ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A portion of the proceeds from this book is being donated to the Cambodian Children’s Fund. If you’re interested in learning more about this wonderful organization, check out its Web site at www.cambodianchildrensfund.org.

I’d like to thank all the people at Knopf and Vintage/Black Lizard for their enthusiasm and support. I’d especially like to thank my editor, Jordan Pavlin. This was a big book to write and would have been impossible without her editorial instincts and deft touch.

Thanks to David Gernert. He wears the hats of agent, editor, and friend—and wears them all exceedingly well.

Thanks to Garnett Kilberg Cohen, a brilliant Chicago writer and professor at Columbia College, who was kind enough to give my manuscript a first read. As usual, she was able to zero in on what was working and what wasn’t.

Thanks to my family and friends for all their support and encouragement.

Thanks, also, to everyone who has read my first three books. Hope you like this one.

Finally, I’d like to remember a wonderful friend, Danny Mendez. He loved books, and loved reading about the exploits of Michael Kelly in particular. We all miss you.

That’s it. Love you, Mary Frances.