First Line Friday (12): Friday the Sixteenth by Peter Coombs

First Line Friday is a bookish tag hosted over at Abstract Books that is used to showcase your favourite first lines of books.

There really is something to be said about a good first line, and I'm going to be using this tag from now on to showcase my current read's first lines.

This week my current read, and spotlight for First Line Friday is Friday the Sixteenth by Peter Coombs. I think this is a perfect time to post this book as my First Line Friday, because it's currently Friday the 13th. Posting about Friday the Sixteenth on Friday the Thirteenth just feels fitting to me.

Goodreads Synopsis

He stumbled across a web of lies. His conscience wouldn't let him walk away.

Andrew Packford, newly established as an antiques dealer, is enjoying life very much. He has a career that suits his laid back nature, a passion for antiques and business is booming.

Then, as is often the case, fate comes calling. While restoring an item of furniture he finds an old newspaper article together with a photograph of four people. Two men two women. He has no idea just how much these four strangers will change his life.

One of them kills people.

One of them turns a blind eye.

The other two might just be Andrew’s salvation.

The discovery opens a Pandora’s box and while a lesser man might have walked away, that is not his way. If he didn’t stand up for what he thought was right who would? Friday the Sixteenth is a gripping read with a memorable character at its heart.

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"Friday the sixteenth. Two days before Sunday the eighteenth. He didn’t know it yet, but it would all start on Sunday and his life would never be the same again."

I love this as a first line. I think it's very effective at building suspense. Although at the time of writing this I'm only about 20% of the way through, this first line was successful at grabbing my attention.