Title: Coded For Murder
Age and Genre: Adult,
Thriller/Mystery
Word Count: 70 000
Query:
The leaders of a tech
startup are serially tortured, poisoned and bludgeoned to death, propelling a
scarred detective into a three-day chase among Montréal’s cafés, hipsters, and
geeks to stop a killer from striking again.
Three years after the
death of his wife and son (for which he is partly responsible), Chief Inspector
Derek JAMES of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal has
accepted his physical and emotional scars and lives for the thrill of his next
case. But the investigation is complicated by his boss trying to kill him, and
the need to protect the twelve-year-old psychiatric patient who witnessed the
murder. Plus, the startup’s CEO won’t let anything get in the way of her
selling the company. With two more attacks occurring within twenty-four hours,
James must race to the finish to catch the murderer.
First 250 Words
CHAPTER ONE
April 2, 6:50 am
“Strung up by the river?
Without a face?”
Chief Inspector Derek
James of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal tucked his cold
hands into his pockets and looked up. A rope looped over the middle branch of
an oak in the urban beach park. Above him hung a body with an exposed skull,
framed by sparse hair on top, ears on either side, and a wrinkly neck puckered
in a noose. The face was stripped to the bone with eroded teeth set in a
perpetual grin as if the skull were enjoying a joke at everyone’s expense.
James’s gut tightened, but
he stilled the reaction in an instant, regaining his calm.
“I’m sure we’re thinking
the same thing, Derek.” Forensic Pathologist John Seymour exercised
professional restraint, but his eyes were bright and keen. “What could this
poor guy have done to deserve this?”
James took his time
responding. Dawn cast a blue light on the water and snow. A damp cold sank
through his coat and into his bones. It was amazing how the usually peaceful
beach park took on a menacing air: the St. Lawrence River choppier than usual,
swirls of sand and snow rolling like tumbleweeds, the sky heavy and low. But a
children’s playground lay behind the hanging body, and its red swings, bright
yellow slide, and empty wading pool anchored the mind in a comforting reality.
“What can you tell me, Doctor?”
*****
Participants do not comment on other entrants' posts, only your
own. You can bribe, coax, share, tweet, and do whatever to your entry, but you
cannot comment on anyone else's.
The Judges
&
Me!
Visitors welcome!
Please comment as to whether this pitch piques your interest and what feedback you have about making it stronger.
Your assessments will be appreciated by the participants.
