Close to Death

Acknowledgements

This was quite a complicated novel to write . . . mainly because of the different timelines.

The events at Riverview Close take place during the months of June and July 2014 – but it wasn’t until 2019 that Hawthorne and I sat down and he told me about the death of Giles Kenworthy and what had followed. We had a series of meetings over a period of eight weeks and I didn’t actually finish writing the book until April 2020, missing the Christmas deadline that my agent, Hilda Starke, had demanded.

It didn’t matter anyway. For one reason and another, Close to Death has only been published in 2024 – so there was no need for all that pressure in the first place.

I only mention this because I want to pay a special tribute to my copy editor, Caroline Johnson, who has had to pull together all the separate strands, work out what was happening and when, where I was at the time, what Hawthorne was doing and how it all fitted together. Without her, the book wouldn’t have made any sense at all, although, conversely, if there are any mistakes, it’s entirely her fault.

By coincidence, I actually moved to Richmond shortly after I finished the book and I want to thank the writer Michael Frayn, who provided me with further details about Riverview Close and its residents. He happens to live near the close and I was very fortunate to meet him. I was also given some very useful insights by Harry Matovu, KC, a senior Silk at the Commercial Bar who has been recognised four times running by Powerlist as one of the most influential black professionals in the UK. I had, of course, spoken to Andrew Pennington, but Harry told me a great deal more.

A word of thanks to Jon Emin, who had briefly resided in Riverview Close. He was so pleased to be mentioned in the book that he gave a generous donation to Home-Start in Suffolk, a brilliant charity working in the community. I’m a patron. I’m also grateful to Jeffrey Hunter White, my online stress counsellor (based in Palm Springs), who was always ready with advice and support.

As always, my wife, Jill Green, was the first person to read the manuscript and gave me some excellent notes. I do wonder how I’d cope without her. With my sons, Nicholas and Cassian, my two daughters-in-law, Iona and Sophia, and now a new arrival – Leander Horowitz – I am extremely lucky to have a close family around me and one that fills the vacuum in which all writers live. My assistant, Tess Cutler, continues to organise my life and to stop me making commitments I can’t possibly fulfil. My agent, Hilda Starke, is often too busy to take my calls, but her assistant, Jonathan Lloyd, is always there for me.

The team at Penguin Random House is listed separately, but I want to extend a special thank you to Darren Bennett for the terrific map at the front of the book (I do like maps in murder mysteries) and to Glenn O’Neill for working tirelessly to create the new style for all the covers. My editor, Selina Walker, is the spider at the heart of the web, but not a poisonous one like Gemma Beresford’s jewellery. You wouldn’t be reading this without her.

Writers often feel isolated and alone but the truth is that producing a book is a huge team effort.

It’s my pleasure to acknowledge the fantastic support I’ve been given in the long journey from idea to manuscript to finished publication.

PUBLISHER

Selina Walker

EDITORIAL

Joanna Taylor

Charlotte Osment

Caroline Johnson

DESIGN

Glenn O’Neill

PRODUCTION

Helen Wynn-Smith

UK SALES

Alice Gomer

Olivia Allen

Kirsten Greenwood

Jade Unwin

Evie Kettlewell

INTERNATIONAL SALES

Anna Curvis

Linda Viberg

PUBLICITY

Sarah Harwood

Klara Zak

MARKETING

Sam Rees-Williams

AUDIO

James Keyte

Meredith Benson