My deepest thanks go out to the following people (in alphabetical order):
Savannah Cordle, for catching missing endmarks, for spotting characters who traded names, and most of all for making me smile with her reactions to this book (and for reminding these guys that THERE’S STILL ONE MORE BOOK!).
Fritz, for catching so many of my typos (Cassiday), for suggesting clarifications (for examples, North’s interrupted speech!), and for forgiving me for the GTO!
Austin Gwin, for pointing out missed opportunities for Shaw jokes, for helping nail the characterization details, and (as always) catching all the car things I didn’t think about.
Marie Lenglet, for helping me rethink North and Shaw’s role and, in particular, chapter four; for her wonderful suggestion about the connection to the Cottonmouth Club, and for fact-checking so many important parts of the story (like the phone calls!) in addition to her meticulous edits. And extra thanks for the last-minute help fixing some vital problems!
Steve Leonard, for his excellent suggestion about verifying North and Shaw’s identity, for giving me Parker Rhodes (hazel eyes and all!), and for being a North apologist—thank you, thank you, thank you!
Raj Mangat, for her keen attention to the timeline, for continuity and consistency errors (like the Highway Patrol!), and for pressing me to clarify the important stuff (Adam and Ambyr) and omit the irrelevant (like, maybe it was obvious he showered in the bathroom).
Cheryl Oakley, for asking important questions (like how Brey and Welch escaped), for catching information leaks (like Auggie spilling the beans!), and for catching so many missing words and typos!
Meredith Otto, for making me laugh with “amaze-balls,” for the reassurance about North and Shaw’s big conversation, and for her feedback about jabroni (even though I kept it).
Pepe, for so much tremendous help with the timeline (after I wrote this book on Twitch), and then even more help straightening everything out in the next draft, and for asking so many thoughtful questions (I’m sorry I couldn’t answer all of them in this book).
Nichole Reeder, for spotting missing end marks (and other typos), for her help with the story’s continuity, and for her concern about Shaw and his caffeine addiction (beware the unicorn latte).
Tray Stephenson, for catching my missing words, for spotting my plural-masquerading-as-a-singular, and for his kindness and concern about Shaw at the end.
Mark Wallace, for spotting all those absentee quotation marks, helping me clarify and smooth out my dialogue, and for being willing to be honest when the story got too “loud.”
Wendy Wickett, for spotting so many dropped words / phrases / endmarks, for her wonderful suggestions for clarity, and most importantly, for her contractually obligated reminder about how to mark the passage of time.
Keren and Raye and Crystal, for catching errors that somehow survived into the ARC.
Last of all, thank you to everyone who joined me on Twitch as I wrote this book. It’s a humbling and intimidating experience (read: gut-wrenchingly terrifying), and I’m so grateful for your kindness and support!