You've Got Five Pages, Red Warning by Matthew Quirk, to Tell Me You're Good.

The first chapter can make or break a reader's engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook those picky readers, so let's study the stories of others to see how they do it! The first chapter of Red Warning by Matthew Quirk was a most unique experience. The book starts with one of the biggest tropes one can have with a thriller. ("How do you know we can trust him?" "I don't." Dunh dunh DUNH!) This set me giggling which, perhaps, isn't how one typically reads a thriller. Yet as I went on, I felt like I was reading something from a Cannon 1980s schlocky action film, and that quickly warmed my heart to this story. The dialogue and action all sound perfect for a B film, so if you are a fan of the older, low-budget films, this may be just the book for you! As a writer, though, I struggled with one major aspect of this chapter. In the first few pages of the story, we're told the main protagonist spy is looking for another spy who also kills bankers and intelligence sources. The protagonist isn't *supposed* to do anything, so he's done playing by the rules (dunh dunh DUNH!) and has gone rogue to find the baddie.  This is all said in the first three pages. Considering the motivation for the protagonist to go rogue is the murder spree, I find it odd we as readers don't get to see the protagonist affected by the murder spree or see him make the decision to go rogue. It's as if the story is starting slightly *after* the real beginning, and because we still need that context, the information is thrown at us in exposition. This just makes those murders feel less important than I'm sure they are. And what will you, fellow creative, learn in the first five pages? Let's find out!