#BookBeginnings Celine by Peter Heller

Let’s take a look at Celine by Peter Heller 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!

 

book-beginnings-

Celine* by Peter Heller

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

Summary:  Private investigator Celine is renowned for her ability to track down missing persons. When a young woman’s father goes missing in Yellowstone Park, Celine leaves the comfort of her apartment in New York City to track him down.

First Sentence of Prologue:

It was bright and windy, with the poppies flushing orange down the slopes of the bluffs, all mixed with swaths of blue lupine. The Pacific was almost black and it creamed against the base of the cliffs all along Big Sur. He loved this.

First Sentence Chapter One

The call had come while she was at her workbench wiring the naked taxidermic form of an ermine onto a rock, beside the skull of a crow.

 

Discussion:

The novel follows a common mystery format by introducing the victim in the prologue and the investigator in chapter one.

I’m really looking forward to reading this novel for a few different reasons. First of all, the protagonist is a 68-year-old woman who is also a private investigator. Also, the author’s own mother, who was also a private investigator, inspired the story. Finally, a friend recommended it for its lush descriptions of the setting. I can’t wait to delve into it.

What do you think? Have you read anything by Peter Heller? Do you think you’d like to read Celine?

7 Comments

  1. Laurel-Rain Snow

    I love the sound of this one! I am especially drawn to the older protagonist…and the setting. Thanks for sharing, and here’s mine: “THE NIGHT VISITORS”

  2. Lisa Kelley

    I love a good mystery, but the cover of this one would have had me walking right past it.

    Thanks for sharing! I’d love for your readers to check out Book Beginnings and my Friday 56!

    Lisa Ks Book Reviews

    https://lisaksbookthoughts.blogspot.com/2019/04/its-cozy-food-friday-that-means-its.html

    • Roberta

      Lisa, I have to agree with you. That has to be the worst cover ever.

  3. Yvonne @ Fiction

    Hi Roberta,

    This sounds like one of those vintage classic mysteries from the 1950s or 60s – standard format and descriptive, prose like writing.

    It is good to see that you also chose to feature lines from both the prologue and the first chapter, with those prologue lines in particular, really drawing me into the story, with their great descriptive quality. Whilst the intrigue of a taxidermist come private detective, is definitely making me want to know more about the character.

    Definitely an author I shall be considering reading in the future, thanks for sharing and enjoy the book 🙂

    Yvonne
    xx

  4. Ashley S.

    I’m super intrigued by this one! I love the setting and the fact that it features an older protagonist. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

  5. Nicki J. Markus

    I like the descriptive opening.

  6. Lauren @ Always Me

    I’ve been eyeing this at the library. I may need to try it now. 🙂

    Thanks for visiting my blog earlier.

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