Contents (83)
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- Acknowledgements
- OUT NOW IN PAPERBACK
‘And on that note, I’m gonna head back to my cell. Have a little sleep while I wait for my release papers.’
He walked to the door and put his head outside.
‘GUARD! I’M DONE!’
Moved his head back in.
‘Shame of it is, I’ve got some things planned. Sort of things where I could have used someone as good as you if they went wrong. But I guess that can’t happen now, can it?’
The sound of jangling keys told Michael that a custody officer was coming.
Kash continued.
‘Still. I’m sure I’ll see you both again. One way or the other.’
Kash looked into Draper’s eyes as he said those final words. Draper looked back. Horrified. With a casual wink of the eye, Kash walked away.
Michael and Draper stayed silent as they watched him go. No words. No movements. Both lost in thought.
In the same thought.
What the hell did we just do?
Acknowledgements
In the year since the publication of Killer Intent I have been asked a lot of different questions, but one in particular has stood out: ‘How does it feel now you’re a successful author?’
This question has stuck with me because I don’t regard myself as a successful author. Not yet. But the term ‘successful author’ will always be misleading because it suggests that a book’s writer is solely responsible for its creation. This could not be further from the truth. A book, I was amazed to discover, is not purely the product of its author. It is the product of a skilled team. Of a support network. Of experts there to identify and deal with the writer’s weaknesses. And of friends and committed readers brave enough to tell the author that his ‘baby’ isn’t as perfect as he thinks. The input from this ‘team’ is truly invaluable, and so it is my pleasure to now thank them.
For the second time in as many books, I have to begin with the two women who – between them – are the only reason I have a writing career at all.
To my own Sarah Truman, my amazing wife, Victoria. Without your encouragement – and your determined efforts to stop my procrastination and distraction – this book would not have been written. Your patience while I write, your careful reading when I’m done and your ability to make our life work around all of the madness is beyond measure. I cannot imagine my life without you; you mean everything and there are no words that do you justice.
And to my mum: once again you were with me as this book grew from nothing and became Marked For Death. Once again you listened to my long, meandering calls as I explained plot points and intricate detail about the lives of people who existed only in my own head. You could have said ‘enough’ as I set out this imaginary world over the course of months. Instead you humoured me, you encouraged me and you occasionally reined in my more outlandish ideas. You have always been my biggest supporter in everything I do (well, other than boxing . . .) and absolutely none of this would exist without you. Every son owes his mother his life. I somehow owe you more. But ‘no charge’, right?