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.

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As readers, we love to turn the last page of a book, sit back, and feel happy to have spent time with the book.  If it's fiction, we relished the story.  I had this feeling recently with vera Morris' Some Particular evil, the first book in TheAnglian Detective Novel Series. I gave the mystery a five-star review on Amazon and here is my summary:

This is an enjoyable murder mystery set at an English boarding school.  After her younger sister is murdered, Laurel, an athletics teacher, takes a job as head mistress at a school, where she learns there has been the murder of the headmaster's wife.  Frank, the detective who investigated her sister's death unsuccessfully, has been assigned to reopen the school investigation.  Attraction between the two grows as the solving occurs.  Old murders and disappearances are uncovered.  A new killing happens.  Various suspects arise.  The characters are distinct, memorable, and believable.  Even the history of the victim is filled out and the perpetrator's background and thinking is provided.  This is a good prose with a robust story that keeps the reader moving ahead to the reward of good resolutions and a delightful premise and promise of the next book.


Speaking of reviews, I checked the reader ratings of our four YA-adult novels on Amazon and found that all four have good ratings with The Clown Forest Murders in the lead (91% five-star + four-star ratings).  Actually Clean Copy has 100% ratings that are five or four stars, but the sample size needs more voices.  I like to choose books with a total of 80% or more with these types of ratings.