How to Start a Thriller: A Writer’s Dilemma

In my Special Projects Unit series, I’ve learned one truth the hard way: the beginning of a book can make or break the experience. Readers decide quickly whether they’re in for the ride—or stepping off at the next page.

My first book was a long journey. I started writing it in 2001 and didn’t finish until 2017. During that time, I worked in fragments—chapters here, sections there—without fully knowing how all the pieces would eventually fit. One week I’d be writing a historical flashback with brand-new characters. The next, I’d jump to a present-day scene and move the main plot forward. I assumed the story would eventually weave together—and it did—but what I didn’t realize was just how crucial Chapter One would be to the book’s success.

It turns out, you can have a gripping final act and thrilling plot twists, but if the opening chapter doesn’t hook the reader, none of that will ever be discovered.

So here’s the question I keep coming back to—both as a writer and a reader:

👉 How should a thriller begin?

Do we throw the main characters into immediate danger in the present day—action first, questions later?

Or do we open with a historical event, something instantly familiar and high-stakes (like WWII, the Cold War, or the Civil War), giving the reader a sense of depth and mystery from the start?

I’d love to hear what fellow thriller fans think. What kind of opening grabs you and refuses to let go?

Thanks for reading—and for sharing your thoughts.