Successful Queries: Sophie Cudd and “A Rather Peculiar Poisoning,” by Chrystal Schleyer
Find Chrystal Schleyer’s successful query to agent Sophie Cudd for her debut novel, A Rather Peculiar Poisoning.
Welcome back to the Successful Queries series. In this installment, find a query letter to agent Sophie Cudd for Chrystal Schleyer's debut novel, A Rather Peculiar Poisoning.
Chrystal Schleyer lives in South Carolina with her husband and children. Tucked away in a little black house on an old hay field, she happily lives in the middle of nowhere. When not writing or reading, she can be found outside with her ever growing number of animals or scouring the shelves of the nearest thrift store.
Here's Chrystal's query:
Dear Sophie,
Knives Out meets Bridgerton in A RATHER PECULIAR POISONING, a multi-POV 78,000-word nonlinear adult mystery set in 1910, that follows the tumultuous relationship between twins Easton and Wes, and the headstrong girl in love with one but promised to the other. With a suspenseful gothic atmosphere, this locked room whodunit will appeal to fans of The Guest List and The Golden Spoon.
The people of Asquith manor collect secrets like cobwebs, tucking them beside old wounds that linger in every corner of the house.
There have always been whispers that Easton and Wes are both in love with their childhood best friend Eloise, yet when the younger brother, Wes, suddenly proposes to an heiress, a heartbroken Eloise finds herself engaged to his brother. But during a week of feasting and hunting to kick off celebrations for the two engagements, Wes is poisoned. Murmurs of nightshade slip through the manor, and everyone seems to have a motive—everyone except for a kitchen maid who finds herself tangled in the web of secrets, at risk of being framed.
Was it Della Drewitt—the shrewd heiress reluctant to marry Wes?
Or did Easton decide killing his brother was the only way to secure Eloise’s affections forever?
And then there’s the housemaid Violet, Wes’ previous sweetheart, who feels spurned by him marrying another.
As guests turn into suspects, attempts to kill Wes become more relentless than the storms churning the Asquith estate—and the brothers aren’t the only ones tucking secrets within the manor’s walls.
As a twin myself, I tried to weave together the complex relationship that can sometimes grow between twins. A RATHER PECULIAR POISONING is a standalone with sequel potential. Per your request, I have included the first ten pages. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Chrystal Schleyer
Check out Chrystal Schleyer's A Rather Peculiar Poisoning here:
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What Sophie Cudd liked about Chrystal's query:
I loved this query for a lot of reasons—Chrystal did an excellent job of capturing the main elements of her story, keeping the synopsis succinct while not giving too much away. The query itself reflected the multi-POV mystery nature of the book without feeling too overwhelming (i.e. “Was it Della Drewitt?... Or was it Easton?” etc.), and her comparative titles, in particular, were stellar—they’re of-the-moment, successful stories, one of which was a book-to-TV adaptation.
Knives Out meets Bridgerton is the perfect opening hook! It gave me a well-rounded, clear sense of atmosphere, and showed that this book has elements of both mystery and romance. Comps don’t have to be a perfect fit; it can be a little of this, and a little of that, which Chrystal picked perfectly.
Chrystal clearly understood her audience, which is another crucial element to mystery writing as well. For all these reasons, Chrystal’s query really caught my eye, and I’m excited for this wonderful book to be officially on the shelves in September.
*****
Sophie Cudd joined The Book Group in 2023, formerly with William Morris Endeavor. Born and raised in Nashville, TN, Sophie has a degree in English Literature from Southern Methodist University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Sophie works with a wide range of authors, including New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelists and children’s book writers.