There were a number of behind the scene changes going on while writing this book, so I have a few more people to thank than usual.
My former agent at Blake Friedmann, Tom Witcomb and my current agent at Ampersand, Jamie Cowen.
My former editor at Harper Collins, Finn Cotton and the new people who are currently looking after me: Charlotte Ledger, Bethan Morgan and Hannah Todd. Also, my copy editor, Fran Fabriczki, many thanks.
As always, I’ve had a number of people help me with research. For the last time, Claire Green gave me invaluable insight into digital post mortems before she took early retirement. She’s far too young to retire, but she deserves it so much. Philip Lumb is an eminent pathologist and I’m grateful for him for taking the time to answer my emails. Simon Browes for medical research (our text messages frighten even me at times), fellow crime writer, Andy Barrett has advised on forensic detail and a huge thank you to “Mr Tidd” for his police procedural advice. I say this every time, but any errors in this novel are purely mine. Please do not blame the experts, and remember, this is a work of fiction, after all.
Thank you to Glenis Schofield for talking to me about Stannington; my nephew, William Ricketts for driving me around Stannington and my niece, Megan Ricketts, for coming along for the ride. We really must visit Our Cow Molly again at some point.
Thanks also to the usual suspects for listening to me talk through my plots and for just being there when I’ve needed you – my amazing mum, Christopher Human, Scout Master Kevin, JD, and Maxwell Dog.
Finally, a massive thank you to Colin Scott. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without your support. It’s comforting to know that whenever I need you, you’re right there, at the end of my fingertips. Yay!