The Case Has Altered, by Martha Grimes:
When love interest Jenny Kennington becomes the suspect for two murders outside his jurisdiction, Scotland Yard Superintendent Richard Jury convinces an eccentric amateur detective to pose as an antiques expert to gather information in series mystery THE CASE HAS ALTERED. The more details gleaned, the guiltier Jenny appears, and Jury’s mood turns as bleak as the North Sea fens where the murders occurred until a stray remark helps him solve the crimes. But victory loses its luster when Jury learns that, for Jenny, proving her innocence falls far short of his having believed her innocent all along.
[97 words]
NOTE: The above is a sample pitch, categorized by type of fiction, that I wrote for instructional purposes only. This “pitch” was written after the book was published and was never used by the author or anyone else to actually pitch a book.
© 2020 Ann Henry, all rights reserved.
6 thoughts on “British Mystery The Case Has Altered”
A recent pitch – which maybe goes against the conventional wisdom a bit – I wrote to an agent for my mystery novel: Ode to Blackwell Wren. But the proof is always in the pudding…
A body on the floor. Sapped. Bludgeoned. Over quick. The backdrop to this mystery is historical fiction: a roman á clef set in the political, social, and cultural chaos of Berkeley in the 60s. Blackwell Wren – writer, poet, confidant of Gertrude Stein and Thomas Mann, college professor – flushes his PhD diploma down the toilet, assumes his new “needle name,” Philip Sparrow, and descends into a realm of bad taste, dangerous liaisons, and sleaze: the world of tattoo. Nick Haviland, opportunistic art student, dispassionate voyeur, inveigles his way into Phil’s good graces and begins making an experimental film – art of tattoo – on skid row in Downtown Oakland under Sparrow’s tutelage. In a pool of black blood amid the disorder of his upended tattoo setup, Sparrow is discovered by Nick when he comes in one day to start filming. Now, an existential choice confronts him: Report the homicide with all the usual trouble that comes with a police jam? Or just walk away from his old reprobate mentor? Nick chooses trouble and is transformed by it.
Sounds like an interesting plot, Kurt. Best of luck with the pitch. Thanks for sharing!
It was a pleasure. And when you find a minute, take a look at the video-clip on my Facebook post today from my publisher: Noir Nation (No. 8). My new crime fiction story, “Hair Thugs,” set in an interesting African ghetto in Paris, will appear in Noir Nation No. 9 (get a free peek of No. 8 on Amazon books).
I did see your FB post, Kurt, but didn’t realize it was a video. I’ll go back and look again. And your series intrigues me. I’ll be checking that out, too. Thanks so much, my friend!
It’s not much of a video, but the effect is chilling. (Did I tell you that this journal – Noir Nation – is banned in several countries?)
No, I didn’t know it was banned. I’ll try to take a look at it after I write this article I need to write today. Have a good one!