I haven't read Sylvia and Bruno, but I have read a scene from it in another book and used that scene as inspiration for my opening line.

It was very useful knowing that the titular characters were the fairies; that allowed me to dispense out of hand with any opening that described them as human. Stan's hedgehog still fooled me, though.

The book I select is "Whip Hand", by Dick Francis. It's a detective story, set in about 1980 (i.e. about when it was published); the detective and protagonist, Sid Halley, is a former jockey turned investigator who has an artificial, myoelectric left hand. There are three cleverly interweaved plots; three cases given to Sid, those only common factor is that Sid is asked to investigate both (these being a trainer's wife convinced that their prize horse, Tri-Nitro, will be sabotaged, a missing person hunt for a con-man who framed Sid's ex-wife for conning hundreds of people out of money, and a request to investigate a high-tanking member of the Security Service for possible corruption. Sid just can't seem to say "no").

Submitted mine.

Submitted mine, too.



I liked that one but didn't vote for it because I didn't think that Victorians had sidewalks (or if they did, they called them something else).

Here we go: which of the following openings is the correct opening for Whip Hand?

1. I hate horses. Especially when they're losing. But I wasn't back at the track today for pleasure.

2. I took the battery out of my hand and fed it into the recharger, and only realized I'd done it when ten seconds later the fingers wouldn't work.

3. It started, as it always does, with a woman.

4. It wasn't a smooth transition from racing to investigating. But you still usually end up with s*** on the track.

5. She burst into my office, catching me with my pants down. It's not what you think: my tailor was fitting me for a new suit at the time. It's hard to buy suits off the rack when you have to stand on a box to reach the rack. Now, I'm no clothes horse: my old silks simply don't cut it anymore for this line of work. Not unless I wanted to disguise myself as a lawn ornament, anyway. Some people think I'm too short to be a shamus, but that just makes it easier for me to stick my nose into their private affairs.

Sent. I don't know if we're guessing each other's this round, but I included guesses for each entry.

And the votes are in, ladies and gentlemen!

Inspiration must have been inspired; she has the highest score this round, with three points, two on her own and one as a free gift from another dasher. Kitoba not only guessed the story correctly, but also told me correctly who had written each opening, for a grand total of two points; Stan's points equal the number of his choice, which was correct. Llefser alone earns no points for this round; the g was fooled by the teacup.

And, without further ado, here's the list of openings with names and commentary attached:

1. I hate horses. Especially when they're losing. But I wasn't back at the track today for pleasure. - Kitoba. Badly out of character, I'm afraid; Sid Halley loves horses, and only stopped being a jockey for medical reasons (a horse stood on his left hand after a fall). He still rides any time he can get a chance, but can't do so competitively without a whip.

2. I took the battery out of my hand and fed it into the recharger, and only realized I'd done it when ten seconds later the fingers wouldn't work. - The correct opening. I'd hoped that no-one would get it, and three of you did. No three-point bonus for me.

3. It started, as it always does, with a woman. - Inspiration. Not the correct opening, but the first person aside from Sid to enter the story was a woman, and she did give him a case (the "trainer's wife" mentioned in the summary). The story could well have opened like this, and Llefser agreed.

4. It wasn't a smooth transition from racing to investigating. But you still usually end up with s*** on the track. - Stan Cold. Do horses defecate when moving at full speed? I'd imagine they'd slow down to do it, usually, but I'm not sure.

5. She burst into my office, catching me with my pants down. It's not what you think: my tailor was fitting me for a new suit at the time. It's hard to buy suits off the rack when you have to stand on a box to reach the rack. Now, I'm no clothes horse: my old silks simply don't cut it anymore for this line of work. Not unless I wanted to disguise myself as a lawn ornament, anyway. Some people think I'm too short to be a shamus, but that just makes it easier for me to stick my nose into their private affairs. - Llefser. Nice and long, I was hoping that would trip some people up, but unfortunately it was not to be.

So; the total scores at the end of round three are:

Stan Cold: 10.5
Llefser: 9.5
Insp: 6.5
CCC: 4
Kitoba: 2

Inspiration leaps up to a solid third place; Stan charges past Llefser into first; and Kitoba leaves the starting blocks; Llefser and I just stand still and ask what all the rush is.

And next up: it is Stan Cold! Select a book, Stan... any book...

Well, it certainly wouldn't be the first time THAT has happened.

Alright. My book is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, a story of Lincoln's life of death and bloodshed as he vows to kill every vampire in America. It was in the humor section, but it has such rich storyline, amazing imagery, bone-chilling dialog and compelling drama, it should be reassigned. It's possibly the best book I've read, and after this round, I recommend you read it.

I'm not going to be able to get my entry in before Monday.

I just know my fellow posters too well. #5 was my favorite entry. It had a great voice, sounded appropriately hard-boiled and altogether sounded like a book I would love to read. But it just screamed LLefser.

#3 was minimalist, classic, genre-savvy and intriguing. It had to be insp. #1 was mine, and only Stan would put the s*** right there on the track for 4! So 2 was the answer, although I wouldn't have otherwise chosen it.

I've sent my entry for this round --let's hope I pull in some suckers this time!

Well, Sid's voice is nothing like the one Llefser provided, but I can heartily recommend Whip Hand in any case.

That's a good thing about this thread - everyone's book recommendations.

Sorry about the delay, everybody.





ETA this round is making Sam a little nervous.

1. A man born in a log cabin and raised to split rails is a man intimately acquainted in the use and in the making of sharpened wooden stakes.

2.The train shuddered as it pulled into Gettysburg station. Inside the last car, Abraham Lincoln was still working to piece together a speech to honor those killed during the recent battle. But none of the fifteen thousand people who would attend the speech was aware that Lincoln was engaged in another battle of his own --one far darker and stranger than most could imagine.

3. I put on my best suit that day. The one with the silk cravat, top hat, and three concealed wooden stakes.

4. It should be darker. Stephen Douglas frowned as he poured the brandy. It should be pitch-black night. Rain should be lashing the windows. An owl should be mournfully hooting outside. Three o'clock on a sunny June afternoon hardly set the proper tone for a meeting of such importance.

Still enough, he scolded himself. Atmosphere was a crutch. This was the vital test. "It is well known," he said, putting on a casual tone, "that I am called Little Giant." He took a bracing sip of brandy. "The name is truer than you think!"

He whirled around dramatically and came face to face with a man's hindquarters.

"I say," grunted Abraham Lincoln, bent double at the waist, "someone has dropped a half-cent piece on your carpet."

5. The boy had been crouched so long that his legs had fallen asleep beneath him- but he dared not move.

OH! You may also guess who wrote each one. Half point for each right.

1. A man born in a log cabin and raised to split rails is a man intimately acquainted in the use and in the making of sharpened wooden stakes. -Llefser. Guessed by CCC. Picked correctly by inspiration.

2.The train shuddered as it pulled into Gettysburg station. Inside the last car, Abraham Lincoln was still working to piece together a speech to honor those killed during the recent battle. But none of the fifteen thousand people who would attend the speech was aware that Lincoln was engaged in another battle of his own --one far darker and stranger than most could imagine. -kitoba. Picked correctly by CCC and Llefser.

3. I put on my best suit that day. The one with the silk cravat, top hat, and three concealed wooden stakes. -CCC.

4. It should be darker. Stephen Douglas frowned as he poured the brandy. It should be pitch-black night. Rain should be lashing the windows. An owl should be mournfully hooting outside. Three o'clock on a sunny June afternoon hardly set the proper tone for a meeting of such importance.

Still enough, he scolded himself. Atmosphere was a crutch. This was the vital test. "It is well known," he said, putting on a casual tone, "that I am called Little Giant." He took a bracing sip of brandy. "The name is truer than you think!"

He whirled around dramatically and came face to face with a man's hindquarters.

"I say," grunted Abraham Lincoln, bent double at the waist, "someone has dropped a half-cent piece on your carpet." -inspiration. Guessed by Llefser.

5. The boy had been crouched so long that his legs had fallen asleep beneath him- but he dared not move. -Right one. Guessed by kitoba and inspiration.

Llefser: 11
Stan Cold: 10.5
Insp: 10
CCC: 4.5
Kitoba: 4

So now it's for Llefser, I believe.