Because of Seth Mazzaglia’s pending appeal, his legal case is still alive, and many of the usual sources, documents, and officials used in researching a story of this nature were not available, per New Hampshire law and legal code of conduct. This presented an enormous challenge; however, we would thank those who did work with us, either on background, on the record, or as not-for-attribution sources. This includes many relatives, friends, and acquaintances of the major figures in this story. Some of those people chose not to be identified out of respect for the families still dealing with the fallout from this tragedy. To those we’ve promised not to name, our gratitude is immeasurable.
For their invaluable contributions to our work, we would like to thank Carole Alfano, Jen Fansler, Laura Mitchell, Christopher Orr, Kimberly Haas, and Emily Corwin. Without Denise McDonough’s thoughtful participation, this story would lack many of the details we were able to include.
Neither Seth Mazzaglia nor Kat McDonough responded to our repeated requests for interviews. Heather Mazzaglia, through a family attorney, said she would not comment.
There are several people behind the scenes without whom our work as writers would never go further than our computer screens. They include our agent, Sharlene Martin at Martin Literary Management; our editor, Amanda Ng, as well as Lara Robbins, Jane Hammer, and the entire staff at Berkley Books.
Finally, we want to express our most heartfelt gratitude to our longtime editor, Shannon Jamieson-Vazquez. She has been a collaborator of the highest measure, possessing a keen eye and sharp pencil that we’ve relied on to guide our work. Over the years she’s been our cheerleader, taskmaster, tinker, tailor, and marital referee—but most of all, we cherish her as a friend.