Blackjack

Acknowledgments

As always, “much obliged” goes out to G. P. Putnam’s Sons’ president, Ivan Held; my editor extraordinaire, Chris Pepe; and Helen Brann for shuffling and dealing up this newest adventure with Hitch and Cole. Like Virgil says, “This sort of work we do is always a gamble.” So I appreciate those who have pulled up a chair, put their chips on the table, and anted up. Without that ante there is simply nothing to win or lose, and for this go-round I have to say muchas gracias to gifted mountain guide Rob Wood of Rancho Roberto, Jamie “Whatnot” Whitcomb, Rex “Double Down” Linn, Jared Moses, Genevieve Negrete, Jayne Amalia Larson, Kevin Meyer, and the shifty-eyed Mike Rose. My apologies to Alice DiGregorio, Claudia, Pete, Ingrid, and Lucy Crosen for putting up with my sequestering during our retreat. And to Julie Rose for putting up with me, period. A big hand for Ed Harris, the great and talented man who so expertly brought Virgil Cole to life on the silver screen, and the incomparable Viggo Mortensen for his voice of Everett Hitch that keeps coming around throughout. And I’d like to raise you a thousand for my riverboat steam crew: Josh Kesselman, Allison Binder, agent Steve Fisher, and the rest of the crafty card sharps at APA. A rousing toast to my sisters — the Clogging Castanets — Sandra and Karen, for dancing around the table. And in memory of Robert and Joan Parker, a tip of the hat for reminding me of the most significant of all gambler’s creeds: never sit with your back to the door.