Nobody reads this part, but I want it down on the record that some of the best work in this book is there because my editor at Bantam, Beverly Lewis, went far beyond the call of duty, reading and re-reading various incarnations of this book, thinking about it, engaging with it, in a way, and with a kind of grace, that few writers are lucky enough to encounter. If you like this book, you should raise a glass to Beverly Lewis.
If you hate it, blame me.
I also want to thank David Reid, ex-SWAT sniper and my good friend, for keeping my sights in line; David Forbes of the Royal Bank, for trust and good faith; and, of course, Betsy Cenedella, who, as usual, kept me from making a complete fool of myself in print more times than I care to recall.
And … finally … thanks to the men of the Seventh Cavalry, First Air Cavalry Division. When the time came, the black hats paid the reckoning. On the nail.