THIS BOOK IS THE product of more than one mind.
When I wrote it, I relied on the invaluable assistance of Lee Lofland, a recipient of the Association of Chiefs of Police Medal of Valor. Lee is a former police detective with a vast background in crime scene investigations, in areas such as murder, rape, robbery, arson, narcotics, murder for hire, and ritualistic and occult crimes. All of those qualifications don’t begin to describe the solid feeling of having Lee at my back with answers that keep my characters true to law enforcement principles and investigational techniques. Any errors in authenticity in this book are solely mine. Thanks, Lee, and if there’s anything I can do for you, you know where I live—or can easily find out.
The author is one link in the chain between story idea and bookstore shelf. Some of the others are my agent, Eleanor Wood of the Spectrum Literary Agency; John Heifers of Tekno Books; Mary P. Smith of Five Star Publishing; and my editor, Hugh Abramson. Thanks to all of you for making me look good. I give credit to the International Thriller Writers, American Crime Writers League, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime for providing in-depth knowledge and camaraderie. The Greater St. Louis Chapter of Sisters in Crime has been a wellspring of information and support. My special thanks to Laura Bradford, Vicki Berger Erwin, and Michelle Thouviner for those Saturday mornings in the bookstore café. To my sister Maxine Olmstadt, thanks for the time you spent reading my story and dispensing well-reasoned advice, and remember—you’re only young once. My special thanks to Ed Gorman, a brave, daring, handsome, and all-around swell guy, for his encouragement over the years.
My husband Dennis and sons Tom and Tim were terrific sources of strength and encouragement while the pages of the manuscript mounted up. I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. That’s one for each of you.
Lastly, I wish to thank Babykitty for keeping me company in the middle of the night as I wrote this book, and for the occasional letters and symbols he inserted by walking on the keyboard to get to the cat treats. On some days, his contribution seemed the better part of my writing.