I would like to thank Dr Ishita Manral, an outstanding forensic expert. This book couldn’t have been written without her help. She was kind enough to take time off her busy schedule to explain various physiological symptoms and details of poisons. I am grateful to Kalpana Muttireddi (LLB, M.B.L., LLM –Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, USA), who was my mainstay where legal details were concerned. My gratitude to Aditya Chattopadhyay, the enthusiastic young lawyer, who spent a lot of his precious time finding answers to the weirdest queries put forth by me. Besides, these experts, I sought the help of a few real- life sleuths, who prefer to remain unnamed. Nevertheless, I doff my hat to acknowledge their contribution in writing the book.
As usual, finishing the book required unstinted support from my husband, Ajoy Podder, who had to bear the brunt of my wild brainwaves in the dead of the night. I am thankful for his perseverance and encouragement.
Work on a book, however, doesn’t end after it is written. Editing, cover designing, marketing and a lot many other factors come into play once a writer finishes writing it. A big round of thanks goes to Swati Daftuar and Bidisha Srivastava, who helped me iron out the creases, and to my editors for their suggestions and patience. Their superb editorial skills and support went a long way in turning the manuscript into a book. I am grateful for the wonderful cover design by Natasha Chandhok and I extend my best wishes to the entire marketing team, who helped to take the book to the readers.