Do the first lines of a new book tell you whether you want to read the whole thing? First lines are important. So are final lines, but how about the middle? The middle of a mystery is important too.
These are middle lines from my seven cozy mysteries. Can you identify the book each is from? Choices are: The Cemetery Club, Grave Shift, Best Left Buried, Grave Heritage, By the Fright of the Silvery Moon, Moonlight Can Be Murder, or Moonstruck and Murderous?
(1) It took a few seconds to realize what had just happened–a bullet had narrowly missed my head.
(2) The sight of two wet, muddy, gasping, frightened females, one of them wearing only one house shoe, brought Grant’s secretary Doris Elroy to her feet, her eyes wide and her mouth dropping open.
(3) When the candle burned down to touch the newspapers, fire would race through the carriage house, igniting papers, books, and everything in the building, including me.
(4) An owl hooted somewhere in the trees behind the house, and near the pasture, a dog barked and howled as if he were in trouble.
(5) Holding the knife with my right hand, I popped open a blade, sliding the blade under the rope which bound my left wrist.
(6) Praying that we would join the ranks of those who survived a tumble down Deertrack Hill, I determined that we would indeed go over, not sideways, but nose first.
(7) Before I could stop it, the shock that froze me in place rose from my throat and I screamed.
MANOS MYSTERIES
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