When my great friend—and for twenty-five years my fantabulous literary agent at ICM Partners—Esther Newberg set out to sell the first ninety-six pages of my debut crime novel, Final Jeopardy, one of the bidding editors asked whether I thought I could write a second book, to start a series. I told Esther I thought I could write ten. I have always loved serial thrillers, waiting for my favorite sleuths to reappear in tale after tale. So it is astounding to me—and such a distinct honor—to be publishing my twentieth Alexandra Cooper novel, Blood Oath.
I got to this point in my career because of loyal readers, knowledgeable librarians, and the best booksellers in the country—like Barbara Peters of the Poisoned Pen Press, who has believed in me since reading the galley of my first novel.
Esther has been my North Star, guiding me wisely and with great good humor through the pleasures and perils of the publishing world. I ran out of words to thank her long ago.
Dutton has been my happiest literary home, with true believers at the helm—Christine Ball, especially, and John Parsley, too. Stephanie Kelly is my editor, and it is a dream to put a manuscript in her hands, knowing she will help make it a better book. Emily Canders sends me out into the world and is my lifeline to the mother ship. I’ve also got Carrie Swetonic, Elina Vaysbeyn, Lee Ann Pemberton, and a lineup of Dutton heavy hitters at my back. Thanks, too, to illustrator David Cain for the map in the beginning of the book, and to the good people at Little Brown UK, who cover me abroad.
Laura Rossi Totten is the most amazing social media guru and genius, and it is her boundless creativity that spreads the word about Coop and her sidekicks.
Every now and then, one gets extremely lucky. Two years ago, I had the great pleasure of sitting next to Jesse Ausubel at a dinner party. Not only did I have a marvelous evening, but I was captivated by his accessible brilliance and infectious excitement about his work.
Jesse invited me through the elegant gates of the Rockefeller University and, in ways that he never expected, gave me this book. I spent hours with Dr. Sarah Schlesinger, who introduced me to the history and significance of this unique institution. Michael Murphy and Jim Rogers, who are both former NYPD supervisors, guard the gates and secrets of Rock U. Mike also led me through the underground tunnels, knowing the way to the heart of a crime writer.
In every book, I acknowledge my real-life heroes—the women and men of the New York County District Attorney’s Office and their courageous counterparts in the NYPD.
It was Justin Feldman who introduced me to his beloved friend Esther Newberg. Bones Fairstein, whose DNA passed on to me his love for reading this genre, and Bobbie Fairstein, who believed in everything I wanted to try to do. I carry them all with me, along with Karen Cooper—whose husband’s name I stole to create my protagonist.
Jordan Goldberg gets major thanks for gifting his father with a bottle of small-batch Bourbon called Blood Oath.
Michael Goldberg is my rock, my first reader, my most gentle critic, and the man who makes me laugh every day. Laughter and love—a magical combination he has given me for which I am forever grateful.