Although writing is a solitary task, there are numerous people in the background working on the editing, sales and marketing, without whom there would, quite simply, be no book. My agent, Carole Blake, and her team. My publishing director, Wayne Brookes. Geoff Duffield, Anna Bond, Sara Lloyd, Sarah Arratoon, Fraser Crichton, Neil Lang and all at Pan Macmillan. Elena Stokes, Tanya Farrell and all the rest at Team James USA. My editor Susan Opie. My brilliant publicists, Tony Mulliken, Sophie Ransom and Becky Short.
And last of these but also first, my close friend and Roy Grace alter-ego, former Detective Chief Superintendent David Gaylor, the career role model for Roy Grace.
I’m fortunate to have a brilliant support team who help me to hone the manuscript long before it reaches my agent and publishers, and to help with the management of Team James UK: my amazing and brilliant PA, Linda Buckley; my terrific book-keeper, Sarah Middle; Anna Hancock; Helen Shenston; Martin and Jane Diplock; Sue Ansell; Ken Owen.
My biggest thank you of all is to my wife, Lara. She has added so much to this book in so many ways, from character insights, to wise editorial suggestions, and brilliantly creative ideas of her own. She’s accompanied me on numerous research trips, including a few of the more scary ones, and she’s been a tireless help in the endless promotion of my work both in the UK and abroad.
Oscar, our rescue Labrador, Bull-Mastiff and Parsons Jack Russell cross, is convinced he’s the model for Humphrey (and I’m not going to disillusion him!), and our Labradoodle, Spook, rather wishes I would spend less time writing and more out walking with her in the fields.
Finally a sad farewell to my good mate: RIP Tony Omotoso of the Sussex Police Road Policing Unit, who has appeared in several of my books as himself. Gone far too young, but will never be forgotten because he made so many people smile!
Above all, thank you, my readers! Your emails, Tweets, Facebook, Instagram and blog posts give me such constant encouragement. Keep them coming, I love to hear from you!
Peter James
Sussex, England
scary@pavilion.co.uk
www.peterjames.com
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