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 opening chapter this week comes from The Bad Things by Mary-Jane Riley which was published in 2015 by HarperCollins, the first in the Alex Devlin series
Blurb
Alex Devlin’s life changed forever fifteen years ago when her sister Sasha’s two small children were snatched in broad daylight. Little Harry’s body was found a few days later, but Millie’s remains were never discovered.
Now Jackie Wood, jailed as an accessory to the twins’ murder, has been released, her conviction quashed by the Appeal Court. Convinced Jackie can reveal where Millie is buried, Alex goes to meet her.
But the unexpected information Wood reveals shocks Alex to the core and threatens to uncover the dark secret she has managed to keep under wraps for the past fifteen years. Because in the end, can we ever really know what is in the hearts of those closest to us? Amazon
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First Chapter ~ First Paragraph ~ Intro
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO
The stench was overpowering. Katie squatted on her haunches and pulled at the zip. The material tore; the metal teeth nicked her finger. Thoughts flashed through her mind: should she wait Could this be evidence?
NOW
1
The day Alex Devlin’s life imploded for the second time was one of those bleak February days in Suffolk when the light never got above murky and spring seemed months away. Outside, whey-faced men and women were hunched inside their coats, trying to get their business done and move on. Shopping, working, maybe just passing the time in a warm coffee shop on the High Street. The streets of Sole Bay could be unforgiving.
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The section from fifteen years ago has been cut short but given the synopsis I’m sure you can work out what Katie found… I’m keen to read more about the release of the woman jailed as an accessory in the children’s murder though and I think those few sentences set the scene quite nicely.
So… would you keep reading? Please leave your thoughts in the comments box below.
Cleopatra Loves Books 
Not a genre I read but I like the feel of this … tempted.
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That’s me a book temptress 🙂
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I like the synopsis of this though the language didn’t grab me as much as some other have. However, that isn’t always the sign of a good book so yes, I’d keep on reading. Enjoy!
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Since I’ve been doing these I’ve really taken notice of the way a book opens, some are fantastic like last week’s ‘The Beautiful Dead’ while others may not be quite so attention grabbing but really give a feel of what’s to come – Thank you
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I’m curious for more!
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So was I, it was hard to put this one down!
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That’s an interesting premise for a book, Cleo! And Alex sounds like a really interesting character, too. I notice this is the start of a series, and I can see how that might work quite well. I’ll interested in your thoughts once you’ve read it.
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Isn’t it – I can’t believe it has taken me quite so long to get around to reading this one – oh that will be down to the huge amount on my TBR haha. I do like it when we have someone outside the police force as the chief protagonist as it does lend a different flavour to the read.
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Oh, yes, I was quite curious about what the jailed woman had to say! Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.
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I was very keen to find out too Laurel, and it wasn’t any of the things I expected – maybe this is why I read books and don’t write them 🙂
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I’d keep going. I’d like to know what those “hidden secrets” are.
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Me too Margot – this book seems to be full of them!
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The blurb especially grabbed my attention, but I do like the teasers you shared. I would definitely keep reading. I want to know more about what happened to those kids.
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I was really drawn into this story very quickly which usually signals a captivating read…
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I couldn’t read the synopsis because on mobile it’s cut off for me but I love this idea and think I’ll do it today! Thanks for introducing me to this!
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Thank you – I had to fiddle around with the settings for the synopsis, I think it should be ok if you turn your phone around. I do love these posts and have found some great reads this way.
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Definitely. I really liked the description, little details like the ‘metal teeth’ and ‘whey faced’ people gave me a sense of being in ‘the moment’. Nice work.
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It’s a good opening isn’t it? And having read a little, what follows doesn’t disappoint either 🙂
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I looked at the cover and thought… oh, no, something bad has happened to children, I can’t read this. But the blurb and the into make me want to read it anyway!
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It is very good but something bad has happened to children, I don’t want you to be misled.. but it is very good, gripping in fact!
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I’m intrigued. I hope you enjoy it. Girl Who Reads
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Sounds like a dark but compelling theme. I’d certainly keep reading. Thanks for sharing that. Here’s my link for today: http://wp.me/p4DMf0-1ny
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Not sure I could continue reading, depends upon how much of what happened to the kids is part of the story.
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What happened is key but not dwelt upon if that makes sense – the story is about why rather than re-playing what happened but I understand your reluctance…
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I would keep reading, hoping that there isn’t any explicit details about killing children. I just read a book about a kidnapped child, but it didn’t involve any extreme scenes, so I continued on with it. Thanks for sharing this title!
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No, there are no horrific murder scenes despite the subject matter which does concern children.
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Ooh no. Kidnapped, murdered children. I’ll pass.
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