(popwatch.ew.com, Dec. 1, Tina Jordan)

It’s time for another installment of our regular PopWatch feature, “Starting Lines.” If this is your first time at the rodeo, fret not, for the game is a simple one. We bring you the opening sentences of three new book releases; you rate them via our highly futuristic poll technology. This week’s contenders have a thematic link; each one features an animal in the intro:

* It was the last thing he needed or wanted, a dead ape at the end of his shift, but there it was—a corpse with bad timing. —from The King of Swords, by Nick Stone

* “Boys and girls, Howls ‘n Growls proudly presents, direct from a sold-out month at Hollywood’s Rin-Tin-Tin-Pan Alley, put your paws together and give a real…welcome to Gracie!” —from Howl: A Collection of the Best Contemporary Dog Wit, from the editors of Bark magazine

* Oh, no. I’ve killed the chicken. —from Babylonne, by  Catherine Jinks