The Crime Writer (29 page)

I cannot sufficiently express my appreciation to Robert Crais, who encouraged my new direction from the gates and championed this book unswervingly from his first reading of the manuscript. Aaron Priest and Lisa Erbach Vance exceeded even their reputations with their skill and grace as agents. Marc H. Glick, Rich Green of CAA, and Jess Taylor, as always, provided invaluable support and input. I feel fortunate to have found an energetic and perspicacious editor in Josh Kendall; I owe much gratitude to him, Clare Ferraro, and so many others at Viking for the enthusiasm they’ve shown me and this novel. Thanks also to Melissa Hurwitz, M.D., Lucy Childs, Kristin Baird, M.D., Nicole Kenealy, Richard Kim, James Kryzanski, M.D., Michael Sebastian, and Maureen Sugden. Finally, Delinah, who was there for it all and not once asked me to play it safe.