Play the Fool
by Lina ChernBantam2023Query Letter
Thank you for requesting my Pitch Wars manuscript HOT STREAK. Complete at 99,000 words, HOT STREAK is a standalone mystery with series potential.
For cynical tarot reader Katie True, a keen gut and quick wit are just tools of the trade. But when a tarot reading gone wrong reveals her sly goth friend Marley’s murder scene behind the mall where they both work, Katie’s razor-sharp instincts are put to a deadly test.
Hot on the trail of the small-time suburban mobster Marley was dating, Katie starts stacking up clues: a stolen bag of cash, an old high school yearbook, and a cheap locket that may hold the key to Marley’s murder. Jamie Roth, a soft-spoken local cop, is skeptical of Katie’s breakneck DIY sleuthing, but her oddball energy draws him in, and soon the pair can’t stay away from the case—or each other.
But the truth has deadly consequences, and Katie’s recklessness lands her in the crosshairs of the mobster’s second-rate crime crew, as well as a shadowy organization pulling strings behind the scenes. Now Katie must use her street-smarts and her inner Strength card to get all the facts to fit, or risk losing everything she’s worked for—her newfound confidence, her budding romance with Jamie, and even her life.
My crime fiction has been published by Fahrenheit Press and Mystery Weekly. Other work appears in the Marlboro Review, the Bellingham Review, Rhino, the Collagist, Black Fox Literary Magazine, and the Coil.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
About
Age Range
Adult
Genre
Mystery
Word Count
85,000
Book Link
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/711948/play-the-fool-by-lina-chern/
Agent
Joanna MacKenzie
Query Stats
Year Queried
2019
Number of Queries Sent
80
Number of Full Requests Received
17
Number of Offers of Representation
1
Number of Months Spent Querying This Novel
16 months
Years Spent Writing Before Getting an Offer
8
Number of Manuscripts Queried Before This One
0
Publication Status of The Book Queried
Published (Big 5)
Years Spent Writing Before This Book was Published
30
Note to Querying Writers:
My query letter refers to my book by one of its old names. The name was changed during the publication process. The word count in the query is also too high (again, this was whittled down during development). I connected with my agent after going through the Pitch Wars mentorship program, which is mentioned in the query letter.