The Lost Girls of Rome by Donato Carrisi

7:37 a.m.

The corpse opened his eyes.

Five words that work a hook. It is as simple as this.

In this line we have a character in the form of a corpse and because it's a corpse, we have conflict and because the corpse is opening its eyes, we have questions that need answering. This corpse is confused and disorientated and this short one-page prologue ends with:

Who am I?

The next section is titled: Five days ago. So, presumably that little prologue has something to do with the climactic moment that comes later in the novel. Sometimes this works, adding a little bit of dramatic irony. The reader now knows that someone is going to experience the prologue, but of course the characters don't know this in chapter 1. Always a neat trick to create a little bit of tension or suspense.

First thing said:

"He's cyanotic."

Here we have an example of opening dialogue on the second page that moves a plot forward.

Not much else to add, this opening speaks for itself and should hook most people.

Verdict: Cool

Sincerely,
Theodore Moracht