OUR INFATUATION WITH the Maria Duval letters started two years ago, with our multipart investigation for CNN. It’s rare that a news organization allows its reporters to embark on this kind of project, and we have many people to thank for their trust in us from the very beginning—no matter how crazy it sounded.
Executive editor Lex Haris didn’t flinch when we said we thought we needed to go to France to see this story through, and he was one of the main reasons the two of us became the reporting team we are today, giving us the freedom to pursue out-of-the box but important stories like this one. Our editor, Nicole Ridgway, also believed in the story from the beginning and turned our dispatches into a compelling, chapter-by-chapter series that hooked readers and kept them coming back each week.
Julia Jones, our fearless translator and interpreter, joined this investigation before we headed to France and never let the story go. She made every interview happen and asked the hard questions in a way that always got answers. She became so much more than a translator. She has been a third member of our reporting team and one that was absolutely crucial to this entire journey.
Our literary agent, Eileen Cope, approached us soon after our investigation was published on CNN, telling us we should write a book. Even though we had no idea what this would entail, she somehow managed to land us a deal with one of the best publishers in the country, Simon & Schuster’s Atria. She also found us the perfect editor there, Todd Hunter. When we envisioned working with a book editor, we worried about endless revisions and rewrites until the manuscript lost every ounce of our own voice and vision. But this was absolutely not the case with Todd. He understood our vision for this story and every edit he made was intentional, thoughtful, and necessary.
Since writing a book would have been a pipe dream if we hadn’t already published this investigation on CNN, we also want to thank everyone who made the original series possible. CNN’s superstar attorney Johnita Due, who probably read every word of our series dozens of times by the time it was published and who was more excited about every new twist and turn of our adventure than you would ever imagine a lawyer being. Thank you to Ed O’Keefe and Meredith Artley, who both gave this crazy idea so much support from the beginning. And everyone else at CNN who dedicated so many hours to this project: Jordan Malter and Mark Esplin, who joined us in France and captured many of the incredible moments and scenes from our book on camera so that we will have them forever. Antoine Crouin, another fantastic translator who made our meeting with Maria possible. Contessa Gayles and Lou Foglia, who turned our insane Homeland crime board into a creative video to accompany the series. Tiffany Baker, who designed this first-of-its-kind investigation for CNN, and Megan Pendergrass, who brought the wild characters to life through her illustrations. Richard Griffiths and Steve Holmes were also crucial to making sure every word of our series met CNN’s ethical and factual standards. And Jan Winburn, who taught us so much about the importance of writing and storytelling in any investigation.
We also spent hours talking to sources who gave us their time and trust. Chrissie Stevens was willing to recount one of the most painful times of her life in telling us about her mother’s decline. She welcomed us into her home and went through her memories in such detail that we tried to channel her powerful words in each chapter where we told her story. The whole investigation began because a box of junk mail was sent to us by two women whose relatives had been taken in by scams. It is sources like these women, who are concerned enough about something to make the effort to reach out to a reporter, that make our job so worthwhile. We met a number of other investigators who were just as committed to getting to the bottom of this. Clayton Gerber, a USPIS agent, convinced us that the Maria Duval letters were something more than just a typical mail scam. Journalists, including Jan Vanlangendonck from Belgium and Willem Bosma from the Netherlands, provided us with sources, documents, and information from their own reporting on this scam. Dr. Peter Lichtenberg helped us understand the psychological state of many of the victims who fall prey to scams like this.
Countless readers shared their own experiences with loved ones taken advantage of by this scam, while others emailed us fascinating theories, tips, and new leads along the way.
Finally, a big thank-you to Jim Steele, our investigative reporting and book-writing mentor who has a thoughtful, intelligent answer for every question that comes his way.
Growing up, I watched my grandfather John Thomas write book after book on his typewriter—carefully editing each sentence and getting rid of stray words and typos with his old-fashioned eraser and brush. I remember seeing the final copies show up in the mail, and I couldn’t believe that all those words flowing from his head into that typewriter had been converted into such beautiful books. I knew then that I wanted to do this one day. And while modern-day technology made the process easier, I can’t help but be reminded of my grandfather, his curiosity, and his love for writing that provided me with such endless inspiration.
For those of you who were part of this bizarre journey, thank you for being so supportive. Charlie, who listened to every new development along the way, who put up with the dreams of frightening international businessmen that woke me at night, the constant frustration I faced with every dead end we hit, and the questions I blurted out of nowhere. My mom, who loved even the roughest drafts of this story. To the rest of my family and friends—Winston Ellis, Chandler Ellis, John Thomas, Mary Koto, Tory Clark, Lynne Grubbs, Clayton Goodgame, Julianne Pepitone, the Donnellys, the Sayres, the McIntyres, Kim Thai, and Robert Dodge—I am so grateful for your support, your thoughtful feedback, and your continued interest in this mystery.
Finally, none of this would have happened without Melanie, my partner in crime through this whole adventure. You know how to tap into my crazy, and your brilliantly organized mind is the only way we get things done. I can’t wait for many more investigations and journeys to come.
Long before I became a journalist, I always dreamed of being a published author, and there are countless people who have helped make that goal a reality. I have been fortunate to learn from teachers and editors who have helped sharpen both my senses and my writing. No one has been a bigger cheerleader than my Syracuse University professor and lifelong mentor Charlotte Grimes. Grimes, you taught me to show and not tell and that the best stories are often told in fewer words. For this, and for all of your support and tough edits over the years, including edits of some of these very pages, I am so grateful. To all my friends and family who read various drafts of this book—Jessie Assimon, Laura Stampler, Meghan Directo, my mom, and others—thank you so much for taking time out of your busy lives to give us such thoughtful feedback.
And then there’s my family, who put up with this bizarre obsession for the better part of two years. Ryan, I am so lucky to be married to someone who is so supportive of my passions. Thank you for never being annoyed when I checked my phone constantly for Maria Duval updates or when I disappeared for days or weeks at a time to continue this adventure. To my parents, Jim and Julia Hicken, who have nurtured my love for reading and writing since my childhood, thank you for always being my biggest fans. To my brother, Scott Hicken, thank you for always pushing me to think outside the box and to get out of my comfort zone. To my brand-new daughter, thank you for napping so I could finish up final edits. In all seriousness, I am so excited to be your mom and can’t wait for you to have this book on your very own bookshelf someday!
And finally to my work wife, Blake: I feel so lucky to get to spend each day working with one of my best friends. Your empathy makes our reporting and writing that much better, while your ability to stay calm in even the most stressful situations still astounds me. From our unforgettable trips to France to our wine-fueled writing sessions, working on this project has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I’m so excited to see what we do next.