To my fearless co-author, mentor, and friend, Nicole. To say this book wouldn’t have been possible without you is an understatement. Thank you for your unwavering support of my dreams, for continuously throwing plot ideas at me, and for always having an open mind when we have to make decisions. I am forever grateful for your encouragement of my writing and for your trust in me to help bring our ideas to life. I never could have imagined that getting hired on the same day as photo editors in 2012, would lead to a life-long friendship and partnership as a crime fiction writing duo. Thank you for always answering my FaceTime even when it’s about an insignificant plot point or word that I’m overanalyzing, and for consistently spending over 5 hours straight staring at my face on Zoom calls. Your dedication to brainstorming, research, and always squeezing in one more read-through, has been invaluable to our success. From sitting across from you on a couch for an entire day outlining this story, to the following year spent bringing it to life through our long-distance relationship, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. I can’t wait to see what other twisty stories we come up with together.

I want to thank my wonderful, selfless beta readers and friends who made this book better with each comment. Lauren Totten, Megan Hilbert, and Jessie Kerr, thank you for your honest feedback and your support. The evolvement of our characters and all the twists and turns would not have been possible without your honesty, ideas, and encouragement. Megan, I’m so especially grateful for your friendship of over a decade, continuing to be my biggest cheerleader through the ups and downs.

To my Tbooz: Lilli Winn, Darí Brooks Ahye, Amanda Mulligan, Lauren Totten, and Elisabeth Barker. I am so lucky to be surrounded by a squad of such intelligent and loving women. Thank you for your enthusiastic support on this journey and for your friendship. And to Sara McCarthy, who has continuously showed up to celebrate the wins and help navigate the losses, I am so grateful for your continued love and for your friendship that has always felt more like being family.

To my husband Danny Mullin. Thank you for loving me and believing in me as I navigated taking on a second career as an author. The long days, nights, and weekends spent glued to a computer screen were made so much easier by your continued affection, bringing me food, cleaning up around the house, and cheering me on. You’ve continued to be my best friend and other half, and I’m so grateful to have you by my side on this journey.