Our first thank you goes to Dr Jennifer Rohn who acted as our chief scientific advisor, helped us create our deadly virus and pointed out exactly how many ways there are to kill someone in a lab. If you enjoy science-based fiction, you should visit Dr Rohn’s excellent site, Lablit.com. Also, thanks to Professor Julius Weinberg at Kingston University and to Bob Crewley for checking helicopter accuracy!
For reading the manuscript and checking our Americanisms, thanks to Amy Welch – mistakes, as with the aforementioned ‘science bits’ are our own – and thanks too to Julie Baugh for being our first (and constant) reader.
This book would be half the book it is – though probably twice as long – were it not for the editorial perspicacity of Kate Bradley. Huge thanks too to Anne O’Brien for the ruthless copy edit. We extend our thanks to the whole team at HarperCollins including Hannah Gamon and Louise Swannell.
Thanks to our agent Sam Copeland for great support and enthusiasm as ever.
The world of crime fiction and thrillers is a warm and friendly one, especially for a group of people who spend their days dreaming up grisly murders, and it is hard to single out individuals from that community. But special thanks go to the following: Peter James, Elizabeth Haynes, Alex Marwood, Emlyn Rees, Stav Sherez, Claire McGowan, Erin Kelly, Mel Sherratt, Mark Billingham, Rhian Davies, Rachel Abbott, J Carson Black, Keith B Walters, Nikki-Ann Trow, Mari Hannah, Jennifer Hillier and everyone involved in the Harrogate Crime Festival. Also, thanks to everyone at Waterstones Wolverhampton, Kingston, and Mary Kennedy at Teddington Waterstones.
Mark would like to thank an assortment of lovely people who would be first into the bunker should a deadly pandemic ever devastate the planet: the whole Baugh clan, Jo Johnston-Pope, Martin Johnston, Louise and Dominic Compagnone, Jonathan Pye, Mark Nunney, Susan Smith and Darren Biggs, Andrew and Vicky Wallace, Oliver Brann, Charlotte Staunton and the studentbeans.com crew. Last but most importantly, his family, especially his mum for starting all of this by letting him read that James Herbert book at a very young age; and huge amounts of love and gratitude to his lovely children Poppy, Archie and Ellie, and to Sara, who inspires him every day.
Thanks from Louise to her fantastic friends and family, for all the emotional and practical support during the writing of this one, particularly to Louise Green, Roxana Ziolkowski, Liz Lewis, Sarah Freestone, Pete Aves, Julie Lane, Kate Blumgart, Paul Cavin, Jacqui Lofthouse, Stephanie Zia, David Osbon, Alex Evans, Alex McPherson, Richard and Clare Jackson, and Nick Laughland.