My biggest thanks go to Gary Barker, my co-author for the anti-war fable The Afghan Vampires Book Club and author of the wonderful The Museum of Lost Love. A few years ago, Gary announced he had an idea for a new joint work. We went for one of our meandering walks in Washington, DC, and he told me the germ of a new story: in the near-future, a disease is killing off huge numbers of middle-aged people, but, if I recall, you could access a cure if your parents voluntarily died. By the end of that first walk, we were bubbling with ideas. Within a few weeks, we’d chosen different paths: mine, this mystery, and his, a work of literary fiction called The Day They Came for the Nouns, about the effects of war, memory, and forgetting. Keep your eyes open for it; it should be terrific. The Last Exit wouldn’t exist without him.
Huge thanks to Marcia Markland, who brought her editorial smarts to the manuscript and poked, pushed, and cheered until I got the story right. And to Marie-Lynn Hammond, who took her sharp blue pencil and keen sense of character and story to an earlier draft.
Thanks to Jean Prince who gave feedback and tips on police procedure and the life of a female cop—any mistakes and flights of fancy are entirely my own (or simply an accurate reflection of how things are done in the early 2030s). I was aided by timely comments from Liam Kaufman Simpkins and medical tips from Victoria Lee, and enjoyed helpful theoretical discussions with Chloe Hung about the intersection of story arc and character development. Hugs to my sisters, Naomi, Miriam, Hannah, and Judith, who are always there for me.
My appreciation to the gang at Crooked Lane Books: senior acquisitions editor, Toni Kirkpatrick; Melissa Rechter; Katie McGuire; cover designer Melanie Sun; and the entire production and marketing teams, as well as to the sales force at Penguin Random House.
My gratitude goes out, and out again, to my agents, Ginger Curwen and Julia Lord, of the Julia Lord Literary Agency, who’ve been enthusiastic and supportive from the start. This book benefited in many ways from their ideas and insights. As Chandler might say, I’m a lucky guy to have them in my corner.
And thanks as always to my first reader and biggest critic, who doesn’t let me get away with anything. Betty Chee, this one’s for you.