Flesh House

Without whom...

Many people helped (intentionally or otherwise) with the writing of this book by answering questions, asking them, or just saying bizarre things that sounded interesting within earshot.

I have to thank (because they’ll arrest me if I don’t) Grampian Police for all the help they’ve given me, not just with this book, but all the previous ones. A special nod goes to Chief Inspector Jim Bilsland, for pointers and some stories of what it was like in the force back in the 1980s — none of which I can repeat here — and Linda Cottriall for putting me straight about what a Family Liaison officer actually does.

That doyenne of the mortuary, Ishbel Gall, was once more unbelievably helpful, especially when it came to some of the more... cannibalistic aspects of the story. If she wasn’t so nice, she’d be scary.

Any procedural stuff that I’ve got right is down to the input of these people. The bits I’ve got wrong are all my own work.

I want to thank Frank Clark and Bruce Fraser of McIntosh Donald for showing me how a proper abattoir works, and Keir Allen and Duncan Oswald for talking them into it. Thanks guys, it was an eye-opener.

More thanks are due to Danny Stroud for the fascinating tour of Aberdeen Harbour; Szymon Krygiel for the lesson in Polish swearing; Christopher Croly for some interesting historical facts; everyone at Trinity Hall; and let’s not forget Val McDermid, Tammy Jones, Mark Billingham, Bernard Cornwell, John ‘Spanky’ Rickards, Allan Guthrie, Stuart Singer of the Redgarth, and the late great R.D. Wingfield (who’ll be sorely missed). Inspiration, beer, and abuse in equal measure.

Yet more thanks go to: Philip Patterson — not just a great agent, but a friend and top-notch monkey impersonator — Luke, Isabella, Jacquie, and everyone else at Marjacq scripts. HarperCollins: especially the brilliant Jane Johnson and dazzling Sarah Hodgson; the superb Amanda; Fiona, Louisa and the Publicity crew; Lucy, Airlie and the Rights gang; Clive, Wendy and the UK Sales team; Sylvia, Damon and the Export Sales guys; Leisa and the Marketing maestros; and Andrew and Dom for design interior and exterior. Kelley Ragland at St. Martin’s Press. And James Oswald for his unusually bearded insight.

I also want to thank Tom and Hazel Stephen who donated a large sum of money to Books Abroad, so that they could appear as victims in this book — brave choice!

In order to make the newspaper clippings look as real as possible I had to twist some family members’ arms to let me photograph them: my brother, Christopher appears as Ken Wiseman; my sister-in-law, Catherine plays Catherine Davidson; and a strange lady from Fife pretended to be Valerie Leith. (All the businesses and locations in the book were faked up using Adobe Photoshop.)

Lastly, but not leastly, I have to say thanks to my naughty wife, Fiona for random cups of tea and putting up with a succession of bizarre, rambling questions; and my little girl, Grendel for all the half-chewed bits of mice.

And now a message for the Aberdeen Tourist Board: I promise to set the next one in Summer, OK?