Quietly, so quietly that we almost can’t hear it, in whispers and clicks and hums, a revolution is simmering.
It simmers in our computers and in our phones, bubbles in the background even when no one is watching the pot. One million people already subscribe to such large commercial computer services as CompuServe and Prodigy. An untold number of others are active on the 50,000 smaller electronic bulletin board systems currently flourishing around the world like some mutant new strain of wildflower.
Already, the revolution has bred fundamentally new kinds of research and ways to conduct business. Love and friendship themselves are undergoing re-definition.
And so, perhaps, is murder.
This is the premise of my new mystery, Crossed Wires. It tells, in 61,000 words, of the twin pursuits over the phone network of a shadowy killer and of the woman he hopes to make his fifth victim. Her name is Finley, and she’s one of a new breed of criminal investigators: an “on-line searcher,” trained in new modes of criminal information analysis as well as information retrieval. She’s hearing-impaired, a disability which proves to be not only a day-to-day nuisance but also, ultimately, source of her salvation.
My credentials? For 12 years, I have been a computer programmer and systems analyst with [company name], with extensive experience both at the “hands-on” work of programming and at explaining complex technical issues to end users who themselves have little or no computer experience. I participate actively on CompuServe, especially on the Literary Forum, and own an account on the [company] electronic mail service. (And of course, I wouldn’t presume to write of someone with a hearing impairment if I didn’t have one myself.)
Currently, I am on a year-long sabbatical to write Crossed Wires and another book, a mainstream novel.
May I submit Crossed Wires for your consideration? The complete MS is available.
I’ve enclosed a postcard for your convenience in replying. Thanks for your time and attention.
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