Acknowledgments

The research for this novel involved delving into diverse background data; interviewing experienced people in some rather strange subject areas; and conducting my usual “eyeball recon” at some very unusual locales in Florida, the Bahamas, and Haiti. None of it was dull, some of it was downright scary, and all of it assisted me in understanding the facts and flavor of the places, people, and times in this story. As my longtime readers already know, I have developed a unique global organization I call the Subject Matter Advanced Resource Team, or SMART. Assisting me with detailed information on everything from religion to bush medicine to balloons, many of them helped me on this project.

My academic research information came from the following:

To understand Washington, D.C., and the naval culture in the latter 1880s, I turned to Jeffrey Dorwart’s classic The Office of Naval Intelligence:The Birth of America’s First Intelligence Agency, CDR John Alden’s The American Steel Navy, Donald Canney’s The Old Steam Navy, Peter Karsten’s The Naval Aristocracy, and Charles M. Pepper’s Everyday Life in Washington. The Smithsonian’s 1886 Visitor’s Guide was a rare view into that great institution.

The photo and textual collections of the University of Florida George A. Smathers Library, and that of Gil Wilson, proved very educational about St. Augustine in the 1880s. Gregg Turner’s Florida Railroad History is the major work on that subject, and he personally assisted me regarding the railroads of northeast and central Florida.

Cantor Brown’s Florida’s Peace River Frontier and Tampa, Lindsey Williams’ and U.S. Cleveland’s Our Fascinating Past, Tom Smoot’s excellent The Edisons of Fort Myers, Angie Larkin’s Old Punta Gorda, Betty Holt’s Sanibel’s Story, Charles Dana Gibson’s Boca Grande, and Elaine Jordan’s Tales of Pine Island and Pine Island, the Forgotten Island were instrumental in my understanding southwest Florida in the latter nineteenth century.

Patsy West’s article in The Seminole Tribune explained the story of “Key West Billy.” Raymond C. Lantz’s census book, Seminole Indians of Florida: 1874–1879, helped me be aware of the clans. Clay MacCauley’s Seminoles of Florida, an 1884 status report to the U.S. Dept. of Ethnology, was a treasure trove of detailed observations in that period.

My knowledge about Key West was enhanced by Walter Maloney’s 1876 A Sketch of the History of Key West, Jefferson Browne’s 1912 Key West: The Old and The New, Consuelo Stebbins’ City of Intrigue, Nest of Revolution, John Viele’s The Florida Keys: A History of the Pioneers, and William Rogers’ and James Denham’s Florida Sheriffs: A History 1821–1945.

Nassau, Andros Island, and Great Inagua Island were studied in Gilbert Klingel’s Inagua: An Island Sojourn; L.D. Powles’ 1888 The Land of the Pink Pearl; Michael Craton’s A–Z of Bahamas Heritage and History of the Bahamas; Dr. Rosalyn Howard’s Black Seminoles in the Bahamas and Reverend Bertram A. Newton: Preacher, Teacher and Friend; the June 1888 issue of Littell’s Living Age Magazine; the December 1889 issue of Scribner’s Magazine; Martha Hanna-Smith’s Bush Medicine in Bahamian Folklore; Dr. Gail Saunder’s Historic Nassau; and many journals provided by Mr. David Gates of the Bahamas Historical Society.

Haitian history and culture were illuminated by John Vandercook’s 1928 Black Majesty: The Slave who became a King, Hubert Cole’s Christophe: King of Haiti, Wade Davis’ famous The Serpent and the Rainbow, and Webster University professor Robert Colbert’s excellent database. Facts on the French submarine telegraph cable efforts in Haiti were gleaned from Bill Burns’ and Bill Glover’s outstanding History of the Atlantic Cable database. Navigational information for the lower Bahamas and the coast of northern Haiti was found in Jerrems C. Hart’s and William T. Stone’s 1976 work, A Cruising Guide to the Caribbean and the Bahamas, which I recommend to all sailors.

I was enlightened about the fascinating world of aeronautics in the 1880s by the September 1887 issue of Manufacturer and Builder, Jules Verne’s 1886 Robur the Conqueror, the April 1889 issue of The North American Review, the November 1884 issue of Littell’s Living Age Magazine, Octave Chanute’s 1894 book Progress in Flying Machines, and Richard P. Hallion’s excellent history of the early aeronauts, Taking Flight. Little-known facets and photos were found at Carroll Gray’s database. One of the Department of Defense’s experts on Lighter-than-Air (LTA) craft, LTC Michael Woodgerd, U.S. Army (Ret.), provided detailed information and critique on the subject, all while stationed in the very dangerous mountains of eastern Afghanistan. Further information was provided by Norman Mayer, an engineer who has worked in LTA all his life. They did their best to make it simple for me—any technical errors are mine.

The particulars of imperial Russian counter-revolutionary operations in the 1880s were opened up for me by the CIA’s Ben Fischer and Rita Kronenbitter (an alias) in their work on the Okhrana, specifically Rachovsky’s foreign operations out of Paris. In addition, significant information was found in Ronald Hingley’s The Russian Secret Police, Stephen Wade’s Spies in the Empire, Richard Deacon’s A History of the Russian Secret Service, and from nineteenth-century media accounts in Cornell University’s Making of America database, which yielded several contemporary descriptions of the Russian revolutionary culture.

During the “eyeball recon” portion of my research, the following people helped my understanding of their locales and cultures.

In addition to answering a multitude of questions, Balloon Pilot Fred Vereb and Ground Crew Chief Hal Blethroad gave me a never-to-be-forgotten hot-air research flight over, and through, the trees of central Florida. I recommend them heartily: www.bigredballoon.com

In St. Augustine, Reverend Jim Reeher gave me an insider’s tour of Grace United Methodist Church, including a scary climb up and down that belfry. Adele Wright was my gracious hostess at the historic St. Francis Inn (www.stfrancisinn.com), my favorite lodging in the United States’ oldest city.

In Nassau, Venita Johnson of the Bahamas Historical Society (www.bahamashistoricalsociety.org) helped me on background information. At the National Archives of the Bahamas, Chief Research Officer Lulamae Collie Gray and her assistant Wendia Ferguson searched their considerable collection of colonial records and Guardian files to provide important information regarding the summer and fall of 1888. Enrico Garzaroli, current owner of the 260-year-old Graycliff House (www.graycliff.com), helped me understand the history of that wonderful place. If you visit Nassau, you must stay in Graycliff’s Woodes Rogers suite.

“Eyeball recon” in northern Haiti wasn’t easy, to say the least. But that’s where friendships come in. Missionary Eva DeHart introduced me to import-exporter Tony Marcelli, who introduced me to Dr. Paul Louis Noisin, the pre-eminent anthropologist of Haiti and president of the Université Roi Christophe. Dr. Noisin lent me his valuable time and intellect so that I could better comprehend Haitian history and culture.

After my research on the north Haitian coast, during which I traced Wake’s steps in the voudou caves and along the precarious cliffs of Picolet, an intrepid band of adventurers helped me on an expedition into the mountains of the interior to follow in Wake’s track there. Eva DeHart and Rob Irons of For Haiti With Love, the Christian medical, food, and housing mission I enthusiastically support (www.forhaitiwithlove.org) helped organize the expedition. Rob was also a driver; Racine Présumé, veteran commander in the Haitian National Police and dear friend, was the expedition’s outstanding chef de securité, also a driver, and kept things moving along. Charlot Althiery was senior guide at Sans Souci and Citadelle. Jocelyn Morisset was a driver, and both he and Jean Claude Aristil provided security. Roseline Présumé (also of For Haiti With Love) was chief translator/negotiator—no easy task. Rosemarlene Suprevil was admin assistant; Jean Moreau was the column’s flute player; Jon, René, and Edward were bearers; and Joseph Calixte was guide at Picolet. Cesar and Michelle, Frenchmen wandering through Haiti, joined the crew at Milot and helped get the vehicle up that daunting mountain to the base camp. René, Edward, and Rob helped me scale the cliff, just as Wake did, and barely cheat death one more time. In total I had fifteen people with me on that trek—a memorable experience that will last a lifetime.

Back here in the U.S.A., several folks helped me in the actual writing of the novel. I began writing this book at Christine and Mark Strom’s high-altitude home of Maramonte in the Black Mountains of North Carolina. Mike and Renee Maurer’s place in the Florida Keys was another refuge de plume. Famous novelist Randy Wayne White helped with good professional advice and decent rum. And, of course, the lovely Nancy Glickman provided constant love, support, ideas, and very valuable critical reading as well. June Cussen, the executive editor at Pineapple Press, has edited all nine novels of the Honor Series. Along the way, she’s taught me more than anyone else in the business about the craft of creating interesting books. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from her.

Most of all, I thank my readers around the world. Throughout the years, you have kept me filled with more than enough élan for each new project. You are the very best audience a writer could hope for, and I am profoundly appreciative of your considerable encouragement.

Thank you all.