You've Got Five Pages, When the Shooting Starts by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, 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!  At last, I have done it! I have read a western. I was expecting something a bit saccharine, a bit melodramatic, and much to my delighted surprise, I got neither of those things. The first five pages of When the Shooting Starts by William W. and J.A. Johnstone don't coddle us readers with updates on the previous three books; instead, we're thrust into a conversation between the protagonist Smoke Jensen and an old acquaintance named Rowdy. Both were gunmen for hire in the past, but these days Smoke has settled into a domestic life as a rancher and family man, while Rowdy is eager for work. The fifth page ends with readers learning that another man named Louis, who also has shares some old shadows with these men, has settled in the town, and Rowdy don't much care for that. I will be the first to admit that as a writer, these first pages are a lovely example of bringing a reader up to speed without any exposition dumps. Because Rowdy knows Smoke from his previous life, it's expected of Rowdy to ask Smoke questions about what's been going on the past few years. Smoke succinctly answers them, never diving into much detail, but giving just enough so readers understand what Smoke is like and why. The dialogue never drags, nor is any single event ever dwelt on. This keeps the scene moving crisply along without making readers feel like *this* story's been put on pause for a recap. If I had one niggle, it's the protagonist Smoke making a couple of choices that, as a gunman, seem obviously foolish but necessary for the sake of plot. For a former gunman who would need to read people very quickly for the sake of staying alive, he has some very obtuse moments with Rowdy that I can only assume will ensure this story's plot gets moving. What will you, fellow creative, learn in the first five pages? Let's find out!