This time around I seem to have an inordinate number of people to thank for helping me write my fourth Burton & Lamb story: The Rapunzel Act. I think (I hope) this reflects its evolution and many layers, rather than my having forgotten anyone the previous three times.
I have dedicated this book to my three wonderful boys: Noah, Nathan and Aron, who are a constant source of joy and pride, as I watch them grow and flourish. Importantly, without them, I would not have known what a nutmeg was or a golden goal and Debbie Mallard’s back story might well have been quite different.
Particular thanks also go to Isabella Segal, for sharing her inspirational story with me with such clarity and honesty, and for all her support in the writing of this book. I am also grateful to All About Trans with its professed aim of seeking to ‘positively change how the media understands and portrays trans people’ for providing a wealth of information on its website, focusing on how to treat people in the trans community with respect.
Thank you (again) to Dr Stuart J Hamilton, Home Office Registered Forensic Pathologist, for input on the forensic medicine content; our conversations are always so colourful and informative – I hate to think what anyone listening in might think.
I must also thank Professor Paul Thaler, whose two wonderful and illuminating books, The Watchful Eye: American Justice in the Age of the Television Trial and The Spectacle: Media and the Making of the OJ Simpson Story, provided much food for thought when this story was beginning to take shape, and whose encouraging words and support were most welcome.
Thanks also to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Henry Allen, for allowing me to use his quote at the beginning of the story and for making me laugh a lot, in our recent correspondence. And to Verso Books for giving permission to use the quote from the late Jean Baudrillard.
And to my dear friend, Pen Vogler (aka @PenfromPenguin), for, once more, being a wonderful sounding board and providing a thoughtful, constructive and kind critique.
My thanks, as always, go to all the team at Lightning Books: to Dan Hiscocks for his continued support and belief in my abilities, to Scott Pack for his incredible editing skills and guidance, to Amber Choudhary at Midas PR for her superb marketing skills and Simon Edge for his novel and highly creative publicity drives, to Hugh Brune for his enthusiastic sales campaign, to Nell Wood for the fabulous cover design and to Clio Mitchell for meticulous copyediting and typesetting.
I must, of course, also acknowledge the enormous contribution of my parents, Jacqie and the late Sidney Fineberg, both inspirational teachers, who encouraged me and my sisters to spend all our waking hours reading.
Finally, a gigantic thank you goes to everyone who has reviewed this story or The Cinderella Plan, The Aladdin Trial or my first novel, The Pinocchio Brief, for taking the time to read my books and share their views in a variety of ways, including in radio broadcasts, space in some of our most prestigious national publications, hosting me on their blogs and websites and taking the time to post online reviews. Their support has provided me with the confidence to continue writing, and without their backing I would not have been able to reach such a wide audience; I am forever indebted.