This story is a fiction but it’s based around actual matches and events in 1984. The names of real people – particularly former Australian and West Indian cricketers – are used with my full respect.
Like any book, there are a lot of people standing behind the name on the cover. I’m grateful for their expertise, police lingo, sporting jargon, friendship and for giving me access to their hearts and brains. Thank you to Wade Kingsley for implanting an idea that I couldn’t shake off, not until I wrote this story. And thank you to Nick Rye, Andrew Rule, Ian Geddes, Ray Kitchingman, Mark Genge, Rohan Connolly, Rachael Skipper, Kirsten Lim-How, Nicole Denton, Emily Webb, Lachy Hulme, Astrid Edwards, Trevor Ruddell, Jay Mueller, Seb Costello, Vanessa Till, Tom Andronas, Sarah Hall and Tracey Spicer.
From Penguin Random House, thank you, Ali Watts and Patrick Mangan, for being Roy Cooper’s champions.
And for everything that makes life worth it, thank you, Merryn, Emily and Hannah. I love you.