[QCrit] WHEN THE SHOAL SINKS, Adult Contemporary Mystery, 102K words (1st Attempt)

Hi, PubTips Community. This isn't my first attempt at this query, but it's the first attempt I'm posting here. Looking for constructive criticism that might help me strengthen this. Much appreciated!

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Dear [AGENT],

Bounty hunter Chuck Wells has tracked fugitives from the Texas panhandle to the Rio Grande, but he’s never chased his wife before.

She’s been missing for days, but he’s not concerned… yet. Jenna’s passionate. Impulsive. She’s run off twice after knock-down, drag-out rows, and their latest fight was downright biblical. She’ll crawl back once she’s cooled her heels. At least, that’s what he told the missing persons detective who came sniffing around.

Of course, Chuck failed to mention Jenna’s been swilling tequila like water or that she ditched her depression meds. Truth is, Chuck’s starting to worry, and with Jenna’s folks joining the chorus of concerned voices, he realizes he’s got to find her.

Which he does: dead, on the banks of the Colorado river.

Chuck knows how it looks, especially given his checkered past. The entire town of Cedar Shoals still blames him for the tragic death of his high school sweetheart, so when the cops raid Chuck’s home and find evidence of Jenna’s murder, everyone’s pitchforks are already sharp.

But no one else notices Jenna’s final middle finger, her spectral wink from beyond the grave: evidence that she killed herself while seamlessly framing Chuck for murder.

How do you beat a murder rap from someone willing to commit suicide to frame you? Chuck doesn’t know, but one thing’s for sure: he can’t let the truth of his past come out, because that would only further convince everyone he’s guilty as sin.

WHEN THE SHOAL SINKS is an adult contemporary mystery, complete at 102,000 words. Set amidst the rich backdrop of central Texas (both Austin and the fictional town of Cedar Shoals), the novel features an inverted Gone Girl plot that combines the small-town malice of S. A. Cosby’s All the Sinners Bleed and the noir Lone Star aesthetic of Attica Locke’s Bluebird, Bluebird.

[BIO]

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

[NAME]