There was half a mile of woods between the clearing and my house. The leaves obscured the view so entirely that I could see nothing. But I knew that beyond the trees, Brian, Greg, and Anne were inside, sitting around the kitchen table, waiting for me to start making a promised chocolate cake. That soon, Chris and Stella would arrive hungry for Friday night dinner. That Tom and Kate would be on the five o’clock flight from DC. That a little redheaded boy was leaning on the fence, waiting anxiously for his grandmother to return.
“It doesn’t matter what they call me,” I said, feeling the scattering of sunlight falling on my face as I walked towards my home. “I know who I am.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
You hold in your hands a dream thirty-four years in the making, and these are the people who made it happen: My agent at Donald Maass, Paul Stevens, whose editorial insight and constant support makes him a hero to me and to other aspiring writers. I am indebted to the incredible team at St. Martin’s Press: Pete Wolverton, who fought for this book, found the answers when I couldn’t, and ripped the Band-Aid off when necessary; Jennifer Donovan, whose attention to detail saved the day; Jen Enderlin, who was right all along about the title; Sophia Dembling, a copyediting savior; Ervin Serrano, who plucked an idea from my head and designed a cover I’ve waited my whole life for; Janna Dokos, Meryl Gross, Paul Hochman, Joe Brosnan, Kris Kam, and Omar Chapa, thank you for leaving your imprints on this book.
This is a book about the love of family: My mother-in-law, Linda Howerton, who inadvertently gave me the idea for this book, but truly inspired it based on her unwavering support for her family; my mother, Pam Finley, who would cross the stars for her sons and granddaughters; my brother Jason, for helping me talk through the specifics of alien technology; my late father, Dr. John Finley, and my father-in-law, Robert Howerton, whose actions allowed me to write about heroic grandfathers. A reader once asked me how I knew so much about the love of grandmothers, and the answer is the women who were mine: the late Freda Finley Stephens and Christine “Teeny” Blondi.
To my wife, Rebecca, who endured seventeen years of late night and early morning typing and was the first to put my name on the spine of a book. Because of you, because of Eve and Charlotte, I am able to write about unconditional love.
To my earliest supporters and readers: Karyn Esbrook, Bill Applegate, Janet Smith, Jayme Robinson, Anna Beth McKeown, Amy Goodhart Koepsell, and Michelle and Mary Ann Gaffney. Thanks for believing. To my literature and English teachers, from elementary school to college, for opening the door.
While this is a work of fiction, I relied heavily on the research of people who are seeking the truth about the mysteries around us: The Mutual UFO Network, The National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, and the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization. And to Whitley Strieber and Carl Sagan, for paving the way.
My heroes have always been writers, and I could fill a book with my gratitude to them. J. T. Ellison resides at the very top. If there is a patron saint of aspiring thriller writers, you are he.
To the person who is both friend and family, Todd Doughty, who never, ever, gave up, even when I threatened to. I am forever grateful.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JEREMY FINLEY’s investigative reporting has resulted in criminal convictions, hearings before the U.S. Congress, the payout of more than a million dollars to scam victims, and the discovery of missing girls. The recipient of more than sixteen Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Awards, he was also awarded a national certificate from Investigative Reporters and Editors. He is the chief investigative reporter for WSMV-TV in Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife and daughters. The Darkest Time of Night is his first novel. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE DARKEST TIME OF NIGHT. Copyright © 2018 by Jeremy Finley, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
Cover photograph of trees © Jan Stromme/Getty Images
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Finley, Jeremy, author.
Title: The darkest time of night / Jeremy Finley.
Description: First edition. | New York: St Martin’s Press, 2018.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017060168 | ISBN 9781250147301 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250147318 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Missing children—Fiction. | Grandparent and child—Fiction. | Family secrets—Fiction. | Conspiracies—Fiction. | Human-alien encounters—Fiction. | GSAFD: Science fiction. | Suspense fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3606.I55345 D37 2018 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017060168
e-ISBN 9781250147318
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First Edition: June 2018