The first chapter can make or break a reader’s engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook those picky readers, so let’s study the stories of others to see how they do it!

Now for the record, we’re not technically in the first five pages here. The Longmire Defense is the NINETEENTH installment

The opening pages appear to pick up after whatever chaos the eighteenth book (Hell and Back) brought upon Sheriff Walt Longmire. Longmire is staying with family out in the middle of nowhere when his undersheriff comes and asks him to accompany her on a basic search and rescue. According to the dust jacket, this search and rescue will lead to the reopening of

So I will say that Johnson is quick to put the newest tale’s plot into motion. When one’s so deep into a series, one really doesn’t see the need for much characterization work, and that’s fine. Still, it took some extra effort to catch the rhythms of dialogue between Longmire and his daughter, which pulled me out of the story. For those who have enjoyed Longmire so far (and considering the story will be adapted for Netflix, there must be quite a few of

And what will you find in those first five pages? Let’s find out! Cheers!

The first chapter can make or break a reader’s engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook those picky readers, so let’s study the stories of others to see how they do it!

One of my favorite BBC miniseries of all time is I, Claudius, which is based on two historical fiction novels by Robert Graves.

And what will you find in those first five pages? Let’s find out! Cheers!

The first chapter can make or break a reader’s engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook those picky readers, so let’s study the stories of others to see how they do it!

Well I don’t think Daniel Kraus’ Whalefall has anything to do 007, Kiddo, but I do wonder if the font for the title was made to look like the Bond film title on purpose. 😊

ANYWAY, the opening pages of Kraus’ work are quite compelling. I was admittedly skeptical when I saw Gillian Flynn’s generic “Astoundingly great” blurb on the front cover—what does that even mean?!

The first two brief chapters not only introduce us to protagonist Jay, but also his conflict with his family, his difficult relationship with his father, and the path to redemption he feels he must take in order to come to terms with his father’s death. That’s a hell of a lot to pack in just a few pages, but Kraus succeeds while also providing a unique rhythm of prose, the long, contemplative thoughts punctuated with brief lines of intense sensory detail. It’s a rhythm I’m willing to listen to for a while, and if you’re looking for a unique read about a teen’s journey into the waters to combat his grief, then Whalefall is certainly worth a look.

And what will you find in those first five pages? Let's find out!

Cheers!

The first chapter can make or break a reader’s engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook

As a born and bred fantasy lover who’s raised a girl obsessed with the Wings of Fire series, I had to grab Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing from the library’s new release shelf. Dragon stories are always in demand, whether it’s for the sheer escapist adventure or the exploration of the bond between a human protagonist and their dragon, or anything in between. Now the first pages of Fourth Wing provide no dragons, but they do provide an introduction to the brutal world our protagonist Violet must live in. As a twenty-year-old in their militaristic kingdom, she must join a service like all other twenty-year-olds; the difference here is that the scribe training she had under her father has been tossed aside by her mother, one of the highest generals of the kingdom. Violet must be a dragon rider, or die trying.

The concept itself is neat and definitely had me engaged from the outset. I only wish the opening pages were more than a bickering match between Violet’s mother and sister, who also serves the army as a dragon rider. The argument feels like it’s there solely to give readers a bunch of establishing information of the story and its stakes for Violet; while the information is certainly useful, it does cause the argument to drag out far more than it needed to. Still, the premise here is very promising, and for those who enjoyed tales like Christopher Paolini’s Eragon or Naomi Novik’s His Majesty’s Dragon, Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing will be a perfect addition to your book hoard.

And what will you learn in these opening pages? Let’s find out! Cheers!

The first chapter can make or break a reader's engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook those picky readers, so let's study the stories of others to see how they do it!

It’s prologue time, folks, but I’ll give Mary Logue props here for effectively using a prologue to tackle a LOT for her book The Big Sugar: A Brigid Reardon Mystery. The first section provides a vivid description of the Wyoming Plains and Rocky Mountains and how they contrast with protagonist Brigid’s Irish homeland. Since this novel is set in the 1880s, this opening prose not only gives readers a sense of time and place, but of the narrator’s own voice, too. It feels fitting for the period while remaining accessible for the modern reader, which is always important.

The remaining sections of the prologue (there are four total) each carry their own job to prepare readers for this second installment of Logue’s Western Mystery series. The second section provides a quick rundown of the first book’s events so that readers aren’t wondering about how’s who and why folks would listen to this pioneering narrator in the first place when it comes to crime-solving. The third section brings up to the present day for Brigid and a grisly discovery of her neighbor’s body hanging in a tree. It’s not clear if this neighbor was present in the first book; I’ll presume it, as the fourth section gives Brigid

The first chapter can make or break a reader's engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook those picky readers, so let's study the stories of others to see how they do it!

The first chapter can make or break a reader's engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook those picky readers, so let's study the stories of others to see how they do it!

I was so happy to discover a new fantasy release at my local library--that's rare! I don't like grabbing hyped books by big news book clubs, but I can see why folks dig Törzs' Ink Blood Sister Scribe. The prose is very descriptive and balanced between action and reflection. The dialogue feels a little awkward at times, but the characterization carries it through, especially when you have such a compelling family dynamic. How could a book kill the father? Why did one sister have to run away but not the other? Is the mother really dead? Because if she is, why must one daughter "never let her in"? I may not be a fan of prologues, but using the prologue to establish the death of the father from one sister's perspective then allows the first chapter to focus on the other sister, allowing her to not only establish the passage of time and her unique life choices, but the mystery in conflicting details about the mother. If you're keen on a contemporary fantasy with a bit of danger and family drama, then I'm sure Törzs' will meet your needs.

The first chapter can make or break a reader's engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook those picky readers, so let's study the stories of others to see how they do it!

I do so love a good Holmesian tale! As a young child, I devoured Doyle's original stories just like my father did. We enjoyed collecting stories written by other writers as well, who took Holmes to places like Paris and the American Midwest. So trying Robert J. Harris' series with Holmes living in WWII was a no-brainer to me. I've watched Basil Rathbone play Holmes tackling the Nazis, after all!

This particular installment is The Devil's Blaze, which struck me as a combination of Doyle's titles "The Silver Blaze" and "The Devil's Foot." The first chapter may feel a little slow to those who've not read much Holmes, but Harris clearly shows he understands the narrative voice of Dr. John Watson as he engages with a bored Sherlock Holmes before a client arrives with a strange tale. The client must, of course, share his life story (they all do in Doyle's stories), but even in that info dump I found myself chuckling at the red flags Doyle so often included in his cases that show signs of nefarious activity afoot. For those who enjoy watching Sherlock at work, or for those who love a period mystery, I'm sure Harris' The Devil's Foot will fit scratch that itch.

And what will you learn from these opening pages? Let's find out! Cheers!

The first chapter can make or break a reader's engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook those picky readers, so let's study the stories of others to see how they do it!

Right off the bat, we get a sense of the narrator’s dry sense of humor. (As a Midwesterner, I can empathize with the sentiment, too.) That touch of humor comes right along with important information about our protagonist, where he is, what the environment is like, and what he has to deal with: bloodshed. Now what’s really cool is that the “blood on the snow” is NOT just an allusion to his work with wildlife; in fact, we as readers know from the dust jacket that there is a mysterious death to be solved in this hard wilderness. So Box’s turn of phrase here is particularly effective: it connects to the opening scene and the protagonist’s profession as well as foreshadows the rise in action to come.

And what will you learn from these opening pages? Let's find out! Cheers!