ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to the Griffiths/Robin family, who read drafts, sent copies of The Lab all over the world, and showed up to the launch in Jack Heath T-shirts. Where would I be without you?

Thank you to Caitlin Sherring, who lent her appearance to Earle Shuji; Alex Schinzinger, who inspired Ace; and Brendan Magee, who became the model for the villain of this book. Thanks again to my ever-supportive brother Tom Heath, for giving Agent Six his face and body. All of you, remember that only the good bits are based on you. Honest.

Thank you to my brilliant medical consults, Jessi Thomson and Hansel Goh, and my maths advisor, Tom Heath. Mistakes are mine, not theirs.

Thank you to the following people and their families for lending me a bed, a couch, or a floor while I was traveling: Meg Dale, Toby Holm, Hannah Selmes, Caitlin Sherring (again), Chantelle Suttor, Lara Willis, and Gab Worthington.

Thanks again to the incredible team at Pan Macmillan. They’ve shown a lot of faith in me, so I’ll work hard to earn it. Special thanks to Claire Craig, who encouraged me when my ideas were good and stood up to me when they weren’t, and Sue Bobbermein, who held my hand while putting me on millions of screens and radios and pages.

Thank you to the following people who didn’t let me become a recluse while working on this book: Sophie Chapman, Alex Detott, Mitchell Goodfellow, Reuben Ingall, Sam McGregor, Laura Pharaoh, Jeremy Quay, Paddy Quiggan, Alex Schinzinger (again), and Seon Williams. Special thanks to Trephina Mackay, who called me every single week to check up on me, and Paul Kopetko, who still makes me laugh after ten years of friendship.

Lastly, a huge thanks to the thousands of people who made The Lab a success. Thank you to everyone who bought it, everyone who took the time to tell me how much they enjoyed it, and everyone who recommended it to their friends. Consider this book your reward.