As always I need to say a huge thank you to my wife, Rebecca, who is my first reader, giving me blunt and brilliant feedback. She also does a thousand other things that help me make a living as a writer and I couldn’t work – or live – without her.
Thank you also to my daughter, for telling me what she thinks of my books as I write them. I couldn’t live without her either.
Thanks too to the writing group I have been part of, including James Nash, Anna Turner and Rachel Connor.
The Hurtigruten is a real shipping service that runs up and down the Norwegian coast. The crew of the Nordlys (meaning ‘northern lights’) were very helpful, especially Marie-Ann, who features as a character in the book. I was very sad to hear about the tragic accident on the Nordlys, just days after I had my tour of the ship and its engine room. I can thoroughly recommend a trip on the Hurtigruten. You can find out more about it at www.hurtigruten.co.uk
I also owe thanks to Norway and the several people who helped me in that country. It is a spectacularly beautiful place and its people are very nice. Special thanks go to Edvard Munch, Knut Hamsun, Eirik Bakke, Alf-Inge Haaland, Gunnar Halle and Frank Strandli.
Thank you to Rifleman Jim Sells, to whom this book is dedicated. Jim is great supporter of my career – and a friend. Thanks too to Diane Baker and David Luxton, who are also both very helpful and friends.
Thanks to my readers – Kael Baker and Mark Oldham – for their advice.
Finally, thank you to Puffin for publishing me and doing all they do. Especially Lindsey Hobbs, my lovely editor.