Query Letter: The Art of the Decoy: Crime Meets Antiques

Trish Esden is a multi-talented person who splits her time between writing engaging mysteries and selling antiques. So it's not surprising that her Scandal Mountain Antiques series would center on an antique dealer turned sleuth. The first in the series, The Art of the Decoy, is high on my TBR pile. I recently bought a copy for the top antique lover in my life, who raved about it. You can pick up a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Decoy-Scandal-Mountain-Antiques-Mystery-ebook/dp/B098PXZNDF

Trish was kind enough to share her succesful query for The Art of the Decoy:

Art of the Decoy (A Scandal Mountain Antique Novel) is an 83,000-word mystery featuring a crafty antique dealer, similar to the main character in the BBC’s classic Lovejoy. It will appeal to readers who enjoy the rural settings, quirky characters, and slightly dark tone of Louise Penny’s novels, or an insider’s view of a profession like in B.A. Shapiro’s The Art Forger.

It should have been a simple appraisal. If it weren’t for the thief.

After her mother is sent to prison for art forgery, Edie Brown returns to Northern Vermont to rebuild her family’s fine art and antiques business. She’s certain she can do it now that her mother’s gone. After all, butting heads with her mom over bad business practices was what drove Edie away three years ago, including a screwup that landed Edie on probation for selling stolen property.

When Edie scores a job appraising a waterfowl decoy collection at a hoarder’s farmhouse, she’s determined to take advantage of the situation to rebuild the business’s tarnished reputation and dwindling coffers. In lieu of payment, Edie intends to cherry-pick an exceptional decoy carved by the client’s renowned Quebecoise folk artist ancestors. Only the tables turn when the collection vanishes.

Accused of the theft, Edie’s terrified that the fallout will destroy the business and land her in prison next to her mom. She convinces the client to give her five days to find and return the decoys before calling the authorities. Desperate, she digs into the underbelly of the local antiques and art world. When Edie uncovers a possible link between the decoy theft and a deadly robbery at a Quebec museum, she longs to ask her ex-probation officer, and ex-lover, for help. But she suspects his recent interest in rekindling their romance may hide a darker motive.

With the help of her eccentric uncle Tuck and Kala, their enigmatic new employee, Edie must risk all she holds dear to expose the thieves and recover the decoys before the FBI’s Art Crime Team or the ruthless thieves themselves catch up with her.

I’ve been an antique dealer since my teens. I’m the author of two contemporary fantasy series with Kensington Publishing. DARK HEART( Kensington Books, 2016-2017) and NORTHERN CIRCLE COVEN (Lyrical Press, 2018-2020). I’m also a member of Sisters in Crime, RWA, and on the board of directors of the League of Vermont Writers.

I’m seeking new representation after my agent left the industry (XXX agent, at XXX agency).

Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing back from you,

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