I got this idea after reading one of Duane Swierczynski's recents posts over at his Secret Dead Blog. I realized that when buying a new book, that first sentence is pretty crucial to me purchasing it. Here is the process when I come across an author or book I've never heard of.
1. Cover catches my eye.
2. Read the Jacket synopsis.
3. Do I like the people providing the cover blurbs?
4. Did the first sentence/paragraph get my attention?
That first sentence, and if it's short-the first paragraph, is usually what seals the deal. I'm not expecting them all to be classic and quotable, but they better be damn good. So here is a few that got me to hand over my hard earned dollars.
The first time I killed a someone, I was scared. Not scared to be doing it- I did it because I was scared. Shella told me it was like that for her the first time she had sex. I was fifteen that first time. Shella was nine. Andrew Vachss, Shella
Marchenko and Parsons circled the bank for sixteen minutes, huffing Krlyon Royal Blue Metallic to regulate the crystal as they worked up their nut. Robert Crais, The Two Minute Rule
Since Maria had decided to die her cat would have to fend for itself. Tom Rob Smith, Child 44
The night of my mother's funeral, Linda Dawson cried on my shoulder, put her tongue in my mouth and asked me to find her husband. Declan Hughes, The Wrong Kind of Blood
It's almost impossible to be thrown out of the Garda Siochana. You have to really put your mind to it. Unless you become a public disgrace, they'll tolerate most anything. Ken Bruen, The Guards
Few crimes make us fear for the evolution of our species. I am watching one right now. John Burdett, Bangkok Haunts.
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