Nicole Mabry and Steph Mullin (Adult Thriller)
Author: Nicole Mabry (@NicoleAMabry) and Steph Mullin (@Steph_Mullin)
Age Range: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Thriller
Editor: Tilda McDonald, Avon Books/HarperCollins
(Query101 note: this query was sent directly to an editor after a like in a pitch contest)
The Query Letter:
Dear ____,
We are writing to you in the hopes that you will consider representing The Family Tree, our co-authored 89,000-word contemporary thriller. The Family Tree is both a suspenseful “ripped-from-the-headlines” story as well as a moving, and sometimes humorous, picture of the intricacies of family and self-identity. It touches upon the popularity of genealogy testing and the effect that its evolution has had on crime investigations. Perfect for fans of the podcast My Favorite Murder, The Family Tree is MY LOVELY WIFE meets THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS. Based on your request for serial killers, we think this would be a great fit for you. Per your request, we have included XXXXXXXX.
The Family Tree features a unique format where chapters alternate between present day with our protagonist, Liz Catalano, and short chapters diving into a mysterious active serial killer’s routine with his victims over a 40-year period. In the end, both timelines converge to reveal the killer’s identity, motives, and his relationship to Liz.
27-year-old Liz receives a 23andMe DNA kit for her birthday, only to discover upon receiving its results that she is adopted. Alongside her cousin and best friend, Andie Catalano, Liz embarks on a journey to discover the truth about where she came from. After loading her ancestry results into GEDMatch to find more biological relatives, the FBI shows up on her doorstep. Liz’s DNA profile reveals a familial match to an active serial killer who has been abducting pairs of young women over a 40-year period, holding them captive, and then murdering them and discarding their bodies across several states, earning him the moniker The Tri-State Killer.
After Liz begins developing a relationship with her grand uncle, the only biological relative who responded to her requests to connect, the FBI returns and declares him their prime suspect. Liz is torn. Is the kind man she’s gotten to know capable of such heinous crimes? Is she willing to give up her only known biological family because of these accusations? Knowing that two young women are still missing, Liz is determined to find out the truth. As the FBI combs through her family tree, Liz searches for other possible suspects to take the spotlight off her grand uncle, desperate to protect this new relationship. But in doing so, she could be walking right into the killer’s trap. In the end, our two timelines unite as Liz discovers the truth about The Tri-State Killer and his connection to her family.
Nicole Mabry is a Mexican American photographer and writer who works at a television network by day and writes novels at night. Her debut novel, Past This Point, was published in September 2019 and has won several awards, including Best Book of the Year on Indies Today and has been shortlisted for the Chanticleer International Global Book Awards for High Stakes Suspense. Steph Mullin works as a Creative Director for a Digital Marketing Solutions Company. This is her debut novel.
Thank you for your time and consideration of our novel, The Family Tree.
Best,
Steph Mullin and Nicole Mabry
BONUS: BUY THIS BOOK!
It comes out June 10th, 2021 in the UK, and October 5th, 2021 in the US!