The Second Law

The story starts with a description of the scenery. Some trees. Firs. A blackbird hopping from one branch onto the next and back again. The clouds and the effect they have on the lighting. How the rain fell on the dried out earth and the view over the lake. All done in an esthetical pleasing manner, masterly creating a perfect sense of forlorn lives and isolation. But all this was more than made up for in the second chapter with the murder of Mary Barrett.