A selection of first sentences from new books, Jan. 15

Ted McKay was about to put a bullet through his brain when the doorbell rang.

“Kill the Next One,” a novel by Federico Axat

The box arrived on my doorstep, small and unassuming.

“A Word for Love,” a novel by Emily Robbins

It began with a spark, an electrical break like the first murmur of a weakening heart that would soon unhinge the body, until its conflagration at last consumed the whole building.

“Night of Fire,” a novel by Colin Thurbon