February 12th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

Welcome to this week's Book Beginnings and Friday 56.

This week, I'm working on an ARC of Fogged Inn, the fourth Maine Clam Bake Mystery by Barbara Ross.

I'm completely enjoying it, which is no surprise since I've enjoyed the first three in the series.

And I can't complain about a slow start.  Here's how it begins.

"Jule-Ya!  There's a dead guy in the walk-in."

See what I mean?  The first sentence, and already the body has been found.

Page 56 finds Julia, our main character, talking to two male police officers about the night before and the four couples that came into the restaurant she's running.

"You're sure about that?" Binder said when I relayed this.  "They deliberately sat far away from one another?"
"They did.  What I'm not sure about is why they did it.  I didn't think much about it at the time.  I thought it was an example of the bus seat rule."
"The bus seat rule?" Flynn pulled his head up from his notes.
"From high school chemistry.  Electrons fill up all the empty orbits around the nucleus before they start pairing up.  Just like when you get on a bus, you head for an empty row, if there is one, before you take a seat with another passenger."
The cops still looked puzzled, so I tried again.  "You know, it's like when guys line up at urinals-"
"Got it." Binder cut me off.
"Or so I'm told," I added.

Yes, a bit longer 56 from me this week, but I found that section pretty funny, so I had to share it.

Have a wonderful weekend.