Welcome to Friday 56! Hosted by Freda’s Voice, you turn to page 56 or 56% in any book or reading device and pick a sentence that grabs you.

‘This isn’t some stranger, and I would guess you know it.’

‘I would have thought you’d prefer it to be a stranger.’

Vickery sighed, lit a cigarette, put his hand around the sign post protectively. ‘Hell, of course I would,’ he said. ‘But I’m not too dumb myself. Ain’t worked no homicide before, but I ain’t a goddam idiot.’

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

By page 56 of the book, we know that Camille Preaker is a reporter who grew up in Wind Gap, but has since moved to Chicago. A set of murders of young girls has peaked the interest of Camille’s boss, who sends her back to her old town to get the story. It’s a place of about 2,000 residents, the biggest employer there a hog farm and butchery, owned by Camille’s family. With such a small town population, it would be best of course if the murderer was a stranger. Even the police know that this is unlikely.

By this point we know there are a few suspects and that Camille’s family is a bit f***ed up. The tag line for the book is “This family isn’t nuclear. It’s toxic.” That sums is up pretty nicely. As Camille puts it, the people that live there are “old money and trash” and “[she is] trash. From old money.” Camille, a cutter with a dark past is returning to the one place that she had never wanted to go again. Old memories are dredged up, many of which are about her dead sister, who died decades ago.

At page 56 I’m already hooked and can’t wait to read on.