This week we’ve chosen Force of Nature by Jane Harper for Book Beginnings on Fridays.
Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!
Force of Nature by Jane Harper
Force of Nature was published in February 2018, but somehow I managed to snag a used copy at the bookstore. Yes! (That doesn’t happen very often.)
Summary: “Five women go on a hike. Only four return.” Australian Federal Agent Aaron Falk needs to find the missing woman, Alice Russell, because she is key to his latest case.
Aaron Falk was also the main character of Jane Harper’s previous novel, The Dry.
First Sentence of the Prologue:
Later, the four remaining women could fully agree on only two things. One: No one saw the bushland swallow up Alice Russell. And two: Alice had a mean streak so sharp it could cut you.
First Sentence of Chapter One:
“Don’t panic.”
Federal Agent Aaron Falk, who until that moment had had no plans to do so, closed the book he had been reading.
Discussion:
First of all, isn’t that an incredible hook? Don’t you want to know what happened to the fifth hiker, the one who didn’t come back? The fact she had a mean streak makes it seem likely that foul play was involved, doesn’t it?
I love a novel with a powerful setting. Harper uses her bushland setting to create an ominous atmosphere.
I also like the wry humor of the first part of Chapter One
As a writer, I noticed right away that the first chapter has a lot more dialogue than her previous novel. The Dry had a lot of exposition, with sparse dialogue. I’m wondering how that will change the pacing.
What do you think? Would you keep reading?
I do agree! That opening in the prologue is a great hook. A mean streak indeed!
Both books in this series have an amazing amount of positive ratings and reviews and I can see why.
The premise for ‘Force Of Nature’ is intriguing, in as much as the five women colleagues are FORCED to go on a corporate retreat, which isn’t a good sign, as we don’t know whether they even like each other or not.
The extracts you shared would definitely make me want to keep on reading. I have published regular promotional posts for a couple of Australian authors now, but none of them have dealt with the issues thrown up by small town life, so I am interested to know where this storyline is going.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yvonne
That’s quite a good hook!