Not the Best Line, But the Passage Makes it Better

I like Donald Westlake's Dortmunder series of novels, that being said, his first line of his first one, The Hot Rock was somewhat less than inspiring. By itself it does little to make me want to read on, BUT I've added the entire passage. With the rest of the passage the reader gets to see some of the humor, and a bit more of the set up.

DORTMUNDER blew his nose. “Warden,” he said, “you don’t know how much I appreciate the personal attention you been paying me.” There wasn’t anything for him to do with the Kleenex, so he just held it balled up in his fist. 

Warden Outes gave him a brisk smile, got up from behind his desk, walked around to Dortmunder’s side, patted him on the arm, and said, “It’s the ones I can save that give me the most pleasure.” He was a latter-day Civil Service type—college-trained, athletic, energetic, reformistic, idealisitc, and chummy. Dortmunder hated him. 

The warden said, “I’ll walk you to the gate, Dortmunder.” 

“You don’t have to do that, Warden,” Dortmunder said. The Kleenex was cold and gooey against his palm. 

“But it will give me pleasure,” the warden said. “To see you walk out that gate, and know you’ll never slip again, you’ll never be inside these walls again, and to know I had some small part in your rehabilitation, you can’t imagine how much pleasure that will give me.” 

Dortmunder was feeling no pleasure at all. He’d sold his cell for three hundred bucks—having a hot water faucet that worked and a tunnel to the dispensary made it a bargain at the price—and the money was supposed to be passed to him on his way out. He couldn’t have taken it before then or it would have been found in the final shakedown. But how could it be delivered with the warden standing right next to him? 

He said, playing a little desperation ball, “Warden, it’s in this office that I’ve always seen you, in this office that I’ve listened to your—” 

“Come along, Dortmunder,” the warden said. “We can talk on our way to the gate.”

Westlake, Donald E - The Hot Rock