of suspense with a cast of well-drawn characters. The plot's touches of Robinson Crusoe, Lord of the Flies, and Darwinism makes it a compelling page turner written by an author who has proven herself to be a master storyteller.

 

This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog. 

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 my current read, Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena. The excerpts shared are from an eBook version borrowed from the library.

Beginning:  Prologue

There are many expensive houses here in Brecken Hill, an enclave on the edge of Aylesford, in the Hudson Valley. Situated on the east side of the Hudson River, about a hundred miles north of New York City, it's like the Hamptons, but slightly less pretentious. There's old money here, and new.

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Page 56:  He's furious at his sisters; he's convinced himself that they have betrayed him, simply by thinking the worst of him. She hadn't liked it either, and she can understand his feelings of hurt and betrayal.

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My thoughts:  Money, power, family secrets and dysfunction, murder: this novel has it all. With its page-turning plot, Not a Happy Family is a compelling read.

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From GoodReads:  In this family, everyone is keeping secrets--especially the dead. Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there. And they don't come much richer than Fred and Sheila Merton. But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call. The Mertons are brutally murdered the night after an Easter Dinner with their three adult kids. Who, of course, are devastated.

Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their capricious father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of them is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did one of them snap after that dreadful evening? Or was it someone else that night who crept in with the worst of intentions? It must be. After all, if one of your siblings was a psychopath, you'd know.

Wouldn't you?

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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. 

© 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 has been stolen and was used without permission.

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, Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica. Today is the book's publication day (May 18, 2021). The excerpts shared are from an advanced reader copy downloaded from NetGalley.

First Chapter:  Delilah

Now

I hear footsteps. They move across the ceiling above my head. My eyes follow the sound, but there ain't nothing to see 'cause it's just footsteps. That don't matter none, though, because the sound of them alone is enough to make my heart race, my legs shake, to make something inside my neck thump like a heartbeat.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

Beginning with her debut novel, The Good Girl (2014) and in her subsequent five books, Mary Kubica has delivered fast-paced, thrilling suspense stories. This seventh novel continues her winning trend. Told in alternating chapters between the present day and eleven years ago, when two women and a young girl went missing, Kubica delivers another nail-biting page-turner.

 

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 an upcoming read, The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

 

Beginning: Prologue

Owen used to like to tease me about how I lost everything, about how, in my own way, I have raised losing things to an art form.

~~~~~

Part I

If You Answer the Door for Strangers . . .

You see it all the time on television. There's a knock at the front door. And, on the other side, someone is waiting to tell you the news that changes everything.

********************  

Page 56:  I need to make a stop first though at Owen's friend's house. It's a stop that I'm not particularly eager to make, but if anyone will have insight into what Owen is thinking, into what I might be missing, it's Carl.

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My thoughts:  There's buzz everywhere about this novel, which will probably be my next read. Hopefully, it lives up to all the hype. One thing I know for sure, I'll enjoy visiting the story's setting, Sausalto, which is one of my all-time favorite California locations.

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From GoodReads:  We all have stories we never tell. Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her.

Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered; as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss; as a US Marshal and FBI agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated.

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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. 

© 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 has been stolen and was 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, The Power Couple by Alex Berenson. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

 

Beginning: Prologue

Marriage is a mirror.

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Page 56:  He twisted forward to look at her face. He was enjoying himself, she saw. He wanted to feel her fear.

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My thoughts:  On a family vacation to Barcelona with their teenage children, Rebecca and Brian Unsworth discover just how deep the fault lines of their marriage are when their daughter Kira disappears without a trace. The couple present a united front as they work together toward obtaining Kira's release from unknown abductors, but each harbors untold secrets that threaten Kira's safety, the status of their marriage, and their careers.

This fast-paced novel is chilling and breathtaking as ambition and personal agendas play out. What are Rebecca and Brian willing to sacrifice for the safe return of their daughter...and how will their actions and decisions affect their marriage and family?

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From GoodReads: From #1 New York Times bestselling author and Edgar Award winner Alex Berenson comes a supercharged thriller about marriage and the dangerous secrets spouses keep.

Rebecca and Brian Unsworth appear to have it all. A nice house in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Two well-behaved, healthy teenage children. Important government jobs—Rebecca working in counterterrorism for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Brian serving as a coder for the National Security Agency. Their lives stand to improve even more as Brian, in his off-hours, has just developed and sold a highly profitable app.

However, the Unsworths’ marriage isn’t as perfect as it seems. After two decades together, they’ve drifted apart, talking little and having sex even less. Seeking to revive their strained relationship, they decide for their twentieth wedding anniversary to take their two kids, Kira and Tony, on a European getaway.

They have a blast…until one night in Barcelona when Kira doesn’t come home from a dance club. She’s gone. Abducted. Over the course of a single weekend, the Unsworths will do everything possible to find her—as Kira herself discovers just how far she’ll go to break free of the trap that’s been set for her. And even as Rebecca and Brian come together for Kira, they realize their marriage is more tenuous than they realized.

The Power Couple is both a fast-paced, globe-trotting espionage novel full of surprising twists and a nuanced look at modern marriage—the challenges of balancing career, parenthood, sex, and love. 

 

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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. 

© 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 has been stolen and was used without permission.  

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & 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 an upcoming read, The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben. The excerpts shared are from a trade paperback in my personal collection.

Beginning:  April 23, 2020

How does she survive?

How does she manage to get through this torment every single day?

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Page 56:  Memory makes demands that you often can't keep. Memory is faulty because it insists on filling in the blanks.

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My thoughts:  I haven't read any of the books in either of Coben's popular long-standing series, mostly because I am already committed to so many other series. Even so, I never miss an opportunity to indulge in one of his stand-alone novels.  They are always imaginative, twisty, and fast-paced.

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From GoodReads:  In the shocking new thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away, a man whose past is shrouded in mystery must find a missing teenage girl before her disappearance brings about disastrous consequences for her community . . . and the world.

The man known as Wilde is a mystery to everyone, including himself. Decades ago, he was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. After the police concluded an exhaustive hunt for the child's family, which was never found, he was turned over to the foster system. 

Now, thirty years later, Wilde still doesn't know where he comes from, and he's back living in the woods on the outskirts of town, content to be an outcast, comfortable only outdoors, preferably alone, and with few deep connections to other people.

When a local girl goes missing, famous TV lawyer Hester Crimstein--with whom Wilde shares a tragic connection--asks him to use his unique skills to help find her. Meanwhile, a group of ex-military security experts arrive in town, and when another teen disappears, the case's impact expands far beyond the borders of the peaceful suburb. Wilde must return to the community where he has never fit in, and where the powerful are protected even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions . . . secrets that Wilde must uncover before it's too late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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.

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, Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell.  The excerpt shared is from a hardcover edition I borrowed from the library.

Beginning:  Valentine's Night

11:59 p.m.

I duck down and pull my hoodie close around my face.  Ahead of me the girl with red hair is picking up speed; she knows she's being followed.  I pick up my speed to match hers.  I only want to talk to her, but I can tell from the way she's moving that she's terrified.  I slow down at the sound of muffled footsteps behind me.  I turn and see a figure coming after us.

 

 

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

The opening paragraph gives a good sense of the suspenseful quality of Lisa Jewell's writing . . .

Owen Pick, a teacher suspended after being accused of inappropriate behavior by several students, becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance of Saffyre Maddox, a local teen last seen on Valentine's Day night. To his neighbors Owen is a strange, shadowy figure based on odd interactions they've had with him, and most definitely someone capable of abduction.  Unsurprisingly, the police build a strong--yet highly circumstantial--case against Owen.  Sure he's weird and creepy, but is he actually guilty?  

As we learn more about the secrets the neighbors are harboring--and what goes on behind their closed doors--the case against Owen begins to unravel, and the pool of suspects grows.  Who is responsible for Saffyre's disappearance?  Is she still alive, and if so, where is she?

In Invisible Girl, Lisa Jewell serves up a compelling domestic thriller with an interesting cast of characters and stunning twists and turns.  Jewell is proving herself to be a master of the genre whose books should not be missed by readers who enjoy suspenseful stories.

 

 

 

 

 

This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.  It cannot be republished without attribution.  

 

 

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 an upcoming read, The Girls Weekend by Jody Gehrman.  The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library. 

 

 

Beginning:  1

Like most clusterf***s these days, it starts with a group text.

 

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Page 56: "It's all about appearances with Sadie."  The bitterness in Ethan's voice is unmistakable.  "The important thing is keeping up the illusion."

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My thoughts:  The title, opening, setting, and plot summary make this story sound like my perfect weekend read.

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From Goodreads:  Their reunion just became a crime scene . . .

June Moody, a thirty-something English professor, just wants to get away from her recent breakup and reunite with girlfriends over summer break. Her old friend and longtime nemesis, Sadie MacTavish, a mega-successful author, invites June and her college friends to a baby shower at her sprawling estate in the San Juan Islands. June is less than thrilled to spend time with Sadie--and her husband, June's former crush--but agrees to go.

The party gets off to a shaky start when old grudges resurface, but when they wake the next morning, they find something worse: Sadie is missing, the house is in shambles, and bloodstains mar the staircase. None of them has any memory of the night before; they wonder if they were drugged. Everyone's a suspect. Since June had a secret rendezvous with Sadie's husband, she has plenty of reason to suspect herself. Apparently, so do the cops.

A Celtic knot of suspense and surprise, this brooding, atmospheric novel will keep you guessing as each twist reveals a new possibility. It will remind you of friendships hidden in the depths of your own past, and make you wonder how well you really know the people you've loved the longest. 

 

  

 

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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. 

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 For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt.  The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version I purchased.

  

Beginning: Prologue
Seventeen Years Earlier

On their first date, Will took Natalie to a cozy French bistro in uptown New Orleans. The restaurant was painted a dark, moody red and had gilt-framed mirrors on the walls that reflected the candles that flickered on every table.  It was a popular eatery and every table was full, even on a Thursday night.  It was also nearby the Tulane University campus, where Will and Nat were both law students.  They'd each ordered the steak-frites—which had given them reason to exchange a brief smile.  We're so compatible we ordered the same thing!  And shared a bottle of the house red, which was better than expected.  While they sipped their wine, and waited for their salads to arrive, they chatted about the Contracts class they had together.

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Page 56:   "I just hope I made the right decision telling you all.  I would appreciate it if we could keep it between us," Grace said.

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My thoughts:  I find myself drawn to the domestic suspense and thriller genres these days.  Such stories grab me from the opening pages and keep me enjoyably engaged, thus providing a respite from the much scarier reality of today's world.

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From GoodReads:  On their first date back in law school, Natalie and Will Clarke bonded over drinks, dinner and whether they could get away with murder. Now married, they’ll put the latter to the test when an unchecked danger in their community places their son in jeopardy. Working as a criminal defense attorney, Nat refuses to rely on the broken legal system to keep her family safe. She knows that if you want justice…you have to get it yourself.

Shocked to discover Nat’s taken matters into her own hands, Will has no choice but to dirty his, also. His family is in way too deep to back down now. He’s just not sure he recognizes the woman he married. Nat’s always been fiercely protective, but never this ruthless or calculating. With the police poking holes in their airtight plan, what will be the first to fall apart: their scandalous secret—or their marriage? 

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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.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph and Teaser Tuesday

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.

Teaser Tuesday hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker, where bloggers post two teaser sentences (no spoilers allowed) from a random page of their current read. 

Today I'm featuring The Last Flight by Julie Clark. The excerpts shared are from an advanced readers copy I received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book will be published in June 2020.

  

Book Beginning:  Prologue  

John F. Kennedy Airport, New York 

Tuesday, February 22

The Day of the Crash

Terminal 4 swarms with people, the smell of wet wool and jet fuel thick around me.  I wait for her, just inside the sliding glass doors, the frigid winter wind slamming into me whenever they open, and instead force myself to visualize a balmy Puerto Rican breeze, laced with the scent of hibiscus and sea salt.  The soft, accented Spanish swirling around me like a warm bath, blotting out the person I was before.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Teaser:  I'm unsure how to describe my role.  Am I a victim?  A coconspirator?  I was neither, just a woman desperate for a solution.  Any solution.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

Who hasn't fantasized about leading a different life or trading places with another? For Eva and Claire, a chance encounter at an airport has them doing just that. Their decision, however, is a desperate one made on the spur of the moment. Eva and Claire are from very different backgrounds and social strata, but what they do share in common is a need to escape dangerous circumstances that have them literally running for their lives. Each will have to rely on their wits and limited resources to outrun the past. Can these women assume new identities that will ensure them a new start and safe future?

Told in their alternating voices and in cliff-hanging chapters, The Last Flight had me rooting for each of them to succeed. The book's many twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat turning pages at a breathtaking clip to the story's conclusion.

This First Chapter ~ First Paragraph and Teaser Tuesday 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.