First Line Friday (week 330): A Killer Unleashed

Posted February 23, 2023 by meezcarrie in contemporary, cozy mystery, First Line Fridays, Jackie Layton, mystery/suspense / 11 Comments

Happy Friday & welcome to the First Line Friday link-up! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m featuring the first line of A Killer Unleashed by Jackie Layton! I’m behind on this series (argh) but I really enjoyed the first two books & hope to catch up on the others soon!

and the first line is…

“This is the one I’m most excited about.”

 

When a client’s dog turns up missing and her husband turns up dead, Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott will have to rely on dogged determination to track down a killer . . .

When a frantic client calls, worried about her dog, Andi Grace is happy to drop by the woman’s home and check in on her beloved pet. She’s initially concerned when she discovers the dog’s not in the house, but she’s out-and-out shocked to discover that the woman’s husband is—strangled to death in his office chair. On top of that, she soon finds a ransom note demanding a hefty sum for the dog’s safe return. Andi Grace knows better than to meddle in a murder investigation, but there’s no way she’s going to let a dognapper get away with it.

Unsure of whether the killer took the dog or if they were unrelated crimes, Andi Grace finds herself confounded from the start. More puzzling still is that the dog’s owner seems more upset about her missing pooch than her dead husband. Could the whole thing have been a setup? Did the woman murder her own husband and send Andi Grace to the house under false pretenses to discover the body? As sinister as that possibility may be, the trail of clues leads Andi Grace to uncover an even more nefarious scheme, and she knows she’ll have to tie up all the loose ends fast before the whole case goes to the dogs . . .

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11 responses to “First Line Friday (week 330): A Killer Unleashed”

  1. Gloria A

    Open your romance novel with a character who is in medias res-in the midst of things.
    -Romance Writing 101
    Sadie Goodwin’s literary dreams came to a shuddering halt in the middle of her favorite SoHo coffee shop.
    A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter

    Reply
  2. Lisa @ The Plain-Spoken Pen

    I love a good cozy mystery, and this one sounds like fun!

    My first line:

    It’s six a.m. on a dismal Saturday, and I’m standing in awe of a memo sheet jumping across Alec Zavos’s desk blotter in his freezing barn office.

    Reply
  3. Kay Garrett

    “What do you mean he’s missing?” Lt. Jason Danvers set his fishing pole aside. Myra Stone wasn’t given to panic. He’d never even noticed the lady flustered. Until this phone call.
    BREAKING POINT by Marji Laine

    Reply
  4. Jody

    My first line comes from The Maid’s Diary by Loreth Anne White

    Slowly, she slides between sleep and consciousness. A shard of cognition slices through her-no, not sleep. Not in her bed. Not safe. Panic stirs. Where is she? She tries to swallow, but her mouth is dry. There’s an unfamiliar taste at the back of her throat. A sharper jolt of awareness cracks through her. Blood-it’s the taste of blood.

    Have a wonderful weekend everyone 😉

    Reply
  7. Paula Shreckhise

    My first line comes from The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel:
    County Donegal, Ireland September 1935
    The slap had hit its mark, leaving a burning outline Brianna was certain showed perfectly on her cheek.

    Reply
  8. Nicole Santana

    I’m currently reading Brooke by Ronie Kendig. It’s intense.
    “Holy fires, it hurt to breathe. She wanted to slow down but knew she couldn’t.”
    I hope you’re having a great weekend!

    Reply
  9. Danielle Grandinetti

    That looks like a fun read! I’m just beginning Kidnapped in Texas by Virginia Vaughan. The first line is: “Abby Mitchell crossed the street to drop a letter into the mailbox.” Hope you have a great week!

    Reply

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