Well, Bust my Buffers and Flatten my Fenders! Looks like the Devil’s come to Sodor…

As writers, we hear all the time that we’ve got to hook readers in just the first few pages or else. We’ve got to hook agents in the first few pages or else.

Whether you’re looking to get published or just hoping to hook your reader, first impressions are vital. Compelling opening scenes are the key to catching an agent or editor’s attention, and are crucial for keeping your reader engaged.
JEFF GERKE, THE FIRST FIFTY PAGES

This month I snagged from the New Release shelf:

Whistle by Linwood Barclay

Yowza, have I got a spooky one for you today. I initially grabbed Linwood Barclay’s Whistle because of the train. Yup, that’s it. After all, I’m working on a trilogy featuring trains in space; why not read about a train? Turns out this is no ordinary train—it’s a toy train. FROM HELL. Dunh dunh DUUUUNH!

Goofy dramatics aside, Barclay does marvelous work in his prologue when it comes to setting up the gift of this train set to a young boy over twenty years ago. The boy had wanted a video game console, but the father brought in a train set his coworker was getting rid of, thinking about the toys he loved when he was a kid. There’s a great little family dynamic here with the jerk of a big sister and the confused mom. Thank goodness for that confused mom, for it’s the interaction of the parents that drops the serious foreshadowing of tragedy and death that occurred not far away—in fact, the father’s coworker came from that very place, a place where his wife had somehow been electrocuted. But hey, a toy electric train! And I hated to end when the train caught Jeremy. There is no other way to describe it. The boy went from upset and dismissive to obsessed in two pages. Barclay’s pacing here is spot-on, and I couldn’t help but peek ahead that the jerk of a big sister will need an ambulance as the train chuffs on…

So I know how I’m starting my summer reading. 😊 Let’s see what next month’s find will teach us, shall we?

Coming up, I have another author interview, some fun Miss Marple cases with poison, and of course, a trip to summer camp!

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!