Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Vicky from I’d Rather Be At The Beach who 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.
This week my opening comes from The Girl in the Woods by Camilla Läckberg which will be published on 22 February 2018. This book is the tenth in the Patrik Hedström and Erica Falck series.
Blurb
A missing child
When a four-year-old girl disappears in the woods just outside Fjällbacka, the community is horror-struck. Thirty years ago, a young girl went missing from the exact same spot, and was later discovered, murdered.
A murder
Back then, two teenage girls were found guilty of the killing. Could it really be a coincidence that one of the girls – now a world-famous actress – has just returned to Fjällbacka? Detective Patrik Hedström starts investigating, with his wife, bestselling crime writer Erica Falck, by his side.
A community torn apart
But as Patrik and Erica dig deeper, the truth becomes ever murkier, because it seems that everyone in the tight-knit community is hiding something. And soon, the residents must confront the fact that they could be harbouring a murderer in their midst… Amazon
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First Chapter ~ First Paragraph ~ Intro
It was impossible to know what sort of life the girl would have had. Who she would have become. What kind of work she might have done, who she would have loved, mourned, lost and won. Or whether she would have had children and if so who they might have become. It was not even possible to imagine how she might have looked as a grown woman. At the age of four nothing about her was finished. Her eyes had changed from blue to green, her dark hair she’d had at birth was now light, although with a touch of red in the blond, and no doubt the colour would have changed again. That was especially difficult to determine at the moment. She was lying face down at the bottom of the lake. The back of her head was covered with thick, congealed blood. Only the strands floating outwards from her skull revealed the subtle hues in her fair hair.
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Now I’m sure I will love this one as much as I have enjoyed the previous books in this series which typically use events from the past in a current murder investigation in the Swedish fishing town of Fjällbacka where writer Erica Falck assists her Detective husband Patrik Hedström as he investigates.
What do you think? Would you keep reading?
I really like that opening paragraph. I also read a lot of murder mysteries, but I seldom see any concern like this for what might have happened had the victim lived. I’ll read this one just because I like that approach by the author.
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It is an interesting approach isn’t it? It really gives the reader an idea of what has been lost by the death of a child.
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Ooooh, I love this kind of questions that can’t get any real answers. Wonderings about things, I’d keep on reading!
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I think asking those questions does get the reader thinking so it’s an excellent start!
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I think that’s a brilliantly crafted first paragraph. It would certainly intrigue me as well as making me confident the story was in the hands of a skilled writer.
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She is an incredibly skilled writer and the translations are always seamlessly done.
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I do like this series, Cleo, and that opening bit does draw me in. I would definitely read on, and I’ll be interested in what you think of it. I enjoy the setting, the ‘regular’ characters, etc, and it’s good to hear there’s a new one out.
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It is one of my favourites because although it falls under Scandi Noir it isn’t quite as dark as many from this sub-genre. I love the characters which don’t overshadow whatever investigation going on.
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Hope you’re enjoying this one. It’s reminding me that this was another series I meant to start that has escaped me.
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I have so many of those series too although the sensible part of me knows I’m best steering clear as it will take me an age to catch up. 🙂
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Great opening intro; I’d read more – enjoy
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Thank you Diane
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Great beginning. I think I’d do better if I began with book 1 in the series before jumping in to book 10. This week I have Look for Me by Lisa Gardner – a thriller from my review stack. Happy reading!
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You are probably right Kathy – thank you.
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I’ve only read 1 book in this series – the first one. Have meant to get back to it. Must try to do that as it is getting longer and longer – a good thing!
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It is one of my favourite series and I admire your willingness considering there are now nine books to catch up with!
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I’ve read the 6th book in this series and didn’t really like it – I found it irritating that it ended on a cliff hanger and decided not to read any more. But the blurb of this makes it sound interesting, although I’m not happy with stories about missing four year-olds.
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Superb intro and yes I would definitely continue reading! Enjoy,
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I think I’m book 5 of this series. I really love it.
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Great opening lines…they drew me in and evoked my emotions, just visualizing what might have been.
Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.
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I like the narrator’s voice. It shows concern for the victim as a person, not merely a corpse. I’d keep reading to find out what happened and “whodunit.”
My Tuesday post features Faultlines.
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Both the first paragraph and the blurb sound amazing. Oh dear… another series that I should be adding to my list…
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Sounds really good, sad, but good.
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I can’t believe there’s another new one in this series! Every time you read one, I say the same thing – that I still have number 1 waiting for me on my Kindle… *sighs* Maybe this year!
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I’m in the same boat. I’ve had number one of this series on my Kindle almost since I got my Kindle…
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Really liked the intro and wonder if the first book is available at my library.
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You had me at thick, congealed blood!
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Different perspective on a common theme. Will be interesting.
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That is a good beginning. I quit reading this series mid-way through #3, because Partick and Erica were annoying me. I wonder if I should give it another shot.
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These have to be some of the most descriptive and emotional opening lines I have read for some time. I am assuming that the entire book translates to this exacting standard?
As this is a series you have obviously dipped into before, do you think that the stories work well as stand alones, as I couldn’t help but read Margaret’s comment about one of the books ending in a cliffhanger and not being a truly complete story, which could be make or break for me?
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yvonne
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I hope the series will continue to be good for you.
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