First Line Last Line Game

Over on the Kindleboards, we were playing a fun game - first line, last line. Everybody posted JUST the first line and last line of their books. (If there was a spoiler involved, like the last line was spoken by a suspect in a mystery, they XXXX'ed out the name or spoiling element.)

My first thought, on seeing the game was "oh, my stories aren't all that suited to that sort of thing" but after I went and looked, I realized it was fun. Plus we all started checking out each other's books...

So I'll start. You can post such things on your blog, or in the comments. (If you post on your blog, put a link in the comments here. If you aren't a writer, never fear, just post the first and last lines of your favorite books!)

Note, the rule is, ONE sentence. A line of dialog that's broken up by tag is okay.

For the upcoming mystery Have Gun, Will Play:

First line: The town was full of donkeys.
Last line: "No," she said. "That'll be a new one."

For the W.I.P mystery The Man Who Did Too Much:

First line: Dr. Cannon was running late.
Last line: "I'd love to."

Gee, my mysteries tend to have short first and last lines, don't they? But my other books tend to have longer starts and stops....

Let's see, for The Adventure of Anna the Great:

First line: On a September evening in 1862, I stood in front of the mirror in my cousin Celeste’s room, snipping a pair of scissors in the air.
Last line: I did not know how I was going to manage it, but one thing I knew for sure, my adventure was far from done.

And The Wife of Freedom (which has kind of a prologue/epilogue thing going):

First line: “Civilization ekes its way slowly in,” said the Baron de Boynton, Royal Governor of New Acton.
Last line: “Your servant,” he mumbled, and they each bowed curtly as he made his grateful escape.

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Shameless Self-promotion:

Right now, the last two books are only available in electronic format. You can find them at Smashwords in lots of formats, including pdf or to read online. You can also find them at Amazon for Kindle - which you can read on your computer or handheld device.

The Wife of Freedom at Smashwords, Amazon's Kindle.
The Adventure of Anna the Great at Smashwords, Amazon's Kindle.