Foreign Agent (34 page)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It has been an amazing year and I want to thank all of my fantastic
readers
. Thank you for your support, all of the great chats on social media, and for how many people you have introduced to my books.

I also want to thank all of the wonderful
booksellers
around the world who carry my novels and continue to introduce new readers to them everyday. I appreciate you more than I can ever put into words.

Once again, my very good friends
Sean F.
,
James Ryan
, and
Rodney Cox
proved invaluable during the writing of this novel. They are three of the most talented, courageous, and patriotic men I know. I am better at everything I do because I strive to meet the high standards they set for themselves.

J’ro
,
Pete Scobell
,
Jeff Boss
,
Peter Osyff
, and
Jon Sanchez
have served the United States with incredible honor and distinction. I am honored to also call them my friends and to have access to their hard-won pool of knowledge. Thank you for all that you have done for me, and more important, our nation.

On the international stage,
Chad Norberg
and
Robert O’Brien
assisted with background on some key elements in the novel. These are two more good men whose friendship and service to our nation I am deeply grateful for. Thank you.

To those who quietly contributed to this novel but have requested not to have their names listed here, I thank you.

The characters
Lilliana Grace
,
Helen Cartland
, and
Alan Gottlieb
were named by generous contributors who helped support two very worthwhile causes I have been involved with. Thank you for your generosity, and I hope you enjoy the characters.

I owe so much of my success to the amazing people I work with. From the awesome
Carolyn Reidy
and the incomparable
Louise Burke
to the fantastic
Judith Curr
, I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you for everything you and everyone else at
Simon & Schuster
have done for me.

You cannot create adventure after adventure each year without a phenomenal editor and publisher.
Emily Bestler
is, hands down, the absolute best. Thank you, Emily, for your keen eye, your great ideas, and above all your enduring friendship. You mean the world to me.

When it comes to publicists,
David Brown
is the
capo di tutti capi
. Not only is he magnificent at what he does, but also in who he is. Thank you, David, for every single thing you do for me every single day of the year.

I also want to thank the outstanding
Cindi Berger
and the entire stellar
team at PMK-BNC
for the new heights they take me to each and every year. First-rate doesn’t even begin to describe what you do and how well you do it.

I have an incredible family at
Simon & Schuster
and I want to express my thanks to everyone at
Emily Bestler Books
and
Pocket Books
, including my good friends
Michael Selleck
,
Gary Urda
, and
John Hardy
, as well as the terrific
Colin Shields
,
Paula Amendolara
,
Janice Fryer
,
Seth Russo
,
Lisa Keim
,
Irene Lipsky
,
Lara Jones
,
Megan Reid
,
Emily Bamford
,
Ariele Fredman
, the entire
Emily Bestler Books/Pocket Books
sales team
,
Albert Tang
and the
Emily Bestler Books/Pocket Books Art Departments
,
Al Madocs
and the
Atria/Emily Bestler Books Production Department
,
Chris Lynch
,
Tom Spain
,
Sarah Lieberman
,
Desiree Vecchio
,
Armand Schultz
, and the entire
Simon & Schuster audio division
.

When I dreamed of becoming an author, I envisioned what it would be like to have an agent. I had seen them on TV and in movies. A good agent is not only a partner in the writing process but your greatest advocate and, if you are lucky, an even greater friend. My brilliant agent,
Heide Lange
of
Sanford J. Greenburger Associates
, is all of these and more. Heide, thank you for making everything possible.

Helping Heide make everything possible are the talented
Stephanie Delman
and
Samantha Isman
. Thank you, ladies, for everything you and everyone else at SJGA does for me. My appreciation for all of you knows no bounds.

If I said thank you a million times, it would still not be enough to let
Yvonne Ralsky
know how much she means to me. Just when I think things can’t get any better, she takes them to an entirely new level. It has been an absolute joy working with you, YBR, and I look forward to many, many more years to come! Thank you for all that you have done.

This novel is dedicated to one of the dearest people in the world to me,
Scott Schwimer
. Scottie has been with me since day one. He began as my entertainment attorney and grew into one of my best friends. You could not hope to ever meet a more decent, talented, intelligent, or devoted human being. God broke the mold with this man and I am grateful every day for him. Thank you, Scottie.

I have saved the absolute best for last—
my wonderful family
. As I write this, they are all downstairs hoping I’m about to put this book to bed, so we can celebrate. Day after day, through late nights and weekends, my wife,
Trish
, and our
children
have kept the world at bay so I can write. They have brought meals to my desk, have written notes in the snow outside my window, and have reminded me with each thing they do how much they love me. Thank you hardly seems enough. I love you all very much, and guess what? It’s time to celebrate!

If you haven’t been to BradThor.com, please stop by—and make sure to sign up for my fast, fun, free newsletter. I am constantly creating new content throughout the year and giving away some very cool prizes. It is another way I like to say thank you for all of your support.

Now we’ve reached the end of
Foreign Agent
. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much I enjoyed writing it. There’s now a special connection we share, and as the years go on, I look forward to bringing you many more great books.

Thank you, once more, for making the greatest career in the world possible.

—Brad Thor

Brad Thor is the #1 
New York Times
 bestselling author of 
Code of Conduct
,
Act of War
, 
Hidden Order
, 
Black List
, 
Full Black
 (one of 
Suspense Magazine
’s best political thrillers of 2011), 
The Athena Project
, 
Foreign Influence 
(one of 
Suspense Magazine
’s best political thrillers of 2010), 
The Apostle
, 
The Last Patriot
 (nominated best thriller of the year by the International Thriller Writers Association), 
The First Commandment
, 
Takedown
, 
Blowback
 (recognized as one of the “Top 100 Killer Thrillers of All Time” by NPR), 
State of the Union
, 
Path of the Assassin
, and 
The Lions of Lucerne
. Visit his website at
BradThor.com
.

A
LSO BY
B
RAD
T
HOR

The Lions of Lucerne

Path of the Assassin

State of the Union

Blowback

Takedown

The First Commandment

The Last Patriot

The Apostle

Foreign Influence

The Athena Project

Full Black

Black List

Hidden Order

Act of War

Code of Conduct

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2016 by Brad Thor

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Emily Bestler Books/Atria Books hardcover edition June 2016

Jacket design by Jae Song

Author photograph by John Reilly

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is available.

ISBN 978-1-4767-8935-4

ISBN 978-1-4767-8937-8 (ebook)