Laidlaw's Rule

I'm a little late coming to this topic, but I'm going to go with it, anyhow.

"Laidlaw's Rule" is named for an author named Marc Laidlaw who recently hypothesized that even the most boring, difficult-to-get-into book could be improved by adding the following text to the book as the second sentence: And then the murders began.

This is actually pretty interesting, and it seems to work for books of all types ...

The Bible: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And then the murders began."

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien: "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. And then the murders began."

The Godfather, by Mario Puzo: "Amerigo Bonasera sat in New York Criminal Court Number Three and waited for justice. And then the murders began."*

The Cat in the Hat, by Dr Seuss: "The sun did not shine. And then the murders began."

The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara: "He rode into the dark of the woods and dismounted. And then the murders began."

A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin: "'We should start back,' Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them. And then the murders began."

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood: "We slept in what had once been the gymnasium. And then the murders began."

So, what do you think, Dear Readers? What book do you think would start with a bigger bang if Laidlaw's Rule is applied? Leave a comment.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow, when we announce the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for May.

Bilbo

* Well, actually, they did ... and quite a few of them.