Mercy

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My father sometimes quipped that he loved having written books more than writing them. The ideas didn’t always come easy. Perhaps for that reason he kept a motivational note taped to his computer monitor that read: This is hard. The other note taped below it read: Be fearless. My dad brought the discipline and work ethic he learned as a doctor to the craft of writing. It was his nature to attend to each word as if it were an expertly applied suture.

The bottom line: The work was lonely for him. He thrived in the chaos of the ER. Book writing meant hours of solitude and day after day of mental gymnastics. It could be isolating. My father drew the inspiration to work hard and be fearless from his readers around the globe. It was the connection he made to you, and the one he had with his team at St. Martin’s-the editors; artists; public relations, sales, and marketing personnel-that reminded him the book business wasn’t quite as lonely as it seemed.

To that end, I wish to thank those who contributed their time and expertise to this novel. Dr. David Grass, whose knowledge and expertise continue to astound me, was present in mind and spirit for every word on every page. In reading Mercy, you might wonder if I had snuck off between books to earn my M.D. from an esteemed medical college. I assure you, I did not. However, Dr. Marya Koza-Saade shared her expertise as a critical care physician and in doing so allowed me to bring Dr. Julie Devereux’s story to life. If you look at all the doctors who contributed to this novel, I think I have most of the medical specialties covered. I wouldn’t have known anything about Xolair, among other tidbits, without the guidance of Dr. William Goodman. Dr. Peter Wertheimer is a wellspring of ideas and medical knowledge that he has kindly shared with me at the bus stop on many occasions. Dr. Ethan Prince, an interventional radiologist and my dear cousin, walked me through some very tricky procedures. Dr. J. James Rohack, an esteemed cardiologist, was my expert on all things related to the human heart. Without the help of Dr. Steve Adelman from Physician Health Services, a Massachusetts Medical Society corporation (where my father worked as a director), I would not have found Jim or Marya, and would thus have been extremely handicapped in completing this novel.

I enjoy making this a family affair. My aunt, Susan Palmer Terry, sister to my father, spent her career consulting on the business side of medicine; she enlightened me about accountable care organizations and helped shape Romey’s storyline. Other shaping came from the careful reads of Judy Palmer and Clair Lamb. A special nod of appreciation goes to my wife, Jessica, and my children, Benjamin and Sophie, for their continued love and support. My brothers, Matthew and Luke, both talented writers-Matthew with several published thrillers of his own-offered encouragement and creative inspiration on multiple occasions. And thanks always to Meg Ruley and the gang at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, who believed all along I could do this job. To that end, my deepest gratitude goes to Jennifer Enderlin, my father’s beloved editor for many years, who entrusted me with his brand.

A great deal of gratitude also goes to you, the reader. It’s challenging but incredibly rewarding to continue my father’s groundbreaking work in the genre of medical thrillers. My hope is to keep that legacy alive in a way that is satisfying and entertaining to readers of the genre and most important to my father’s many fans. I’m not an imitation of my father, nor do I think it’s possible to replicate another’s distinctive voice. But my personal pledge is to deliver novels that adhere to my father’s sensibilities, to his innate understanding of drama, and to his knowledge of what makes characters compelling and stories hard to put down. My stated goal is simply to do him proud.

In that regard, I hope I have succeeded.

Daniel Palmer

Hollis, New Hampshire