Poppet

Acknowledgements

Many people spend a lifetime building their knowledge and skill bases, only to have a fly-by-night novelist come along and steal it all to make into a story. Why they tolerate this daylight robbery I have no idea, I can only be grateful and humbled by their generosity. Those people include: Patrick Knowles, who filled in the details of the UK’s mental-health system; Hugh White, genius pathologist; Simon Gerard; DCI Gareth Bevan of Avon and Somerset MCIT (the real-life Jack Caffery); Inspector Zoe Chegwyn, who taught me what I needed to know about hostage situations. To you all – I apologize if I have skewed the truth you gave me for the purposes of fiction, but thank you, thank you, and thank you, again.

As always, the debt I owe to the wonderful folk at my publisher’s and agent’s offices is immeasurable. To you all, a huge hats-off for your hard work and patience. Also to Steve Bennett, for tolerating my adversity to social networking. It amazes me how you manage to run a website for someone who is so phobic about sharing.

Jonathan Keay – the real-life Jonathan Keay – made a large donation to the DeKalb Libraries in Atlanta, Georgia, and for that he has had a character named after him in Poppet. Jonathan, I know you are far more interesting in real life than you appear in this novel, nevertheless I thank you. And as for Karin Slaughter – who was in the background of this arrangement – you continue to outrage, inspire and amaze me. Keep it up, girl!

Lastly, I want to thank my dear friends and family – supportive and quiet and constant: Bob Randall; Margaret OWO Murphy; Mairi Hitomi; Lotte GQ; Sue and Donald Hollins. What would I do without you?