This book would not be complete without an acknowledgment of the many people who helped make it possible. First and foremost, thanks to my beautiful wife, Kelley, for her love, patience, and support. Thanks also to my friend and colleague Andy Holtman for his encouragement and advice on early drafts of this book; to my brothers, Cliff Barney and Jonathan Barney, for their encouragement and support; to my parents, Cliff and Edna Barney, for their comments on early drafts of this book; to Anna Balishina Naydonov, Marcus Luepke, and Dr. Branimir Vojcic for their invaluable assistance in translating Russian, Ukrainian, German, and Croatian phrases; to my in-laws, Debby and David Stoll, for their support and encouragement; to my terrific agent, Mickey Choate; and last but not least, to Jennifer Brehl, Emily Krump, and the rest of the superb team at HarperCollins for making this book a success.
And, of course, I extend a special thanks to everyone who has purchased and read The Joshua Stone. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it.