Many people were instrumental in bringing The Prize from an idea to a book. I had the good fortune to work with two outstanding editors, Caroline Leavitt and Amy Rogers, who played enormous roles in shaping and developing the manuscript. I also received a great deal of help and guidance from participation in the GrubStreet writing community, including feedback and advice from Ann Collette.

It’s a pleasure to thank my friends Alexandra Adams, Ken Adams and Ulla Hansen for reading and commenting on drafts of The Prize, especially Alexandra who read several versions as the book progressed.

Special thanks are also due to Helen Holcomb and Jack Cunha for their advice on the process of Federal fraud prosecution.

And finally, thanks to Audrey Capuano for her patience during endless discussions of this project. And for inspiring two of the characters.