First Lines Fridays: 2nd October 2026

Books: First Lines Fridays 2nd October 2026

Ready for another First Lines Friday? It's that time of the week when we judge a book not by it's cover or even by it's blurb. Instead we will be judging it's ability to hook us from the opening lines. Let's see if this week's pick will have you adding it to your TBR list or not.

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I'm participating in First Lines Fridays as I think it's a great way to highlight more of the books that are on my bookshelves.

What is First Lines Fridays?

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

My Pick For This Week

The first lines of the book:

A lone figure stood outside the bravura summerhouse as Lukasz steered his boat out into the dark waters of the Atlantic. Up late, he thought, finishing his day – not like himself who was up early about to start his. It was just after six. Lukasz loved this time of morning, the quiet of Castle Cove, the small, scenic fishing village sleeping soundly as the sea lapped gently around its shores. In a few hours the pier would be bustling with locals and tourists savouring its beauty but, for now, it was all his to enjoy. He noticed a second figure as he cruised past the house, hands gesturing excitedly, harsh words floating in the air. A fight, he assumed, or a drunken argument.

Do you know which book this is from? Scroll down to find out!

And the book is...

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CW3S14TF
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Poolbeg Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 1, 2024
Print length ‏ : ‎ 340 pages

Book synopsis The World's End by Karen Fitzgibbon

Five people sail to a nearby island.

Only four return.

On a warm weekend in May, Grace Doran and her friend Sarah travel to Castle Cove to stay in a luxurious summerhouse known as The World’s End. After a night of partying and temptation, they hire a boat and sail to a nearby island.

Grace never comes back.

One year later, private investigator Lana Bowen arrives in Castle Cove determined to uncover what really happened that night. Haunted by a traumatic event in her past, Lana begins to dig into the secrets surrounding Grace’s disappearance.

But the deeper she investigates, the clearer it becomes that someone in Castle Cove knows exactly what happened on that island.

And they will do anything to keep it buried.

Because some secrets are worth killing for.

The World's End is the gripping first book in The Lana Bowen Mysteries, perfect for readers of Patricia Gibney, Andrea Mara and Angela Marsons.

Books in the Lana Bowen Mysteries

Book 1 — The World's End

Book 2 — Never Look Back

Book 3 — Tell the Truth