To Michael Carlisle, for his mentorship and friendship.

I am grateful to my entire family—to all the Carters around the country, as well as the Holbrooks, Heaths, Wiesenthals, Cohens, Schonwalds, Carter-Weidenfelds, and Wellers.

To Ginna Carter, who is always my ally; to Jon Carter, Pamela Carter, Whendy Carter, Ellen Carter, Ali Marsh, Fred Weller, Eve Holbrook, and Claus Sørenson. To Hal Holbrook, who is rooting for me. To Joyce Cohen, a loyal friend. To Arthur Carter and Linda Carter, for their unending love and support.

And to my mother, Dixie Carter, who is with me in spirit.

I am ever so fortunate to have married into the Kempf family—Nancy and Don Kempf, Kathy and Donald Kempf, and Charlie Kempf, who is no longer with us—but especially Nancy Kempf, who treats me like her own daughter and hopes for my success, like she would for her own.

Thank you to Manfred Flynn Kuhnert for many years of education in art and images, story and structure. And for an invaluable friendship.

To Cara Natterson and Sherry Ross for guidance on medical questions. And to Karen Snyder, Larry Golfer, and William Lewis for guidance on photography questions. For helping me in big ways and small ways, directly and indirectly, thank you to Ilsa Brink, Fauzia Burke, Jake Carter, Juan Castillo, Ming Chen, Wah Chen, Ali Clark, Aleksandra Crapanzano, Hayden Goldblatt, Lydia Kris, Dylan Landis, Darya Mastronardi, Lisa Choi Owens, Steve Owens, Mo Rocca, Beowulf Sheehan, Drew Vinton, and Jaime Wolf.

The biggest thank-you of all goes to my husband and best friend, Steve Kempf, who has brought me so much happiness. Without him, I wouldn’t have this book. Finally, I am grateful to Eleanor and Henry—the brightest joys of my life. You are everything.

More Praise for The Photographer

More Praise for The Photographer

“If your thirst for class-conscious (or conspicuous, rather) drama is as embarrassingly hard to slake as mine, Mary Dixie Carter’s The Photographer is here for you. The book came out this summer, but it’s perfect for a wintertime escape, too.”

—Vanity Fair (11 Books We Loved This Month, December 2021)

“As sharply focused and mesmerizing as a magic trick and a good deal creepier than most.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“The sense of impending disaster is palpable as the suspense and tension grow, and what happens at the end is unexpected and odd. Creepy, dark, and suspenseful … A gripping read.”

—Booklist

“An explosive debut.”

—Library Journal

“Rest assured that while Delta Dawn has many traits we have seen in other characters in the crime fiction canon, Mary Dixie Carter has somehow made her feel fresh, unusual, and utterly dangerous. Every page turn is like another detour around crazy town. Mary Dixie Carter’s The Photographer is a fast read that consumes the mind of the reader until the final page is turned.”

—BOLO Books