My thanks as ever go to the team at Head of Zeus for their support and for always being readily on hand. My editor, Bethan Jones, for her astute reading and constructive criticism, as well as her love for George and his world. Lucy Ridout for her brilliant notes and eye for narrative. The books benefit hugely from her suggestions. Peyton Stableford, Andrew Knowles, Polly Grice, Ben Prior, Christian Duck and Nikky Ward for all their work in bringing George Cross to the world. Tim Owen KC for his patient advice on all things legal in the book. Dr Amanda Jeffrey, forensic pathologist, for answering too many banal medical questions about the misfortunes which befall my victims. Laura Johnson of Harrison and Harrison, Durham, for showing me around the inner workings of the organ at St Mary on the hill in the City. If I’ve got things wrong, it’s because I lost my beautiful EM Meyrowitz spectacles that day and it is no reflection on Laura – see what I did there? Angela McMahon, my PR, for taking this Harrogate newbie up to the festival and introducing me to the great and the good of the crime world. My social media team Sarah Oldman and Lilly Hill who managed to make this old hack into a viral TikTok sensation with over a million views over a weekend. Dale Gibson of Bermondsey Street Bees for both his advice and providing honey for the St Eustace Monastery honey pots.
The book is dedicated to Brian Worthington, my English teacher at school. His erudition and intellect was responsible for inspiring many when it came to English literature. Driving three of us from Bristol to Cambridge to have tea with his former teacher FR Leavis and his wife Queenie is a memory I cherish to this day. Lastly, as ever to my family. My wife Rachel and my daughters, Bella and Sophia, whose support is incalculable, even when it takes the form, as it so often does, of taking the Mickey Bliss. (George would point out here that it is incorrect to use the rhyming component of a piece of rhyming slang, and that this should be written simply as taking ‘the mickey’. My excuse is that you don’t often see it written in its full form and I rather like it.)