The Blue Hour opening lines: The moon woke me, bright and close. It shed such a strange light over the sea, a dark kind of daylight, like looking at the negative of a photograph. My blurb: Grace was the most loyal friend, and companion to Vanessa. An artist who created amazing pieces in all forms. … Continue reading The Blue Hour, Paula Hawkins

The Boyfriend opening lines: I am desperately, painfully, completely, and stupidly in love. Her name is Daisy. My blurb: Sydney lives in a small apartment in New York, and has two amazing female friends she hangs out with. But since breaking up with Jake she has been looking for the one. Cynch is a specialised dating … Continue reading The Boyfriend, Freida McFadden

We Solve Murders opening lines: You must leave as few clues as possible. That's the only rule. You have to talk to people sometimes; it's inevitable. My blurb: Steve is quite happy with his routine. Pub lunches, weekly quizzes, and his daily walks. Debbie would say he is not living his life. And he thinks … Continue reading We Solve Murders, Richard Osman

Precipice opening line: Late one Thursday morning at the beginning of July 1914, a young woman with dark wet hair strode long-legged from the Serpentine in Hyde Park along Oxford Street towards Marylebone. My blurb: Prime Minister Asquith is a man sitting on not only the precipice of War, but on the precipice of the … Continue reading Precipice, Robert Harris

8 Months Left opening lines: Jimmy Cunniff calls to tell me to get dressed, we're taking a ride. "Am I allowed to ask where we're going?" My blurb: Jane is trying to juggle it all. Cancer treatments, her love life, her work life, and looking after her dog. But there is something more that is … Continue reading 8 Months Left, James Patterson

Lies He Told Me opening lines: This is how I lost David. It started right here, on the trail near the bank of the Cotton River, late September, as we walked together, David in a shirt and tie, me in a dress but wearing David's suit jacket. My blurb: Marcie Bowers wakes up, thinking today … Continue reading Lies He Told Me, James Patterson

Mzansi is an informal name for South Africa and when used in cooking, refers to traditional dishes. The culture and landscape is very diverse in South Africa, and in Mexico in Mzansi, Aiden Pienaar combines Mexican dishes with local flair and flavour. In Mexico in Mzansi, chef Aiden Pienaar brings local flair to some traditional … Continue reading Mexico In Mzansi

The Murder Inn opening lines: Nick Jones's fellow soldiers were lying to him. They'd never done it before, and Nick knew that for one simple reason: because he wasn't dead. My blurb: Shauna Bulger will not be thought of as frail. Or needy for that matter. And she will do anything and everything it takes … Continue reading The Murder Inn, James Patterson

What Have You Done? opening line: Early Friday morning, Roy Ressler drives his big tractor down the gravel road that borders his fields, his mind on his daughter's upcoming wedding. My blurb: Fairhill is a small town, where everyone seems to know everyone. So when Diana Brewer is found dead, it is impossible to think … Continue reading What Have You Done?, Shari Lapena

Breaking the Dark opening lines: Jessica turns onto her side and blinks into the darkness. The drapes are wide open, but the sky outside is so dark that they may as well be shut. My blurb: Is there such a thing as perfection? And can evil exist alongside it? These are two of the questions … Continue reading Breaking the Dark, Lisa Jewell

Confessions of the Dead opening lines: Analysis Note: My name is xxxxxx assistant director and special agent in charge with xxxxxx of xxxxxxxx. My blurb: Deputy Matt Maro is where he is every Sunday morning. He is having breakfast at The Stairway Diner on Main Street. His girlfriend works there, and like in most small towns, everyone … Continue reading Confessions of the Dead, James Patterson

The Housemaid Is Watching opening lines: There's blood everywhere. I've never seen so much blood. It's soaking the cream-colored rug, seeping into the nearby floorboards, speckling the legs of the oak coffee table. My blurb: Millie Accardi was once known as Wilhelmina Calloway. She murdered someone, justifiably so, but it was still murder. Now she … Continue reading The Housemaid Is Watching, Freida McFadden

Lies And Weddings opening line: "If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever." My blurb: Eden Tong is happy being a Doctor, and the daughter of a Doctor. Her closest friends are the Viscount St. Ives and his sisters, Lady Augusta, and Lady Beatrice … Continue reading Lies And Weddings, Kevin Kwan

Eruption opening line: Rachel Sherrill, thirty years old in a few days, master's degree from Stanford in conservation biology, rising star in her world, still thought of herself as the smartest kid in the class. My blurb: Hawai'i is basically one big volcano. And even though some are inactive, some like to vent a lot … Continue reading Eruption, Michael Crichton