I must begin with Otto Penzler, whose passion and incredible guidance has brought this book to life, like everything else he does at Mysterious Press. Many moons ago, I used to frequent the Mysterious Bookshop on Fifty-Sixth Street, where I would climb the spiral staircase to the second floor and find Otto hard at work on his latest omnibus. Always busy, he still took the time to discuss the latest mystery fiction, and I would happily leave the shop with more than a few soon-to-be-cherished nuggets that filled many page-turning hours. We subsequently lost touch for decades, so it is wonderful to be reunited in such a gratifying way. As Otto recently said, “Here’s to the (re)beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Many thanks go to my team out here in California—Robb Rothman, Vanessa Livingston, and Amy Schiffman. Friends first, reps second—your support through this has been greatly appreciated.

To Benee Knauer—your help with this novel is beyond measure. You never lost faith from the time we first discussed it, and I know seeing the book come to fruition this way gives you much the same sense of pride and satisfaction as it does me.

A specific acknowledgement is long overdue to my close friend, Dan Pyne. You’ve made me a better writer from the day we first met and continue to inspire me all these years later.

I can’t thank Cindy McCreery enough for being there every step of the way through this process. Whether it’s coteaching or continuing to try and conquer Hollywood together, it means everything to have someone who has your back and you can always count on.

I am grateful to my early readers—Sibyl Jackson, Rodney Perlman, David Reinfeld, Connie Tavel, and Tom Werner—for their thoughts and encouragement. Richard Michaelis—your help with Britishisms proved invaluable. And Bruce Blakely—thanks for some pointers on using refrigerators instead of freezers.

And most of all, my everlasting love to Holly. Everything starts and ends with you. Your absolute belief in me is what keeps me going.