First Chapter ~ First Paragraph (March 15)

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening. Feel free to grab the banner and play along.

My chosen book for this week is Shot Through The Heart by Isabelle Grey which is going to be published on 24 March 2016 by Quercus.

Blurb

Who can you turn to, if not the police?
Essex, Christmas Day. As the residents of a small town enjoy their mince pies, shots ring out in the street. Five people are gunned down before the lone shooter turns his weapon on himself.
Grace Fisher, now Detective Inspector, is tasked with making some sense of this atrocity – all the more sensitive because the first of the victims was one of their own: a police officer. The case throws her back together with crime reporter Ivo Sweatman, but as she investigates it becomes clear that the police connection goes much deeper than she thought.
As the evidence of corruption grows and she is obstructed at every turn, Grace knows she is walking further into danger. Then, her young key witness disappears…
What far-reaching compromises will Grace have to make to safeguard the innocent? NetGalley

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First Chapter ~ First Paragraph ~ Intro

Russell Fewell’s white van skirted the raised area of green that fronted the old stone church. A middle-aged woman was waiting for her Jack Russell to finish sniffing around the base of the metal pole that bore the heraldic village crest. The woman looked up and watched as his van turned left into the long; meandering High Street. Russell wondered if she, like him, was spending Christmas Day alone and, if so, how she felt about that.

Several of the front doors of the crooked old Essex houses had been decorated with evergreen wreaths brightened with red berries or chevroned ribbons, and lights shone fro many of the casement windows. As he cruised along the narrow street, he could see Christmas tree lights twinkling in one or two of them. He thought the houses themselves, painted pink, yellow, pale green or white and packed tightly under the overhanging gables, looked like wrapped presents. The gifts he’d chosen and carefully wrapped for his two kids were in the back of the van. On top of the rifle.

Please note that this excerpt comes from a proof copy
So what do you think? For once no prologue! And that last sentence set shivers down my spine.  I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to this one as Grace Fisher was one of my favourite finds of 2014 when she first appeared in Good Girls Don’t Die

Would you read on? Please leave your comments and links in the comments box below