Again, my sincere thanks to John Sargent, head of Macmillan, and Sally Richardson, who always has nothing but kind words. Then there’s Jen Enderlin, who captains St. Martin’s, and my publisher at Minotaur, Andrew Martin. Also, a huge debt of gratitude continues for Hector DeJean in Publicity; Jeff Dodes and everyone in Marketing and Sales, especially Paul Hochman; Anne Marie Tallberg, the sage of all things paperback; David Rotstein, who produced the cover; and Mary Beth Roche and her innovative folks in Audio.
As always, a bow to Simon Lipskar, my agent and friend, and to my editor, Kelley Ragland, and her assistant, Maggie Callan, both of whom are wonderful.
A few extra mentions: Meryl Moss and her extraordinary publicity team (especially Deb Zipf and JeriAnn Geller); Jessica Johns and Esther Garver, who continue to keep Steve Berry Enterprises running smoothly; and Rachel Maurizio, guide extraordinaire in Malta.
Ten years ago I dedicated The Venetian Betrayal to my new bride, Elizabeth. She was then a novice to writing and publishing, but a fast study, evolving into a first-rate editor with a keen eye for craft and story. She’s now half owner (with the incomparable M. J. Rose) of 1001 Dark Nights, a publishing and marketing company focused on the romance genre. She is also executive director of International Thriller Writers, an organization of over four thousand members, 80 percent of whom are working thriller writers.
So this book is for Elizabeth, an extraordinary woman who has not only made my stories better, but made my life better, too.