#BookBeginnings The Secrets They Left Behind

Let’s take a peek at The Secrets They Left Behind by Lissa Marie Redmond 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

The Secrets They Left Behind* by Lissa Marie Redmond

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

Summary:  While on Christmas break, three college freshmen disappear, leaving  their cell phones, coats, and purses behind. When the investigation grows cold, twenty-three-year-old Buffalo police officer Shea O’Connor goes undercover, posing as a freshman. Will she get the evidence she needs to find the young women or will she become a target herself?

First Sentence:

Monday, February 20th

If I had known the best thing that was going to happen to me that day was a black eye, I would have called in sick.

 

56

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice. The premise is simple. Turn to page 56 in the book and pick a quote.

 

“Joe, this is Shea Anderson. She just moved here from Buffalo,” Kayla said in a disgusted voice, as if he smelled particularly repulsive that day.

“Shea Anderson? You sound like a French restaurant.”

“Good one,” I joked. “I’ve never heard that before.”

I recently finished a really dense 466 page mystery by P. D. James, so I’m looking forward to something more straightforward and this looks like just the thing.

I like the tough cop voice in the first sentence. I’m not so sure about the immature college freshman dialogue in the later quote, but I guess it is age appropriate.

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

19 Comments

  1. Breana M.

    How is a black eye the best thing to happen??? The beginning definitely got my interest. Enjoy your current read!

    • Roberta

      I started it last night and couldn’t put it down (she says blearily).

  2. Mareli @ Elza Reads

    The cover immediately draws attention and the premise does sound good. Keep reading!

    Happy weekend and here’s my Weekend Book Friends #11

    • Roberta

      Speaking of covers, you found some great ones for Charlotte’s web! Thanks for visiting.

  3. Sammie @ The Bookwyrm's Den

    Bwahaha, I absolutely LOVE that opening sentence! Sounds like a really fun character voice.

    Here’s my Friday post.

    • Roberta

      She is a great character and I hope the author continues with a series with her.

  4. Laurel-Rain Snow

    The excerpts do pique my interest, and now I want to know more. Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.

    • Roberta

      It is interesting because the investigator essentially puts herself in the victims’ place.

  5. Freda Mans-Labianca

    Sounds like a good one! Happy weekend!

  6. Yvonne Gill

    Hi Roberta,

    Now this one sounds right up my street! Another new to me author to add to my list and I was pleased to see that this is a stand alone novel, which means I don’t have to try and play catch-up with a well-developed series!

    If a black eye is the best thing to happen to you at work, personally I would be thinking about finding another job, not just taking a day off sick! 🙂

    Thanks for sharing and have a peaceful weekend

    Yvonne xx

    • Roberta

      I have to agree with you about finding another job, but it does set the tone for things to come.

  7. Yvonne

    I would definitely keep reading this one. It sounds like something I’d really like.

  8. Ashley S.

    That opening has me so intrigued. What else happens that makes a black eye the best thing of her day? I’d definitely keep reading. Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a great weekend! 🙂

  9. Anne@HeadFullofBooks

    Sounds like a real page-turner. I would be terrified to live on that campus. Thanks for visiting my blog.

    • Roberta

      Turns out the author is a retired police detective, so she knows her stuff.

  10. Becki

    The opening line made me chuckle. Guess my week hasn’t been so bad, in retrospect 😉 Thanks for sharing and enjoy your week.

    • Roberta

      It does put things in perspective, doesn’t it?

  11. Gilion at Rose City Reader

    I don’t know. I have a high tolerance for mystery plots but a low tolerance for stories about college students. I might stick with PD James!

    • Roberta

      Have to admit the college student dialogue required a bit of an adjustment.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© 2024 It's A Mystery Blog

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑