Rift Zone

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Friends, family and colleagues have given of themselves beyond my wildest imagination and have made this novel take on dimensions that I could never have reached alone. I have them to thank for the strengths of this book.

Jim Froneberger, Lt. Cmdr. USN ret., my favorite bomb maker and storyteller, taught me more than I should ever know about explosives. Former Pan Am pilot, Bill “Flyboy” North once strayed into Soviet airspace as well as into my email box. Soviet MIGs didn’t catch him, but I was lucky enough to snag him as a consultant, e-pen pal and virtual flying instructor. My dear friend, co-worker and fellow black operative, Michael Lukson, was a constant source of moral as well as tech support. Mike once told me that “real programmers don’t do Web sites.” Maybe not. But it’s a truly special friend who learns two new computer languages to give someone such a phenomenal Web site as www.InternationalThrillers.com.

Gayle Lynds’ steadfast confidence in my work gave me the assurance to take some particularly bold steps-and thanks to her wise counsel, they turned out to be just the right ones. Without her generous support, this novel would never have been published. Gayle is rightfully the godmother of this book. My agent, Bob Diforio, is a consummate professional and a delight to work with. He has been simply awesome. Thanks to Bob’s tireless efforts, my first novel was not only published, but published well.

Sarah Wang’s insightful critique, undying enthusiasm and perseverance through various stages of the manuscript have been invaluable. Former Finnair Moscow bureau chief and the only person I know who has ever smuggled himself out of the Soviet Union and back into it again on the same weekend, Timo Valtonen provided key Soviet airport and border details. I am also grateful to Captain Jerold Ogami-Van Camp of Aloha Airlines for letting me crawl around the floor of his flight deck. Many others contributed to the success of the project, including Maryann Palumbo, Daniel Siguara, Florence Jacobson, Jacqueline Deval and Danny Baror.

My warmest thanks go to Brian Callaghan for believing in me and championing the book. The staff at Tor, including Eric Raab, Nicole Kalian, Elena Stokes, Linda Quinton, Kathleen Fogarty and others behind the scenes, has done truly exceptional work. I am particularly in debt to Tom Doherty for once again challenging conventional wisdom in publishing-this time taking a chance on a Cold War thriller, some fifteen years after John le Carré declared them dead.

My family sacrificed countless evenings and weekends while I was absorbed with this project. I’ve often joked that I did it despite everyone-dogs barking, the Food Network blaring, chores demanding-but I could only follow my dream because they are my dream. My deepest love and gratitude belong to Cynthia Curatalo and my three furry muses, LynnDy, Jordan and Lily.