My agents Kathy Robbins and David Halpern at the Robbins Office continue to be my best and most devoted allies, always managing to steer me in the right direction. The same is true of the irreplaceable Matthew Snyder at CAA. I am also grateful to Katie Hut, Ian King, and the rest of the Robbins Office, as well as to Susan Lee, who has helped me with research and fact-checking.
It was Bill Thomas at Knopf Doubleday who first read these stories in disparate form and thought they would work as a collection. His editorial vision and immaculate editing made this book a reality. Sonny Mehta championed this project and helped bring it to fruition. And the entire team at Knopf Doubleday once again proved to be an author’s greatest asset. In particular, I want to thank Bette Alexander, Maria Carella, Janet Cooke, Melissa Danaczko, Todd Doughty, John Fontana, Suzanne Herz, Rebecca Holland, Coralie Hunter, James Kimball, Lauren Lavelle, Beth Koehler, Lynn Kovach, Beth Meister, John Pitts, Anh Schluep, Steve Shodin, Suzanne Smith, and Anke Steinecke.
My deepest debt is to my children, Zachary and Ella, and to my wife, Kyra, who is not only one of the best journalists in the business but also the wisest and the most decent. There are no acknowledgments that could ever express to them my gratitude and love.
David Grann
