The
first paragraphs of a novel can set the foundation for
what's to follow in terms of tone, character and story intent.
Here are the first few paragraphs from the novel, Scents and Sensibility by Spencer Quinn:
Here are the first few paragraphs from the novel, Scents and Sensibility by Spencer Quinn:
Where
were we? Was it possibly . . . home? Yes! Home! Home at last! Our home--mine
and Bernie's--is on Mesquite Road. Mesquite Road's in the Valley. Quite
recently I might have heard that the Valley's in Arizona, but don't count on
that. What matters is that right now I was inhaling a nice big noseful of
Valley air. Light and dry, with a hint of greasewood and just plain grease:
perfect. I felt tip-top. Bernie opened our door, kicked aside a huge pile of
mail, and we went in.
"Ah,"
said Bernie, dropping our duffel bag on the floor. I did the first thing that
came to mind--just about always my MO--which in this case meant sniffing my way
from room to room to room, zigzagging back and forth, nose to floor. Front
hall, our bedroom, Charlie's bedroom--mattress bare on account of Charlie not
being around much since the divorce--office, with the circus-elephant-pattern
rug, where I actually picked up the faint whiff of elephant, even though no
elephant had ever been in the office. I'd had some experience with elephants,
specifically an elephant name of Peanut, no time to go into that now...
Do
you get the idea the narrator isn't a person? Can you tell the voice leading
you into the story is that of a dog? How? The speaker seems conflicted, yet what person do you know who sniffs
his way from room to room? And the setting? It's telling that the speaker
doesn't really know where "the Valley" is located, but as he inhales
a "big, noseful of Valley air," he finds it light and dry, so we can
gather this scene is set in the desert. And what's with the elephant rug? Well,
that's what makes the reader keep reading...
If
you're not familiar with the Chet and
Bernie mystery-thriller series, you're missing out. Each book, there are
eight in all, is narrated by Chet, a
hyperactive dog, who works with his laid-back master and partner, Bernie Little
of the Little Detective Agency.
In
Scents and
Sensibility, the duo have returned home from visiting Bernie's
girlfriend in Washington D.C. and realize they've been robbed. The safe in
Bernie's office has been pried out of a wall and stolen—complete with a prized
watch that belonged to Bernie's grandfather. Then they realize their neighbor has
an adult son (one they never knew he had, who is now residing next door) and
also has a mature Saguaro Cactus suddenly growing on his front lawn. Where did it come from? How did it get there? It's
against the law to move a cactus of this variety. Knowing the neighbor had a key to Chet and Bernie's house in case
of emergency, is it possible the neighbor's son is the thief and the
cactus transporter? What begins as a simple welcome home set-up evolves into
another case—another dangerous, crime-solving adventure—for Chet and Bernie involving
cactus thieves, murder and a kidnapping.
This
clever, funny and riveting series is perfect for fans of crime/mystery fiction
and animal/pet lovers.
Atria
Books, $25.00 Hardcover, 9781476703428, 320 pp