#BookBeginnings Land of Shadows by Rachel Howzell Hall

Today I’m reading Land of Shadows by Rachel Howzell Hall 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!

 

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Land of Shadows* by Rachel Howzell Hall

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

 

Summary:  When a young girl is killed and left at a construction site, Homicide detective Elouise Norton is immediately suspicious  of the owner, who had been linked to the disappearance of Norton’s older sister twenty-five years prior. Norton is determined to get answers this time, but at what cost?

First Sentence:

Two hundred and six bones make up the adult human skeleton.

Discussion:

Over the last six months, I’ve attended many virtual book and writing events, and I’ve discovered so many new authors I want to read. I’d seen Rachel Hall at a couple of events and she seemed intriguing, so I decided I’d try the first book in her Lou Norton series. This first line does not disappoint.

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.

 

I called Joey Jackson over and told him to take the warrant request to the courthouse and hand it to Judge Keener as soon as she popped her first can of Diet Coke.

 

This is a pretty standard police procedural, but the author drops in fresh descriptions and details that make it enjoyable. Can’t you just see the judge drinking Diet Coke to fortify her against her busy day?

What do you think? Have you found any new authors via virtual events?

15 Comments

  1. Juli @ A Universe in Words

    Ooof, that’s quite an opening line! I love that you were able to use this time to explore and find new authors. I definitely want to explore a bit more as well, so I’ll ad this one to my TBR!  Do drop by my post if you have the time and I hope you have a lovely weekend 🙂 Juli @ A Universe in Words

    • Roberta

      The main character, Lou Norton, is smart and sassy. I’m enjoying it, thank you.

  2. Ed Dzitko

    Been experimenting with Kindle Unlimited. Found a couple of people to be pretty good; others not so much. Glad to be able to check out another new writer.

    • Roberta

      When you can try for free or inexpensively, it isn’t so bad when they are a miss. Happy searching.

  3. Laurel-Rain Snow

    Great excerpts. I liked the descriptions that pull us into the scene. Here’s mine: “THE LIES YOU TOLD”

    • Roberta

      You always find such great psychological thrillers. Thanks for visiting.

  4. Catherine @ Book Club Librarian

    Sounds like a good start to a series. Hope it doesn’t disappoint.

    • Roberta

      In the last interview I watched, she revealed her newest is a stand alone. I’ll have to check that out, too.

  5. Freda Mans-Labianca

    That first line really pulls you in!! Happy weekend!

    • Roberta

      You too, Freda. Thanks for visiting and hosting.

  6. Gilion at Rose City Reader

    I like the opening and the teaser! I have met a couple of new-to-me authors at virtual events. That’s been a silver lining of this pandemic!

    • Roberta

      Yes, indeed. I’m sure it’s good for the authors, as well. They can reach larger and more distant audiences.

  7. Anne@HeadFullofBooks

    Sounds like an author I should look for. My Friday Quotes from The Blind Assassin

  8. Ashley S.

    This sounds like just the type of book I like. Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a great weekend! 🙂

  9. Literary Feline

    I feels like ages since I last read a book like this. I will have to put this one on my radar. That’s great that you’ve been able to attend so many virtual book and writing events. I keep thinking I should try to see what I can fit into my schedule, but then I forget. I think it’d be fun though! I hope you have a great week!

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