Acknowledgments

I am thankful to my incredible support system of early readers: Ann Maxwell, David Corey, Andre Dubus III, David Keplinger, Danielle Evans, Stephanie Grant, Glenn Moomau, and Gayle Forman (who deserves extra kudos for answering a panicked call from me in the middle of the night from South Korea). For research help on police procedures and common burglary patterns, Deputy Chief Robert Scianna, Detective Robert Wile, Marcello Muzzatti, and Betty Ballester were integral. Dr. Arthur Shapiro deserves thanks for allowing me into his lab at American University and devising an experiment that enabled me to experience hemeralopia. Steve Carr taught me more about bridges than I could possibly include here, and I think of him every time I cross one. For all public radio wisdom: John Barth, Israel Smith, Vidal Guzman, and Nancy ­Robertson. Joellyn Powers and Bryan Freeland were fantastic research assistants; Debby Preiser of the Oak Park Public Library and Rob Breymaier of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center both offered eleventh-hour help. Bobbie Raymond took time from her holiday to keep me from embarrassing myself with historical inaccuracies; thanks to her ­fact-checking, but especially to her vision and passion.

I would also like to thank the following: Ted Conover, Richard McCann, Kyle Dargan, Elise Levine, Mia Jordanwood, Bree Fitzgerald, Alison Brower, Elizabeth Becker, Sarah Pollock, and Caroline Alexander, who first told me of a mass burglary in Georgia back in the 1980s while we were standing on a hilltop in South Vietnam with the U.S. Army, and which later became the seed for this novel. For twenty years, my agent, Susan Ramer, has fought for me and believed in me and cheered for me, and I wish for everyone to have someone like her fighting their corner. My team at Scribner was so beautifully engaged and enthusiastic that I feel both undeserving and profoundly grateful: John Glynn, Gwyneth Stansfield, Steve Boldt, and Dan Cuddy. My family has the fortune—good or bad—to be filled with writers and in particular my cousin, the poet Lance Lee, provides eternal inspiration and advice. My brother, David, inherited the best of my family while often enduring the worst. My Aunt Barbara and Uncle Wes have been surrogate parents to me. Thanks, also, to my father, Richard Snyder, my stepmother, Barbara Snyder, and my siblings: John, Josh, Kristi, and Doug. Finally, I thank my husband, Paul, for continuing to believe in me and for giving me the greatest gift I’ve ever received: my daughter, Jazz. The harmony and rhythm of my life. Who knew you could love someone this much?