As you know I am an aficionado of the opening line of a book.  I read between 50 to 60 books a year and do not have the time left in my life to read a bad one.  Often with a new author, the first line will determine if I continue.

This is well know in the industry and authors often spend many days AFTER WRITING their book to massage the first line.

So last night I opened a new paperback.  The first line was “Lacey Dowell clutched her crucifix, milky breasts thrust forward, as she backed away from her unseen assailant”

Now tell me, who would not immediately slam the book closed and throw it  into the corner.

However as it was a Sara Paretsky novel about the detective V I Warshawaski, I realized that her schtick is to make fun of the genre and I knew I was in for a romp of a book.  Good call

So sometimes my rule on the first line has to be ignored.