Feb 17, 2012

Opening Sentences: The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney


Title: The Invisible Ones: A Novel by Stef Penney
Published January 5, 2012
Penguin Group USA
Opening sentences in a novel can set the tone and help readers decide about a book. Here are the opening sentences for The Invisible Ones, a romantic mystery.

"When I woke up, I remembered nothing -  apart from one thing. And little enough of that: I remember that I was lying on my back while the woman was straddling me, grinding her hips against mine. I have a feeling it was embarrassingly quick; but then, it had been a while. The thing is, I remember how it felt, but not what anything looked like.When I try to picture her face, I can't. When I try to picture the surroundings, I can't. I can't picture anything at all. I try; I try really hard, because I'm worried. 
After some time, one thing comes back to me: the taste of ashes.

As it turns out, the memory loss may be the least of my problem."

Publisher's description: PI Ray Lovell veers between paralysis and delirium in a hospital bed. Before the accident, he'd been hired to find Rose Janko, the wife of a charismatic son of a traveling Gypsy family, who went missing seven years earlier. Half Romany himself, Ray is surprised by the intense hostility from the Jankos. Touched by tragedy, they're either cursed or hiding a terrible secret, which Ray can't help suspecting is connected to Rose's disappearance.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book.  

8 comments:

  1. I have really wanted to read this one since coming across that first paragraph in a few different places, and thinking that the synopsis also sounded wonderful. Thanks for sharing this with us. It sounds like a book that I could really get into!

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  2. ooh, completely sucked me in. and i love the last line...

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  3. That's a great opening. Sounds like an interesting book.

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  4. I'm so intrigued by this one. Have you seen the commercials for the tv show Awake??? This reminds me a bit of that concept. I'd keep reading!

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    1. Staci: Now I have to watch out for the show. I like the concept too.

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  5. This is a book with the richest of characters, gypsies and private eyes. The setting is beautifully crafted and the character are three dimensional. I learned a lot about the Roma. The characters were endearing one moment, seemingly guilty the next. The plot is intertwined, deeply detailed. It's a great book.

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  6. This author's first book was very popular, but I wasn't all that fond of it. I am sitting on the fence about whether I want to read this one or not. I am kind of tempted!

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