I reeeeally want a bullfrog desk now.

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:

A Murder Most Camp by Nicolas Didomizio

I admit, I grabbed this book because it was a murder mystery at a campground. I didn’t see the martini until after I could look under the library sticker, and THAT tells me we’re dealing with more than a camp–we may be dealing with something campy! Huzzah!

From the get-go, Didomizio has a sass to his voice that oozes personality. You get it from the very first line: “It’s been four days since Mikey Hartford’s left cheek accidentally caught an errant spritz of SPF 90–otherwise known as Why-Bother-Going-Out-on-the-Yacht-at-All?-spray–and his tan still hasn’t evened out.” Clearly, we’ve got a spoiled brat on our hands, and while we readers may roll our eyes at such brattiness, Mikey’s demeanor and introspection keep us going. He has a friendly relationship with one of the staff who still serves at the family mansion, and the tense conversation Mikey has with his father reveals Mikey struggles with relationships as well as growing up. It’s a unique mix here of traits that would make most folks–me included–ready to tell the guy to “get a real job” and walk away, but then we find out Mikey’s father is doing precisely that: work, or lose the inheritance. I had to stop reading before learning more about the job, but the back of the book shows Mikey ends up at a summer camp, where (obviously) murderous hijinks ensue. How could a guy like this solve a mystery?

THAT is a question to keep any mystery lover going. I love a good unconventional protagonist, and we have that here. Gay spoiled brats have shown up in literature before, sure, but how many of them are solving murder mysteries at a summer camp for kids? And the opening chapter gives nothing away about some sort of secret skill set or passion for mysteries–only movie-making. So that’s another reveal Didomizio gets to share with readers in the following chapters which, from the style of his voice, promises a fun adventure in and of itself.

Another key takeaway for any writer out of Didomizio’s first chapter is prioritizing. The first chapter takes place in the Hartford mansion. The rest of the mystery does not. Didomizio spends only a few sentences describing the mansion, even though Mikey walks through quite a bit of it. Why? Because the mansion doesn’t matter. Didomizio only shares enough detail so readers can fill in gaps while Mikey walks to his father’s office and the fateful ultimatum. And these details aren’t even super specific: “Mikey’s voice echoes off the cathedral ceilings as they move deeper into the mansion–a museum-like fusion of marble and brass and velvet.” But general details like this are enough for readers to go on. You and I may be picturing very different things, but we’re both using those same ingredients, and that’s okay. The mansion isn’t the priority. Mikey’s conversation with his father is.

If you’re ready for a killer fun read with an unlikely detective, then grab A Murder Most Camp. Let’s see what next month’s find will teach us, shall we?

Coming up, I’ve got some more cinematic camp, interviews, resource recommendations, and more. Stay tuned!

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