BOOKCASE – The Unwanted Dead by Chris Lloyd

In this series, we invite our Crime Cymru authors to showcase an excerpt from one of their books. This week, Chris Lloyd introduces us to the grime and fear of Occupied Paris.

The extract below is from Chapter One, Page One of my new book, The Unwanted Dead, published on 17 September.

For me, the opening few lines and the first chapter are among the most important parts of a book. They set out your stall, they’re there to intrigue, and they’re often what makes a reader decide to carry on reading. That’s why it’s one of the toughest bits for me as a writer to be satisfied with. It’s also why it’s usually one of the last parts of the book that I write.

When I start the story, I don’t always know what the first chapter has to do or say. I often – but not always…