Here is a list of the top 20 opening chapters I have discovered. If you find more challenging openings, please let me know. I would love to see them. Obviously, there are many good books with interesting and well written first chapters. We are looking for the most compelling opening chapters in thrillers for this exercise, however a couple books are selected from a different genre. Go to amazon.com and read those first chapters.
Here they are:
The Water's Edge by Karin Fossum
Hardball by Sara Paretsky
The Unquiet by John Connally
The Listener by Shira Nayman (no killing, just great suspense)
The Watchlist by Jeffrey Deaver
The 5th Victim by Jeffrey Deaver
Last Girl Dancing by Holly Lisle
Tonight You're Mine by Carlene Thompson
Homicidal Intent by Vivian Churn
Hit & Run by Casey Moreton
The Confessor by Daniel Silva
The Guesser by John Connally
The Hard Way by Lee Child
The 9th Judgment by James Patterson
Double Take by Catherine Coutler
The Inquisitor by Peter Clement
The Escape by Dr. Marcel Crespil
Jar City by Arnadul Indridson
Skinny Dip by Carl Hiassen
The Shack by William P. Young
