She doesn’t want to hear Simon’s voice now. She closes her eyes. Inhales and exhales deeply for a moment to stop the dizzy feeling.

Once she’s sure she can move and breathe and think comfortably, Emma opens her eyes. Careful of her bandages, she takes off her jacket, slips off her formal shoes.

The envelope in her hand impedes her ability to carry everything, so she bends down and leans it against the base of the tree. She folds the jacket over her arm and picks up her shoes. She leaves the envelope where it is.

It’s a short walk across the grass to the place where she parked the Rabbit. She unlocks the car and dumps her jacket and shoes on the back seat. Her running shoes are in the passenger footwell. She sits down on the edge of the passenger seat and pulls them on.

Emma Lewis, walking around the front of her car to get in behind the wheel, start the engine.

It’s a six-and-a-half-hour drive back to Apple Creek.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

A lot of research goes into book-writing. I’m probably flagged on some government watchlist for weird internet searches and even weirder reading lists.

I’m grateful to the folks of Trauma Fiction and Writer’s Detective FB groups for answering my various questions about debilitating injury, gory death, and law enforcement processes. Special thanks to my brother-in-law, Dr. Sebastian Corlette, for answering my bizarre queries about diethyl ether.

Many podcasts were listened to during the creation of None Shall Sleep. I’m particularly appreciative of the insight (and acknowledgment of the victims) of Laura Richards, Jim Clemente, and Lisa Zambetti, the hosts of Real Crime Profile on Wondery.

I’m a long-time fan of the work of John Douglas, whose book Mindhunter I first read in my twenties. While writing this book, I also read many of Douglas’s other works, including The Anatomy of Motive and Inside the Mind of BTK. I’d also like to acknowledge the influence of Joe Penhall’s Netflix series Mindhunter; Bryan Fuller’s NBC series Hannibal; the work of Thomas Harris (especially The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, and Cari Mora), Stephen King, Barry Lyga, Leigh Bardugo, and Courtney Summers; and The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson.

Including a list of author names would make a long index, but I consulted many open-source articles and academic papers related to forensic examination—ask me sometime about document analysis!—which I’d like to acknowledge.

I’d also like to thank personal contacts in the security services and within Sisters in Crime Australia, and initial contacts at the FBI. The FBI historical webpages are a great source of information, by the way, but I also read a number of articles by National Academy graduates and books on the history of the FBI, including The Bureau by Ronald Kessler.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This is my ninth book, and it has been by far the easiest and the hardest one to write.

To Josh and Tracey Adams, my incredible agents. We got down to the wire with this one, but you held the line—thank you so, so much. Another massive thank-you to Caroline Walsh and Christabel McKinley, in the UK, for sharing this book outside the United States. My deepest gratitude, always, and long may the adventures continue!