Sean had been investigating a major murder-the gruesome killing of an all American girl, Theresa Lofton. So what does Connelly do to make us care?įirst of all, he thickens the mystery. Okay, but it’s not enough to raise that question. And so the big question chapter 1 raises-the question that’s going to propel us into the novel is.ĭid Sean really commit suicide? If so, why? If not, then who killed him and why? Because as we move through chapter 1, we discover that Jack doesn’t believe his brother committed suicide. So, yes, Connelly tells us pretty quickly who Sean is and what happened to him-but that only sets the stage for a much bigger question. Lee Child once wrote a New York Times piece about how to create suspense: “As novelists, we should ask or imply a question at the beginning of the story, and then we should delay the answer.” We soon learn that Sean is Jack’s brother-a detective who just committed suicide. We don’t have to wait too long to find out. When the two detectives came for me and told me about Sean, a cold numbness quickly enveloped me.Ĭonnelly grabs us by evoking multiple questions we need answers to: why didn’t his rule protect him? Who is Sean? What happened to him? In the first paragraph, we’re introduced to journalist Jack McEvoy, who tells us his rule for dealing with death as a reporter: “keep it at arm’s length.” Then comes the hook:īut my rule didn’t protect me. Connelly must hate other writers, because he begins with a first line so good it makes you want to give up before you start.Īnyway, we’re off.
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