[QCrit] THE HELMSMEN / Adult Crime Thriller / 95k Words / First Attempt

Hello everyone! I would really appreciate any advice you have on this query letter for my adult crime/thriller, The Helmsmen. Thank you very much for your help in advance!

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Betrayed by the country he swore to serve and left for dead by the man he loved, ex-MI5 agent Joseph Sabian has resurfaced to exact revenge. Now, he has the backing of the Helmsmen—a secret cabal embedded in the British government, intelligence services, and corporate elite. Determined to expose and eliminate those responsible for his downfall, Sabian plans to exploit the cabal’s terrorist attacks to further his own agenda.

When the first coordinated explosions strike petrol stations across central London, they draw the attention of DI Charlie Paxton, who recognizes the signature of an enemy he thought he’d dismantled fifteen years ago. Still haunted by the assassination that killed his wife instead of him, Paxton must now stop a wave of imminent attacks that threaten to cripple airports, flood parts of London, and kill thousands—attacks that suggest the enemy he thought he’d destroyed never truly disappeared.

Sabian believes he’s using the Helmsmen to exact revenge; Paxton believes he’s hunting them. Both are wrong. And as London hurtles toward disaster, Paxton uncovers evidence linking the violence, his wife’s murder, and the betrayal that destroyed Sabian’s life—forcing him to confront the possibility that the attacks are part of a conspiracy far greater than the terrorists carrying them out.