I loved writing this book. Watching it come together from a tiny whisper of an idea about complex PTSD to the finished product has been a great joy. Thanks for this must go firstly to the whole team at Canelo. Their fantastic encouragement and belief are what keep me writing. The incredible work of my editor, Katy Loftus, merits special mention, who pushed me to realise possibilities which started as abstract conversations.
Thank you to my agent, Peter Buckman, and the Ampersand Agency, whose loyalty, belief and commitment remains my solid foundation. I like the lunches too.
Thank you to Verity Lewis, my friend and lovely human, who helped me with the boundaries of psychological therapy. I know your mum would have loved this book.
As always, to Adrian Priestley, who answers all my random police procedural questions, even when on holiday for much deserved rest and recuperation. Thank you for your continued support of the Kelly series.
I would like to thank my closest fellow crime buddies for their friendship, candour and hilarious WhatsApp conversations, which to anyone who spends a significant amount of time stuck inside their own heads with murder, are priceless. Sheila Bugler, Marion Todd, Sarah Ward and Jeanette Hewitt, you make me laugh out loud when I’m about to pass out with self-doubt.
To Team Lynch, Mike, Tilly, Freddie and Poppy, my biggest fans. Your passion and giddy excitement for my ideas is my central source of encouragement to keep producing stories about the more disturbing flaws in all of us. I’m sorry if I scare you.
I’ve taken liberties with the geography of the beautiful city of Cambridge and hope I can be forgiven for them in the name of a good story. Any inaccuracies are entirely mine, and of course, fictional in their inclusion.