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Contents (41)
  1. CHAPTER ONE
  2. CHAPTER TWO
  3. CHAPTER THREE
  4. CHAPTER FOUR
  5. CHAPTER FIVE
  6. CHAPTER SIX
  7. CHAPTER SEVEN
  8. CHAPTER EIGHT
  9. CHAPTER NINE
  10. CHAPTER TEN
  11. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  12. CHAPTER TWELVE
  13. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  14. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  15. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  16. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  17. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  18. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  19. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  20. CHAPTER TWENTY
  21. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  22. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  30. CHAPTER THIRTY
  31. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  32. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  40. EPILOGUE
  41. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Every June I look forward to spending five days with my energetic brainstorming friends. Thanks as always to Serena B. Miller, Casey Daniels/Kylie Logan, and Shelley Costa Bloomfield, whose enthusiasm and vision make every book we work on together that much better.

Thanks, too, to our free press, whose accurate and truthful reporting of the news is fodder for every book I write. The idea for this novel came from a story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer more than a decade ago. Sometimes it takes that long.

Thanks to my insightful editor, Emily Ohanjanians, and my equally insightful agent Steve Axelrod for their encouragement and input. Thanks to the art department at MIRA Books for this cover, which I loved the moment I saw it—words they never expected to hear.

Special thanks to fabulous authors Jayne Ann Krentz and Diane Chamberlain, who volunteered to read the manuscript and then gave me wonderful quotes for my cover.

Every author knows that when doing research, the questions we forget to ask are the ones that get us in trouble. So, as always, any mistakes in this novel are my own. That said, the staff of Central Florida K-9 in Orlando enthusiastically allowed a stranger to spend most of a day at their sides learning what they do and how they do it. My thanks to Rock Galloway, the director of training and operations, Rina, Sarah and JT, instructors, and Paul, the kennel tech. I have such admiration for all of them. They successfully work with many kinds of dogs, often aggressive and difficult. Their love and respect for their work and the dogs under their care is obvious.

Imagine my surprise when after plotting this book, we added a K9 officer to our own family. My thanks to Eric Smith, of the St. Petersburg, Florida police department, who gave me colorful insights into the life of a K9 officer, including some real life encounters he and others have experienced.

My thanks, too, to the creators of my favorite true crime podcasts: Accused, Breakdown, In the Dark, Serial and Criminal. Each one features professional, in depth reporting, and helped me create Ryan’s fictional podcast, Out in the Cold.

Finally thanks to my husband, Michael McGee, who fixed delicious meals and brought me countless cups of tea as I finished this novel. I’m sure that without his love and support, suggestions and critiques, I would never have written more than seventy novels, nor wanted to.

A
FAMILY
OF
STRANGERS

EMILIE RICHARDS

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