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

How to Age Disgracefully opening line: Police Constable Penny Rogers had been right on the bumper of the minibus, siren wailing and lights flashing, for several miles before it finally pulled on to the hard shoulder of the motorway. My blurb: Lydia no longer has children to look after at home, so she decides to … Continue reading How to Age Disgracefully, Clare Pooley

The Gathering opening lines: It would be wrong to say that life had passed Beau Grainger by. Beau Grainger had ambled along steadily, without excitement or drama (for the most part), but also without bitterness or rancour. My blurb: Barbara has been sent to Deadheart because a child has been murdered. For all intents and … Continue reading The Gathering, C.J. Tudor

Listen for the Lie opening lines: A podcaster has decided to ruin my life, so I'm buying a chicken. I make plans for this chicken as I sit in my cubicle at Walter J. Brown Investment Services, waiting to be fired. My blurb: Lucy's grandmother is the only one who believes her, and believes in … Continue reading Listen for the Lie, Amy Tintera

The 24th Hour opening lines: I was late getting back from the men's jail in San Bruno. I braked the squad car in front of the Hall of Justice, where my good friend Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano was waiting at the curb. My blurb: Yuki has an impossible case. She knows her client was … Continue reading The 24th Hour, James Patterson

Lone Wolf opening line: Evan stood where the long dirt road gave over to the desolate heat-miraged loam, staring at the double-wide manufactured home where the man who was presumably his biological father lived, the man Evan had never laid eyes on, the man he had reason to believe was currently inside those four dilapidated … Continue reading Lone Wolf, Gregg Hurwitz

The Corsican Shadow opening lines: Marcel Demille rubbed his tired eyes for the hundredth time. Fatigue draped over him like a heavy cloak as his hands resumed their grip on the thick steering wheel. My blurb: Nothing is ever as simple as Pitt and Giordino would like it to be. They would prefer quiet NUMA … Continue reading The Corsican Shadow, Dirk Cussler

Island in the Sun opening lines: Cass had been travelling all day. There had been an early morning flight from Bristol to Glasgow, two long bus journeys, a largish ferry and now this tiny ferry that took a dozen card at best. My blurb: Cass has feels a lot of pressure on her to be something more. … Continue reading Island in the Sun, Katie Fforde

All The Broken Places opening line: If every man is guilty of all the good things he did not do, as Voltaire suggested, then I have spent a lifetime convincing myself that I am innocent of all the bad. My blurb: Gretel has lived a secluded life, out of choice. After trying so hard to … Continue reading All The Broken Places, John Boyne

The Ghost Orchid opening lines: Nearly getting killed can change your life in interesting ways. There's the physical healing, but that's tedious to think about. My blurb: Giovanni Aggiunta has been killed in his home, with his girlfriend, left naked, and dead, next to him. He is from a very wealthy family, and it appears … Continue reading The Ghost Orchid, Jonathan Kellerman

The Fury opening lines: Never open a book with the weather. Who was it who said that? I can't remember - some famous writer, I expect. My blurb: Elliot is so unsure of himself that he cannot declare his love for Lana. But he feels he can do what people think he is good at, … Continue reading The Fury, Alex Michaelides

Cross Hairs opening line: Adam Glossner had to work hard to conceal his smile, sitting on the edge of his three-year-old son's tiny bed. My blurb: Rob Trilling thrived in the Army, but he is not doing as well as part of the NYPD. He has been moved into another role, the third one and … Continue reading Cross Hairs, James Patterson

Holmes, Margaret and Poe opening line: The vacant industrial space that Realtor Gretchen Wik was trying to unload was located in a recently gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood called Bushwick. My blurb: Meet Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple and Auguste Poe. Three new private investigators who have high demands. And garner high interest. Not only from their clients, … Continue reading Holmes, Margaret and Poe, James Patterson

The Year of the Locust opening lines: I once went to kill a man. At other times, in younger days, I had followed my work through the neon-lit alleys of Tokyo, watched the sun rise over the Mosque of the Nine Cupolos and waited on the waterfront in Old Istanbul as a woman's tears fell … Continue reading The Year of the Locust, Terry Hayes