The opening line of a book is extremely important, as it has to be intriguing and powerful enough to capture the reader's imagination. Then, the second line has to intensify the intrigue. Coming up with these lines can be pretty difficult, yet one writer came up with a second line that would almost always heighten the intrigue to its peak, and the Internet is going crazy.
"And then the murders began" - that's the clever line Marc Laidlaw came up with. Add it to almost any opening line and you've got yourself a hell of an intriguing book opening. Now people are tweeting famous first lines of books followed by Marc's second line, with the hashtag #LaidlawsRule. The results are absolutely hilarious! See for yourselves below, and feel free to add your own intriguing openings to the list.
(h/t)
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#361
FOR SALE, BABY SHOES, NEVER WORN.
And then the murders began
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#362
A certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse, and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her, that at length the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together. And then the murders began. (Cat and Mouse in Partnership, The Brothers Grimm
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#363
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, and then the murders began.
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#364
If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. And then the murders began.
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#365
Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind... and then the murders began. (Don Quixote, 1605)
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#366
In a certain village in La Mancha, which I do not wish to name, there lived not long ago a gentleman—one of those who have always a lance in the rack, an ancient shield, a lean hack and a greyhound for coursing." And then the murders began. - Don Quixote
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#367
Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were. And then the murders began.
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#368
Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it: and then the murders began - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
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#369
If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. And then the murders began. --A series of unfortunate events
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#370
Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o'clock at night. It was remarked that the clock began to strike, and I began to cry, simultaneously.And then the murders began. - David Copperfield
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#371
Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a bad day. And then the murders began.
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#372
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. And then the murders began...
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#373
With a grin of purest delight, Elora Danan summoned fire. And then the murders began.
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#374
In the great green room
There was a telephone
And a red balloon
And a picture ofThe
cow jumping over the moon
And there were three little bears sitting on chairs
And two little kittens
And a pair of mittens
And a little toy house
And a young mouse
And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush
And a quiet old lady who was whispering “hush”
AND THEN THE MURDERS BEGAN
There was a telephone
And a red balloon
And a picture ofThe
cow jumping over the moon
And there were three little bears sitting on chairs
And two little kittens
And a pair of mittens
And a little toy house
And a young mouse
And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush
And a quiet old lady who was whispering “hush”
AND THEN THE MURDERS BEGAN
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#375
When Mrs. Frederick C. Little's second son arrived, everybody noticed that he was not much bigger than a mouse. The truth of the matter was, the baby looked very much like a mouse in every way. He was only about two inches high; and he had a mouse's sharp nose, a mouse's tail, a mouse's whiskers, and the pleasant, shy manner of a mouse. AND THEN THE MURDERS BEGAN (Stuart Little by E.B. White, 1945)
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#376
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. And then the murders began.
(The Night Before Christmas, Clement Clarke Moore)
(The Night Before Christmas, Clement Clarke Moore)
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#377
Here's how it is: Earth got used up, so we terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths, some rich and flush with new technologies, some not so much. And then the murders began.
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#378
Four-score and seven years ago, our forefathers brought forth on this continent a new nation. And then the murders began. (Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln)
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#379
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. And then the murders began. (Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen)
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#380
At Winterfell they had called her "Arya Horseface" and she'd thought nothing could be worse, but that was before the orphan boy Lommy Greenhands had named her "Lumpyhead." And then the murders began. (A Clash of Kings, G.R.R. Martin)
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