Once again, many thanks to Kathy Ponting, patrol lieutenant of the SOU, and to Nancy Foley, whom I first met as a member of the SOU and who now is Chief of Patrol, head of the law enforcement branch of California Fish and Game. It’s probably quite lucky for wildlife in California to have a Chief of Patrol who once ran the undercover team. Thanks also to Lieutenant Troy Bruce, SOU, George Fong, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI, and a gifted writer, whose novels I’m sure we’ll all be reading should he ever retire from the Bureau.
Thanks also to Patsy for the Klamath stories, Lisa Stouffer for loaning her marina, Adrian Muller, Jennifer Semon, Tony Broadbent, Paul Hansen, Andrew Livengood, Kate and Olivia, Greg Estes, Branch for reading the first draft, Lydia McIntosh, John Buffington, whose wallet blew out the back of the boat and perhaps came to rest along the river bottom with the sturgeons. Anyone who has ever had Philip Spitzer as an agent knows a conversation with Philip can be like a good drink that leaves you happy and looking forward to the future. Many thanks to my tireless editor, Jay Schaefer, and to all at Chronicle Books who have worked to make the crime fiction line happen. And, Judy, always and forever you.
I’ve written three Marquez novels with the belief that if I wrote a good enough story I could help those who have devoted so much to saving open country and the wildlife in it. I hope in some small way I’ve done that.