I want to thank my editor, Ed Schlesinger, and the good folks at CBS for giving me a second chance to test the wits of the ace investigators at the Las Vegas crime lab; I tried hard to come up with cases worthy of the original TV show, which I look forward to watching every week. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to write Ray Langston and Sara Sidle for the first time.
Researching a CSI novel is always an education. This time around, I can thank the friendly doctors and staff at the Applebrook Veterinary Clinic in Oxford, Pennsylvania, for answering my questions about cat scratches, and the Hand & Stone Massage and Spacial Spa in nearby Kennett Square for letting me tour their premises. I promise I didn’t see any dangerous reptiles on the loose at either location.
As always, I can’t forget my agents, Russ Galen and Ann Behar, for handling the contractual details. And my girlfriend, Karen, for all her support and patience, even when I kept talking her ears off about voiceprints, coral snakes, elastic braces, and interrogations.
Finally, our four-legged family—Alex, Churchill, Henry, Sophie, and Lyla—did their best to distract me, but somehow I managed to get the book done anyway.