The opening lines of a novel are important. It is the author's chance to attract a potential reader (the hook theory). As you would expect, every author has his or her own way for introducing the novel with the hope that it drives the reader to continue. Here is an example wither the writer uses tone, humor and setting to draw you in:
Caroline Fardig, Death before Decaf: A Java Jive Mystery I hate college kids. From their unwashed righteousness to their possibly naive view of the “real world,” they really piss me off. So, on the eve of my thirtieth birthday, what did I do? I went and moved into a craphole apartment building full of the little buggers. Oh, and I took a job at a university area coffee house. So that I could serve them, too. Brilliant idea. Truly brilliant.
One of my favorite authors is Martha Grimes, the creator of Inspector Jury of Scotland Yard, and his friend, Lord Melrose Plant. She starts her novel The Five Bells and Bladebone with a strong dose of plot:
What else could you think of but getting your throat slit?
Check out your current novel to see how the author got you.
Meanwhile, here is a book opening that appeals to the wordsmith. Cara Black opens Murders at la Villette with character, setting, and tone:
April in Paris rarely feels like the song, thought Aimée LeDuc, shivering as she buttoned her leather jacket. Glocon’s cold, cavernous office, in a threadbare 1930s movie theater that was chopped into workspaces, was embellished with faux rococo swirls and chipped plaster ceilings. It felt as esthetically pleasing as an aircraft hangar.
This author has a flare for words: adjectives like cavernous, threadbare, rococo, and chipped, nouns like aircraft hangar, verbs like chopped, alliteration, and even an adverb “aesthetically.” Plus the intertextuality of the song title. The reader may be in for a treat, thesaurusly speaking.
Authors love to see reviews posted. I try to give my take and star rating to all authors I've read. The process is simple on Amazon where the book-searcher is invited to write a review with a headline. Along with a star rating from one to five. If you've read a book, react to it.
Clean Copy has some excellent ratings on Amazon. And there is room for more.