ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

As one's career in this business lengthens so does the list of those for whom a novelist feels undying gratitude for their herculean efforts on his behalf: David Rosenthal, Marysue Rucci, George Lucas and everyone at my top-notch U.S. publisher, Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books; Sue Fletcher, Carolyn Mays, and Georgina Moore, to name just a few at my superb U.K. publisher, Hodder & Stoughton; and my agents Deborah Schneider, Diana McKay, Vivienne Schuster, the other fine folks at Curtis Brown in London, and movie-wizard Ron Bernstein, as well as my many foreign agents, who've gotten my books into the hands of readers around the world. Thanks to my sister and fellow author, Julie Deaver, and – as always – my special, enduring gratitude to Madelyn Warcholik; if it weren't for her you would just have bought a book containing nothing but blank pages.

Among the resources I found invaluable (and thoroughly enjoyable) in writing this novel are the following books: The Watchman and The Fugitive Game by Jonathan Littman, Masters of Deception by Michelle Slatalla and Joshua Quittner; The New Hacker's Dictionary by Eric S. Raymond; The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll, The Hacker Crackdown by Bruce Sterling, Bots by Andrew Leonard and Fire in the Valley by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeffery Deaver's novels have appeared on a number of bestseller lists around the world, including The New York Times, the London Times and the Los Angeles Times. The author of sixteen novels, he's been nominated for four Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America and an Anthony award and is a two-time recipient of the Ellery Queen Reader's Award for Best Short Story of the Year. His book A Maiden's Grave was made into an HBO movie starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin, retitled Dead Silence, and his novel The Bone Collector was a feature release from Universal Pictures starring Denzel Washington. Warner Brothers is currently producing a film version of The Blue Nowhere and Wolfgang Peterson (The Perfect Storm) has just bought The Devil's Teardrop. His most recent novels are The Empty Chair, Speaking in Tongues and The Devil's Teardrop. He is now at work on his next Lincoln Rhyme novel. Readers can visit his Web site at www.jefferydeaver.com.