Ray Kolb's Current Query

Today is Ray's current query for his mystery manuscript A PRAYER BEFORE DYING. He doesn't have a blog to link to, but if you have any questions for Ray, you can ask in the comments, and if he doesn't respond there, I'll be sure to email him.

Now, the query:

Dear Agent,

A PRAYER BEFORE DYING is the story of an ex-priest investigating the murder of the Archbishop who kicked him out of the Church.

Simon Voss has a gambling problem that has gotten him into trouble most of his life. After two years, Simon is coming out of a self-imposed exile when the Archbishop who defrocked him is murdered, the body staged like David’s The Death of Marat. Because of their rocky past, Simon is the number one suspect but the brutality and theatricality of the killing suggest someone else.

Because of his previous experience as an investigator with the military police, Simon is hired by the Church to find the Archbishop’s killer. Simon uncovers several suspects with reason to kill the Archbishop, but it becomes clear someone within the Church is the murderer. As more priests are murdered and their bodies staged like other death paintings, Simon uncovers the Archbishop’s secrets--a lover and a son, and a years-long mission to catch a killer among priests.

Finding the killer isn’t Simon’s only problem. After several violent clashes with a loan shark’s thugs over past-due gambling debts, the loan shark wants Simon dead. And with the police claiming to have evidence linking Simon to the Archbishop’s murder, Simon knows he’s being set up.

While avoiding the police and the loan shark’s thugs, Simon must catch the Archbishop's murderer or become the subject of his own death painting.

A PRAYER BEFORE DYING is a mystery complete at 95,000 words and the first novel in a projected series. I have had several short stories published, most recently [list of latest publications].

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Ray

That's it.

Please save your feedback for tomorrow, thank Ray for sharing, and let me know if you have any questions in the comments.