Yvonne
For all you ‘First Page Browsers’
FIRST LINES – CHAPTER ONE – KINDLE EDITION
“The two girls would be there, of this much you are certain.
Two women, actually – “girls” ten years ago, but women now. Judging by their photos on Facebook, both are still quite lovely. Neither is married, interestingly. Well, married to their careers maybe.
And if they both attend – and social media chatter assures you they will – and see you, and start talking … what could you do? Stay home, you suppose. But even in your absence they might talk. And if they talk, and that talk spreads, what would become of your career?
The planning for the event took all year – the Galena High School Ten Year Reunion has its own Facebook page, so keeping up becomes a daily thing. You have read all the posts, many from friends who pose no threat, others from kids you hadn’t been all that close to; but the class is small – sixty-five, and maybe thirty or at most forty will show up … and a few are gone already. A car accident and two Iraq deaths.
Maybe something would come up and one or both girls would decide not to come. You keep tabs on them. Keep track ….”
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So you have taken a look, will you read the book? Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
You might also like to visit Gilion, over at ‘Rose City Reader‘, where you can share links to the book beginnings from her own reading schedule and that of many of our fellow bloggers. There are always plenty of new authors and titles to be discovered.
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I am not quite sure what is happening. I guess I’d have to read on to find out. My Friday Quotes
Anne, I am so sorry that I didn’t include a link the book’s premise, although that doesn’t really give away any spoilers.
In just a few more pages, you would get to know just how closely this person keeps tabs on at least one of the girls, although after that there is a switch in the style of writing and timeframe, which I am sure is probably only going to offer a temporary respite!
Good scene setting and tension building so far!
Thanks for taking the time to comment this time and Happy Reading in the week ahead 🙂
Well the blurb was certainly *very* intriguing and if owned the book I would definitely read it, but am ‘trying’ not to buy too many at the moment. I looked at my groaning bookshelves and decided it was time I reined myself in a bit. (Famous last words.)
Hope you’re keeping well and that the cold that was just starting didn’t come to much. It’s a horrid thing.
Oh Yes! The cold hit head on earlier in the week and I have been fighting it ever since. The trouble is, that so many people have colds and viruses, that the germs just keep going round and round. Hubbie has escaped so far, but then he had his dose just before Christmas, when thankfully I managed to avoid catching it. I hope that both of you are on the right side of recovery now and feeling a little more human again!
As the book doesn’t officially publish until April 1st, my pre prepared Q&A session with the author won’t be posted until then, so I shall probably need to hold back my review also. I am still only a short way into the story so far, but Max is doing a great job of building a picture showcasing time, place and character dynamics. I already have a couple of suspects lined up, but something in the back of my mind makes me think I have been tossed a few red herrings!
Unfortunately mine is an Ecopy of the book, so I can’t share it with you, or I gladly would. I do however have a couple of hard copy reads on the horizon and if you like the sound of any of those, I’ll be only too pleased to send them on, as I like my books to be shared as many times as possible.
Have a great weekend and Happy Reading 🙂
Is this written in second person?
Thanks for visiting Fiction Books Acanthea, it is good to ‘meet’ you.
So far it is just the short opening chapter of this book which is written in the second person, which did tend to disorientate me somewhat, as I tried to work out a timeframe for the unfolding events. I do however suspect that this was quite a deliberate ploy by this very talented author and I have a feeling that there may be at least one more chapter which will take on the same format a little later in the book.
Well spotted and thanks for raising it as part of this week’s conversation. Happy Reading 🙂
Class reunions arouse all kinds of feelings, from dread to eager anticipation. I’ve never been to one of mine, for various reasons.
I like the sound of the book, though. Thanks for sharing, and here’s mine: “BY THE BOOK”
Don’t they say that weddings and funerals always bring out the worst in people? Well, I think I would probably classify reunions of any kind in that category also, so I tend to steer well clear of them, although sometimes coming up with a plausible excuse is quite tricky!
This person (we don’t at this stage know whether it is a man or woman), certainly sounds as though they have a secret which they don’t want to come out into the open – and to go such drastic lengths as practically stalking the two mentioned women, is definitely spooky, you have to agree!
Thanks for visiting this week and enjoy your weekend 🙂
I can just imagine all the drama in this novel! Class reunions can be really stressful for many folks. I think we’ve had five since I graduated from high school and I only attended two of those (and don’t figure I’ll go to any others). The people I truly want to stay in touch with, I do – often the old fashioned way by writing or seeing in person.
I’ll definitely agree with your observation in one of your replies… death can bring out the worst in people. I’ve witnessed it first hand!
I can’t say that I have witnessed behaviour that was too bad after a death, but I do have first hand experience of a wedding bringing out the worst traits in people. However that is totally personal and best saved for another time which is not so public!
I haven’t really kept in touch with anyone I used to go to school with, apart from one girl who was my best friend for years, until we had a falling out just before leaving school and we lost touch completely. You couldn’t make up the fact that she then reappears some 30 odd years later, living next door to my brother, which has forced a kind of polite reconciliation between us when we visit family and bump into her.
Anyway, back to the book, where I think this particular planned reunion isn’t going to go anything like to plan. A really good read so far and the suspense is building nicely!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that all is well with you 🙂
The snippets make me want to! 🙂
Lauren @ Always Me
I do try not to become too influenced by just the first lines of a book, as sometimes they are simply used by the author as a vehicle to set the scene for the action to come – and whilst I don’t have a problem with that concept, I know that others like to be hurled straight into the action, especially with a murder / thriller.
These particular lines are quite creepy though, as this person seems to be stalking two women, with what aim we are as yet unclear.
Great to have you take the time to comment and Happy Reading 🙂
Intriguing first line and ah high school reunions,.. I never went to mine.
On reading the blurb, I wonder what is so important about them attending and it seems like the person worried about their attending did something bad to them. Enjoy this one if you read it and happy weekend 🙂
I picked this particular sentence out as the most worrying sign that all is not going to go well at this reunion …
“You have read all the posts, many from friends who pose no threat …”
Do the two women pose this person a threat because they bullied him/her at school, or did this person do something so bad to either them, or someone else, that if they decided to speak out about it now, then this person would feel either damaged or threatened?
Because of posting committments with the publicist, I have had to move this one to the top of my schedule, although my reading has been very slow this week and I am still only a short way in. The pieces and personal connections are just beginning to come together and alarm bells are already ringing for some people … so watch this space!
Great to have you take the time to comment, I always appreciate you stopping by 🙂