Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening. Feel free to grab the banner and play along.
This week my opening comes from The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths the ninth in the Dr Ruth Galloway series which will be published on 23 February 2017.
Blurb
Boiled human bones have been found in Norwich’s web of underground tunnels. When Dr Ruth Galloway discovers they were recently buried, DCI Nelson has a murder enquiry on his hands. The boiling might have been just a medieval curiosity – now it suggests a much more sinister purpose.
Meanwhile, DS Judy Johnson is investigating the disappearance of a local rough sleeper. The only trace of her is the rumor that she’s gone ‘underground’. This might be a figure of speech, but with the discovery of the bones and the rumours both Ruth and the police have heard that the network of old chalk-mining tunnels under Norwich is home to a vast community of rough sleepers, the clues point in only one direction. Local academic Martin Kellerman knows all about the tunnels and their history – but can his assertions of cannibalism and ritual killing possibly be true?
As the weather gets hotter, tensions rise. A local woman goes missing and the police are under attack. Ruth and Nelson must unravel the dark secrets of The Underground and discover just what gruesome secrets lurk at its heart – before it claims another victim. Amazon
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First Chapter ~ First Paragraph ~ Intro
Chapter 1
‘Today our acronym is COAST. Concentration, observation, anticipation, space and time.’
The speaker, a woman in her fifties, with short hair and keen-looking spectacles, beams around the room. DCI Harry Nelson, in the back row, stares back, stony faced. In his head he works on another acronym: crap, outrageous, abysmal…
‘You might be saying to yourself,’ says the woman, ‘why am I wasting a morning at a speed awareness course? The answer is because it can save lives.’
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Well I’m with Harry on this one, I hate acronyms and doubt very much if they help to save lives – but why is he on a speed awareness course?
It’s more or less a forgone conclusion that I will enjoy this book as it Ruth Galloway is definitely my favorite forensic archaeologist but what do you think?
Would you keep reading?