Acknowledgments

So many people encouraged and assisted me in making this a better book. Jim Filley and Gary Hassen, of the San Diego Police Department, helped me with a tour of their offices and provided details of arrest processing. Randy Mize and Matt Brainer educated me on the law and how an arraignment and a separate in-chambers consultation with a judge could work. Mark Hayes walked me through processing and housing at the San Diego County Jail. I’m sure I didn’t get all of this right, but it is more accurate because of their coaching.

Many people generously gave their time to look at and evaluate earlier versions of the manuscript. Terry and David Brown, Martha Lawrence, Mark Clayton, and Bob Lowe read and helped with earlier drafts. Jackie Mitchard worked with me for more than two years. She suggested so many improvements and even came up with the moniker “the Preying Hands.” Among other things, she educated me on pacing, backstory, structure, and the opening. The book is so much better because of her insights. Lastly, my writers’ group has evaluated every scene in this book and many that never made it to the final version. They have helped me see the deeper parts of the character and get rid of the boring parts. A huge thanks to Eleanor Bluestein, Peggy Lang, Louise Julig, Suzanne Delzio, Barbara Brown, James Jones, Lawrence Saul, and Walter Carlin.

People in the book publishing industry believed in this book. My tireless and fabulous agent, Michelle Richter, kept pushing until we found a publisher. Terri Bischoff and Midnight Ink saw the strengths in the manuscript and put their time and money behind it. Sandy Sullivan, my editor at Midnight Ink, seems to know the book better than I do. She helped me correct so many things to make the manuscript better. Dana Kaye and Sami Lien of Dana Kaye Publicity, as well as Ellen Zielinski Whitfield at JKS Communications, have helped with great marketing ideas.

Lastly, a great thanks to my wife, Rachel Mayberry, for patiently suffering through the years it took me to finally get published. Without your support, this never would have happened.