We are so thankful that our editor at Avon Books, Tilda McDonald, found us on Twitter during #PitMad. Sorting through the seemingly endless number of elevator pitch tweets, she managed to find our book and it has been nothing but a wonderful partnership ever since. From the first meeting, Tilda not only shared our love for true crime, but also the vision for our book and our careers. We can’t thank you enough for all the time and dedication you’ve given to us and our novel. Everyone at Avon and HarperCollins have been supportive and encouraging as we’ve waded through this process. We couldn’t ask for a better publishing team.

We’d also like to thank Ania Skurczynska, our amazing contract lawyer who negotiated our contract on our behalf, and always kept our best interests at heart. We couldn’t have done this without you and are grateful for your encouragement.

Lastly, there are several experts who were generous with their time and knowledge who’ve helped make this book possible. Jessica Battaglia, as always, you are a wealth of information on the scientific side. Every question we’ve thrown at you was answered thoroughly and quickly, even if you didn’t know the answer, you made it a priority to find out through your network of experts. We especially want to thank FBI agent Jeffrey Heinze. Your insight was invaluable in rounding out our characters and our serial killer investigation. We are forever indebted to you for taking the time to answer all our questions. And finally, Kim Cairelle Perilloux, Genealogist extraordinaire, we messaged several Genealogists and you were the only one willing to share your knowledge and help us through the tangled web that is genealogy. You were incredibly generous with your time and we can’t thank you enough.

From Steph: