Tuesday, July 12, 2016

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros #2 - Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna; Bruno, Chief of Police


Hosted by Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea
Post the first paragraph(s) of what you are currently reading or will read soon.

First up is a preview of the book I'll be reading for the Save Our Cozies #readathon on Saturday, July 16th.

Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna: A Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery (Book 3); Maia Chance
Berkeley - 2016

The day had arrived. Miss Ophelia Flax's last day in Paris, her last day in Artemis Stunt's gilt-edged apartment choked with woody perfumes and cigarette haze. Ophelia had chosen December 12, 1867, at eleven o'clock in the morning as the precise time she would make a clean breast of it. And now it was half-past ten.

And next is my mystery discussion group's July pick:

Bruno, Chief of Police; Martin Walker
Vintage - 2010

On a bright May morning, so early that the last of the mist was still lingering low over a bend in the Vézère River, a white van drew to a halt on the ridge that overlooked the small French town. A man climbed out, strode to the edge of the road and stretched mightily as he admired the familiar view of St. Denis. The town emerged from the lush green of the trees and meadows like a tumbled heap of treasure; the golden stone of the buildings, the ruby red tiles of the rooftops and the silver curve of the river running through it. The houses clustered down the slope and around the main square of the Hôtel de Ville where the council chamber, its Mairie, and the office of the town's own policeman perched above the thick stone columns that framed the covered market. The grime of three centuries only lately scrubbed away, it's honey-colored stone glowed richly in the morning sun. 
I'm a couple of chapters into both and am enjoying them immensely. Expect a full review of Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna on Saturday!

9 comments:

  1. Love cozies, and these have great titles and covers. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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    1. I used to be such a snob about cozies, and would roll my eyes whenever I saw my mom reading one. Now I know that a fun cozy at the end of a long day is one of the best ways to unwind ^^

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  2. I really like the sound of the second book the best. I could easily keep reading that one.

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    1. I'm about 100 pages into Bruno, and the loving descriptions of life and food in rural France (contrasted with the grisly murder), makes for such a pleasant read.

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  3. Both look good. Haven't seen these one's yet. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy have a great week.

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    1. I'd heard about the Fairy Tail Fatal series, but never got around to reading one until this review made me put it near the top of my TBR list: http://mysterysuspence.blogspot.com/2016/02/review-beauty-beast-and-belladonna.html

      Then I joined the Save Our Cozies Readathon and noticed it was on the list, so I figured now was the time: https://saveourcoziesreadathon.wordpress.com/

      As for Bruno, someone in my mystery discussion group chose it and I'm so glad I did. The food descriptions are lustworthy.

      Thanks for taking the time to comment! ^^

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  4. Look at those bookshelves in the cover of Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna! I would love to step inside that picture. The book sounds good too. :-) Bruno, Chief of Police sounds good too!

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    1. My childhood dream has always been to own the library from Beauty and the Beast. One of these days...

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  5. Both books sound like good mysteries and I love the covers. Enjoy!

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