First Sentences 2024

Opening sentences are our first step inside a story. Some hook us right away while others ease us in. I started keeping track of first sentences years ago. I enjoy looking back on these opening lines and seeing what memories they stir up. 

Below you will find the first sentences of books I read in 2024.

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The women were arguing. ~ The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

Teenage boys had begun to disappear. ~ The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan

Death Surrounded her. ~ Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb

Kicking aside a jumble of tomato cages and terra-cotta pots, I searched for a pair of gardening gloves heavy enough to tangle with the invasive milk thistle threatening to take over my herb garden. ~ Hammers and Homicide by Paula Chase

Hey, Fukazawa. ~ The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again, Today Vol. 2 by Hitsuzi Yamada

Hello! ~ The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again, Today Vol. 3 by Hitsuzi Yamada

Neck craned, I squinted up between the shadowed apartments. ~ The Witch With No Name by Kim Harrison

When Irina Bazili began working at Lark House in 2010, she was twenty-three years old but already had few illusions about life. ~ The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende

Vic buried her greatsword in the scalvert's skull with a meaty crunch. ~ Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

In an old wardrobe a djinn sits weeping. ~ The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Subnum Khan

"Jamie Gray!" ~ Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

The first time I saw Roanoke was in a dream. ~ The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

The folk here 

are old ~ A Good Cry by Nikki Giovanni

From Judy to the Crisis

Thursday, 14 April 1944

Dear Ms. Ella Baker and Marvel Cooke,

My name is Judy Washington, and I am one of the women you write about in your work on the Bronx Slave Market over on Simpson Street. ~ Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders

It's that time of year again, folks! ~ Misfit Mansion by Kay Davault

The future of women in the military seems assured. ~ One Woman's Army by Charity Adams Earley

The foot would not fit in my briefcase, so I wrapped it in cloth and wrestled it into an old knapsack I sometimes carry with me on expeditions. ~ Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

Brutus was dead. ~ Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

"Poor devil." ~ Gone with the Witch by Angela M. Sanders

In Kellner Books on the Upper East Side of New York City, a few minutes before his death, John Webber was reading The Count of Monte Cristo. ~ Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

MM! ~ Spy x Family, Vol. 11 by Tatsuya Endo

I am a cook, and better than most, even at my young age of nine and twenty, and the gentry aristocracy pay highly to have me. ~ A Soupçon of Poison by Jennifer Ashley

"That's a fine one," Bobby Perry said as she lounged in the studio at the top of Miss Judith Townsend's London townhouse. ~ The Price of Lemon Cake by Jennifer Ashley

"Mr. Whitaker is very ill." ~ Mrs. Holloway's Christmas Pudding by Jennifer Ashley

I was finishing a pleasant visit on my day out with Joanna Millburn, the friend of my youthful days who looked after my daughter, when I detected something was very wrong. ~ Speculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley

Any idiot can spot a window of opportunity, but it takes a unique brand of idiot to fall through one. ~ Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano

I can't look, I said, clapping a hand over my eyes. ~ Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano

I don't remember a time when I didn't know how to read. ~ Why We Read by Shannon Reed

A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct. ~ Dune by Frank Herbert

Aman walked into a darkened room, moving on silent feet. ~ Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews

A claw swept across my face, and I felt the hot breath of hell. ~ Cold Curses by Chloe Neill

They came in the early morning. ~ An Inconvenient Wife by Karen E. Olson

We can't keep doing this. ~ Legacy by Shannon Messenger

If menopause were on Yelp it would have one star. ~ The Menopause Manifesto by Jen Gunter

Perhaps you know this story: Late one evening, a beautiful woman comes knocking on an unsuspecting scholar's door. ~ The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

The wind is a constant song in my ears, the air so cold and refreshing it sparkles against my cheek as I whoosh down the ski slope. ~ The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Years later, when the residents of Shelley House looked back on the extraordinary of that long, turbulent summer, they would disagree on how it all began. ~ Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson

Whether I shall turn out to the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. ~ David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

The  moment my dad raised my veil, kissed my cheek, and handed me off to Stuart, I wanted to throw up. ~ Happily Never After by Lynn Painter

I lost an arm on my last trip home. ~ Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

It was a gift, seeing what most people were afraid to see. ~ The Secret Keeper of Main Street by Trisha R. Thomas

Chelsea, do you need a lift to the bus stop? ~ Ghost Roast by Shawnee & Shawnelle Gibbs

Homeboy has ten seconds to divert his eyes from my ass before I lose it. ~ The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton

The darkness comes upon us quickly, I just know it's a sign. ~ The Keeper by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

In the last war, your father was spying for the Germans. ~ Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

"Don't look now," John said to his wife, "but there are a couple of old girls two tables away who are trying to hypnotize me." ~ Don't Look Now and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier

That July night seemed full of possibility, with the empty highway stretching out before us. ~ Murder Road by Simone St. James

Humans are greedy. ~ Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, Vol. 1 by Osamu Nishi

"That's an unfortunate misconception that I've been working hard to correct," Landon said, and I stared at the radio, not liking that the priest's professional, tutored voice had lost none of its elven persuasion through my car's speaker. ~ American Demons by Kim Harrison 

WHOAAA! ~ Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, Vol. 2 by Osamu Nishi

Skritch ~ Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, Vol. 3 by Osamu Nishi

Thunder roared and lightning crashed through the sky, illuminating the clouds above Thorn Manor. ~ Accidental Magic by Iris Beaglehole

The business of murder took time, patience, skill, and a tolerance for the monotonous. ~ Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb

Delilah Bard--always a thief, recently a magician, and hopefully one day, a pirate--was running as fast as she could. ~ A  Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

It took all of Abby's willpower not to kiss her. ~ Pulp by Robin Talley

The jangling telephone broke into her dreams. ~ The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay

Cold rain soaking her boots, splashing her stockings, and leaking from the brim of her ruined hat and onto her face was the least of Saffron Everleigh's worries. ~ A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets by Kate Khavari

First, I got myself born. ~ Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Mrs. King laid out all the knives on the kitchen table. ~ The Housekeepers by Alex Hay

Dear Coppelia, 

Don't worry, I'm not going to propose killing Irene. ~ The Untold Story by Genevieve Cogman

SIIIGGHHHH ~ Magical Boy, Vol. 1 by The Kao

Am I even doing this right? ~ Magical Boy, Vol. 2 by The Kao

There are  reasons I hate to drive fast. ~ Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

It rained toads the day the White Council Came to Town. ~ Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

I'm a liar. ~ Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

All that you touch

You change. ~ Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Jacquotte Delahaye was alone. ~ The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron

I sprint down the sidewalk, flying past designer boutiques, luxury shops, and a fancy art gallery. ~ Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston

I was not always a liar. ~ The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava

STAAAR LIGHT . . . ~ Spy x Family, Vol. 12 by Tatsuyo Endo

A Freya Grove bride was recently stood up by her groom this past weekend. ~ Kiss and Spell by Celestine Martin 

There is a game I like to play on my own. ~ You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto

My sister Lacey is a lightning rod for hilarious racist stories. ~ You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar

While in prison, I received a dictionary. ~ The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

I don't see her coming.  ~ It's Elementary by Elise Bryant 

The last thing Orion said to me, the absolute bastard, was El, I love you so much. ~ The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

January 3, 1827

Dear Elizabeth, 

You have not been far from my mind today. ~ A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon 

The acrid scent of blood and sweat hit me before I even made it out the door. ~ Enchanting the Alpha by Abby Ryan 

That meeting could've been an e-mail. ~ Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

Why can't you just stop complaining and be happy with what you've got? ~ Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook & Ryan Estrada

I feel so lost and overwhelmed. ~ Everything Is Okay by Debbie Tung

Ten days they'd held me there. ~ Weyward by Emily Hart 

She dreamed of death. ~ Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb

Those little bastards were hiding out there in the tall grass. ~ James by Percival Everett

Charlie, that was only the first bell. ~ Heartstopper, Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman

Sherry Pinkwhistle woke up to the deep silence of snowfall, cozily ensconced in the warmth of her bed and the knowledge that she just solved another murder. ~ The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner

WARNING: You are accessing CLASSIFIED Registry files. ~ Unlocked by Shannon Messenger

The low sweep of the southern horizon was a perfect line, unmarred by even the smudge of horses tossing their heads in the distance. ~ The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Focus. ~ Brooms by Jasmine Walls

It was official. ~ Deja Brew by Celestine Martin

In my hands is power. ~ Conspiracy in Death by J.D. Robb

Dear Comrade,

We are Cassandra. ~ Loyalty in Death by J.D. Robb

I lost my arm on my last trip home. ~ Kindred (Graphic Novel Adaptation) by Octavia Butler,  Damian Duffy, & John Jennings

She holds her hands up as if in prayer, steam evaporating from her skin. ~ The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper

I tapped the address in my file with the lid of the pen I'd been chewing on. ~ A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara

Secunits don't care about the news. ~ Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

Katherine Harper hurried out of the Legion of Honor as fast as the slippery pavement and limited visibility allowed. ~ The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard

It was an ordinary day when Evie met The Villain. ~ Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

When Quinton told us we'd be hiding out somewhere top secret, I pictured an underground bunker way out in the wilderness. ~ Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B.B. Alston

"I really hate these parties." ~ Neon Gods by Katee Robert

The painter stood balanced on the wooden platform, his brush strokes hidden from sight as he brings the goddess to life. ~ The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper

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