And now, opening lines from the remaining seven books in the anthology:

From Thank You For Your Cooperation by Johanna Beate Stumpf: Marsha glanced at the timestamp in the corner of the screen. It was exactly eight twenty-two and forty seconds. The surveillance program switched the camera angle on the big screen. She let her eyes slide over the small screens to her right. Everything was quiet.

From Last Thoughts by William Kamowski: The resemblance was almost too fitting. Much alike in many ways, the three girls were likewise subtle, silent in their agreement to shape their deaths as he had suggested. None had said, “I’ll do it now.” They simply followed his scripts into their last thoughts.

From A Sure Thing by C.C. Guthrie: The job offer came as another late season storm took aim at winter-weary Buffalo. Faced with the prospect of more snow, Rocco Sakarian only had one question for the caller: “Where’s the hit?”

From The Sweetheart Scamster by Rosemary McCracken: “Mrs. Sullivan is here for her appointment,” Rose Sisto, my administrative assistant, announced at my office door. I looked up from the papers I was studying as Trudy Sullivan slipped into the chair across from my desk.  

From Better Dead than Redhead by Lisa Lieberman: I leaned over the body. “Nobody kills herself over a bad hairstyle.” “
You didn’t know Mimi Courvoisier.”

From Sucker Punch by V.S. Kemanis: The telltale gleam in Zach’s eye gives him away. “I’ve got an idea.”

From Plan D by Judy Penz Sheluk: Jenny wasn’t sure when she first got the idea. Maybe it was the big ice storm back in the winter of 2012. One day there were icicles hanging from the eaves, glistening in the pale moonlit night like giant teardrops. The next day, as the temperature soared and the sun shone, the icicles had slowly melted, drip by drip, until they had vanished without a trace.

The Best Laid Plans is now available on Kindle or trade paperback at your favorite bookseller, including Chapters.Indigo and Barnes & Noble 

Missed the first posts in this series? Find Part I here and Part II here.