During the writing of this book, there were many people who helped me with my research and answered my questions. Friends and family generously gave up their time without question and special thanks goes to Barbara Grzelczyk, Lisa Perelman, Margaret Bannister, and Chloe Fairley for reading the first draft of the manuscript and sharing their thoughts. Any liberties with the truth rest firmly on my shoulders. Thank you to Sandra and Chris Whittle for the endless conversations about plot and character as well as always helping out with daily life to ensure I have the time to write.

Special thanks also to Sam Armstrong, Reim El Houni, and Punam Verma who do a fantastic job making sure people know about my books.

My novel writing journey started at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature (EAFOL) winning first place in the Montegrappa Novel Writing Award in 2016. Thank you to Isobel Abulhoul, Yvette Judge, Ahlam Bolooki and the whole team at EAFOL as well as Charles Nahhas of Montegrappa Middle East for creating such an opportunity for new authors.

I have a lovely group of author friends based in Dubai who have generously shared their time, encouragement and advice including Rachel Hamilton, Jessica Jarlvi, and Annabel Kantaria.

To my readers, thank you for your ongoing support and reviews. I’m very lucky to be able to say this is my third novel and without you, I wouldn’t have got this far – thank you.

And finally, thank you to my husband, Fahad Osman, who supports everything I do.

About Karen Osman

Karen Osman is a bestselling author. She won the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Montegrappa Novel Writing Award in 2016 with her crime thriller debut novel, The Good Mother, and went on to secure a three-book deal with Head of Zeus. When she’s not writing novels, Karen is busy bringing up her two young children and overseeing her communication business Travel Ink.

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