This book – and its predecessor – would never have been written without a huge team of willing people. Top of the list – my wife, Catherine, who puts up with a deal of neglect with good grace, until she decides enough is enough and that her husband’s damned book can take second place to a social life. My respect and love for her is undimmed by years.
None of what you read could have been achieved without the co-operation of the Vikings themselves, particularly both of the Glasgow longships, who provided characters and events which they accepted with good grace and even excitement. My thanks especially, to Helen, Gail and Jill, who provided praise and correction by ploughing through The Wolf Sea when it was a rough voyage of a manuscript.
Finally – my thanks to my agent, James Gill, who pushed the Viking ship out to sea with his enthusiasm and insight for the whole project, and Susan Watt, my editor, and all the team at HarperCollins who kept me from getting in a guddle once I was afloat.
Largs 2007