Acknowledgments

It takes a village to publish a novel, and I am fortunate that my village has such brilliant, fun, and insightful citizens. I am indebted as always to the great folks at Minotaur, especially my discerning, thoughtful editor, Daniela Rapp, who saves me from myself. This book is stronger for her input. If you heard of this book and found it somewhere, that’s probably due to the hard work of Kayla Janas and Danielle Prielipp. They are creative and amazing!

Thanks also to my terrific agent, Jill Marsal, for her ongoing wise counsel and support.

My deepest gratitude to #TeamBump, for your feedback and encouragement. You help keep me sane in what is sometimes a crazy business. Thank you, Katie Bradley, Stacie Brooks, Ethan Cusick, Rayshell Reddick Daniels, Jason Grenier, Suzanne Holliday, Shannon Howl, Michelle Kiefer, Rebecca Gullotti LeBlanc, Robbie McGraw, Jill Svihovec, Dawn Volkart, Amanda Wilde, and Paula Woolman.

I owe many thanks as well to several talented writers who have assisted me with this book and others. Elisabeth Elo, Hallie Ephron, and Hank Phillippi Ryan, I am grateful for your advice and your friendship.

Thanks as always to my wonderful family, especially Brian and Stephanie Schaffhausen, and Larry and Cherry Rooney, for love and support. A special shout-out to my fellow crime-junkie cousin, Loni Rooney, who cheerfully discusses serial murderers with me and is available for Spanish-language consultations on the fly.

Finally, thanks to the two intrepid humans who must put up with me day and night: my dear husband, Garrett, who hangs on all my stories even when he’s heard them a hundred times already, and our daughter, Eleanor, who is more excited to attend book events than most nine-year-olds I know. Honorable mention goes to our basset hound, Winston, who is no help at all when it comes to getting the writing done, as his preference is to sit on my lap at all times, but he provides endless cheer and perfect characterization notes for Speed Bump.