Acknowledgments

It’s a thrill to see my name on the cover of a real book, but a lot of people helped me get it there. Thanks to:

The Sisters in Crime Guppy chapter, the best writers’ group anywhere. Special thanks to Guppies Elizabeth Zelvin, Jeri Westerson, Helen Sandoval, and Krista Davis for discussing specific topics with me or reviewing draft Q&A, and Bill Hopkins for wading through the full manuscript and particularly for his insights as a retired trial judge. Of course, I made the mistakes all by myself.

Jeff Boxer, for reviewing the questions on guns.

Debbie Burke, long-time critique partner and friend, for listening to me talk about this project for years, and for reading the full manuscript.

My brother and personal super-lawyer, Tom Budewitz, for willingness to read any thing I write, including this manuscript.

Doug Lyle, M.D. and Lee Lofland for their encouragement, and agents Kimberley Cameron and Elizabeth Evans for helping shape the proposal.

Kent Sorsky at Linden Publishing for taking a chance on this project, and Jaguar Bennett, publicity & marketing director, for helping spread the word.

Doranna Durgin, Blue Hound Visions Website Design, for her work on LawandFiction.com.

Molly Weston, editor of the Sisters in Crime quarterly, In Sinc, and Susan Evans, editor of the Guppies’ newsletter, First Draft, for giving me regular fora to rant and rave, and I hope, inform.

The Guppies and my brother Tom for suggesting books and movies I just had to know about.

All the writers who have asked me questions and allowed me to help them get the facts right.

My mother Alice and my late father Bill, for urging law school and encouraging me to write.

Finally, special thanks to my husband Don Beans, for always understanding what it means when I’m “in writing world.”