First a salute to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who is my first and best writing teacher and favourite writer among many. I fell in love with Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson at age ten and have remained in love ever since.
Greatest thanks go to my husband Alan Kay for his unflagging generosity, enthusiasm and good humour throughout this long process. It would not be possible without you, bear.
I had a great deal of help along the way, but none more surprising and welcome than the eleventh hour incisive editorial comments of the esteemed Nicholas Meyer, who is not only my personal hero for his brilliant Holmes trilogy starting with The Seven Percent Solution, but also one of my favorite movie directors. Nick’s generous notes made me laugh, cringe, and polish like crazy. Thank you, Nick.
Tough love offered by my writer’s group colleagues ‘The Oxnardians’, Harley, Patty, Matt, Jamie, JB, Linda, Bob, Craig and John improved this tale, as did key criticism from the insightful Lynn Hightower, with nuanced editorial comments and cheerleading from Dennis Palumbo, Chris Simpson, Ramona Long, and Nancy Seid.
A special salute to the remarkable Sherlockian, Leah Cummins Guinn for her skilled research and commentary. I knew if I made you laugh, we were good. Thank you as well as to renowned Holmesian expert Catherine Cooke, good friend and curator of the Sherlock Holmes collection in London, for an early read and comments. Ailsa Campbell, from her desk in the Scottish Highlands, gently guided me to ‘mair’ accurate dialect (and other things) at a key juncture.
Dana Cameron and Carla Kaessinger Coupe’s contribution spawned a certain intriguing character in this novel; ladies you know who I mean, and I thank you for this vote of confidence/challenge!
Of course there was a certain ‘please don’t throw me in the briar patch’ element to researching the whisky business and my partner in crime here was the generous, delightful, world-renowned whisky expert Charles MacLean, who sports a Doyle-worthy moustache and knows everything and everyone in that world. Charlie also accompanied me on a fascinating visit to the deliciously gothic Fettes, which is not only Holmes’s alma mater, but also James Bond’s and the model for Hogwarts. I didn’t know that when I selected it.
A helpful stay in Islay at Loch Gorm House was facilitated by Fiona Doyle (possibly a distant relative of Sir Arthur) and input from Adam Hannett of Bruichladdich and Jim McEwan ‘The Cask Whisperer’, as well as Audrey McPherson at Royal Lochnagar in the Highlands lent more than a bit of flavour. Scottish Holmesian Barry Young kindly provided research materials.
Thanks to Les Klinger for his unfailing Sherlockian cheer and moral support. Thanks to my wonderful agent Linda Langton, whose enthusiasm has meant so much. And to David Roth for early encouragement, and mystery legend Otto Penzler whose enthusiasm for my first novel gave me wings.
Appreciation to Dottie, Jane, Sara and Megan for extending the reach on the first book, and a special thank you also to Dr David Reuben, Rose, and Helen, you know why. A late visit to curator Emilia Kingham at the University College London Pathology Collections was gruesomely informative and also fun. A conversation about ghosts with medium Ann Treherne of the Conan Doyle Center in Edinburgh was an eye opener.
A salute to the wise and brilliant Lee Shasky, who sadly passed during the writing of this book, and whom I forgot to mention in my acknowledgments last time. Her wise words and generous spirit live on.
Finally, thanks to friends and extended family who graciously excused my absence and preoccupation for the many, many months this took, and especially to the wonderful staff at HarperCollins including Georgie Cauthery and David Brawn, who have made the journey possible … and also a pleasure.
I raise a glass of good single malt to you all.