My deepest thanks go out to the following people (in alphabetical order):
Austin Gwin, for keeping track of Evie, for pressing me to make some of my jokes clearer, and for his critical eye to this arc as a whole, with his usual generous kindness.
Steve Leonard, for asking me to think more carefully about Somers’s behavior in the first few chapters, for keeping track of the timeline, for asking me about Nico’s reaction—genius—and so much more!
Raj Mangat, for reminding me that Hazard takes his coffee black, for helping me with so many things (commas included!) that slipped past other readers, and for helping me remember that Hazard is very good at his job.
Cheryl Oakley, for asking about Dulac and Darnell and another book, for catching so many things I couldn’t see (grocery story!), and for always being the first one to write back and tell me the book isn’t broken—not completely, anyway.
Nichole Reeder, for catching name swaps (it’s not the first time Colt and Auggie got switched), for helping me keep my victims dead and my suspects suspicious, and for patiently correcting so many of my typos!
Tray Stephenson, for reminding me that cars weigh more than they used to, for fixing my announcer, and catching my little (but amusing) typos (sprinkles is very different from sprinklers!).
Mark Wallace, for reminding me: brake, not gas; for helping me clarify speakers and situations; and for always lending me his reader brain—Somers’s bandaged head!
Jo Wegstein, for fixing (as always) my multitude of typographical errors, for pressing me (in a good way) on pit versus pitfall and glassy versus glossy, for keeping track of the number of desks–and so much more.
Wendy Wickett, for attar of roses (they didn’t only use one!), for knowing I’d be secretly disappointed if she didn’t at least once recommend italics, and for a comment that said, ‘Oh God, just like Joel Osteen’ (and, of course, the boar story)!