ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book was extremely difficult to write. My mother died when I was working on this, making it a struggle to finish, yet with a pre-order deadline, I was forced to push through. It helped me take my mind off my grief, though at times it proved too much, leading to countless breakdowns, especially in those early days.

When my best friend Paul Conway died five years ago, I was writing Amazon Burning. To help with my grief, I worked in a character named Pol, whose death was something the indigenous hero of the story was coping with.

I wrote the final scene of this book the day after I received the same news, in much the same manner as Acton did. Every time I read it, it brings back that horrible night that will forever be burned in my memory. By writing about it, I hope it will help me process what has happened as writing about my friend did in Amazon Burning.

As of this writing, it hasn’t, but in time, it will, and years from now, the emotions and thoughts of that night will be preserved in a way I’m privileged as a writer to be able to do.

Thank you for your indulgence.

As usual, there are people to thank. My dad for all the research, Fred Newton for some nautical info, Ian Kennedy for some explosives info, Brent Richards for some weapons info, and, as always, my wife, daughter (who helped with some social media info), my late mother who will always be an angel on my shoulder as I write, as well as my friends for their continued support, and my fantastic proofreading team!

To those who have not already done so, please visit my website at www.jrobertkennedy.com, then sign up for the Insider’s Club to be notified of new book releases. Your email address will never be shared or sold.

Thank you once again for reading.