Firstly, and most importantly, a big thank you to my wife, Jacinta. She has had to put up with a lot over eight long years. But she has always given me full support, particularly when I needed it. She picked me up, gave me a hug and pushed me on.
My children too have suffered, through an often absent/absent-minded father or, as they sometimes described me, “a grump with a hump”. They too encouraged me when I needed it.
A big thank you to my mother, Mona. I used her dining room on and off, for periods of days, over the last eight years, which also enabled me to spend time with her. A thank you to my late dad, Donal, whose love of Agatha Christie has stayed with me.
In terms of practical support, top of the list is publicist and agent (though not my agent), advisor, fellow boys’ football manager and friend, Peter O’Connell.
From early on, when he offered to read the first few chapters, all the way to reading 120,000-plus words of a late draft (and giving direct pointers on a major structural edit) and advising me about agents and publishers, Peter has been there throughout. Thank you, Peter.
Other people who provided significant support include readers of the novel. These include crime author Andrea Carter, who has continued to offer me advice. Also thanks to Dearbhail McDonald for reading the novel and offering her support.
Fellow Black & White author and Irish Examiner journalist Ann O’Loughlin has been a constant source of support and advice. Thanks, Ann.
Huge thanks must go out to those gardaí – of all ranks – who provided me with their time, knowledge and insight, particularly the one who read the entire novel for me.
I want to acknowledge community workers and drug project workers who I have been fortunate enough to know over many years. My experiences with them influenced this novel considerably. One of them, Graham Ryall, read part of a very early, and very rough, draft.
Major thanks to the Irish Crime Fiction Writers’ Group and all its members. I want to give particular thanks to Laurence O’Bryan, who organised both this group and another one I attended. Thanks to Carolann Copland, who also helped organise the meetings.
Thanks to others who, at differing stages, read chapters, including Seán McCárthaigh, Caroline O’Doherty, Nicole Jagusch and Sinéad Crowley and to the advice of Louise Phillips.
Thanks also to Conor Kostick and his ‘Finish Your Novel’ course I attended at the Irish Writers’ Centre.
Thanks to the Arts Council of Ireland, who saw enough promise in my early work to give me an emerging writer literature bursary.
All of which brings me to key people in securing publication: scout, author and publishing guru Vanessa O’Loughlin and my agent Ger Nichol, whose belief in my novel and professional assistance has been invaluable.
Last, and definitely not least, thanks to all the team at Black & White Publishing.