The phone would ring in ten minutes.

I wondered if tonight I would pick it up.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would describe my books as thrillers or mysteries, but they revolve, also, around family. This is not by accident. We all have families. Good ones, bad ones, absent ones, indifferent ones. For my purposes, it almost doesn’t matter. The leap is easy to make, and readers can relate, regardless. I have often said that family dysfunction makes for rich literary soil, and it truly does. It is fertile ground, the perfect place to cultivate secrets and misdeeds, grow them into explosive stories. Betrayals cut more deeply, pain lingers longer, and memory becomes a timeless thing. For a writer, this is a gift.

So first and foremost, I’d like to thank my own family for putting up with it. My parents are not evil people-they are wonderful. So are my in-laws, my siblings, my wife, and my children. They have been incredibly supportive throughout this process, and I could not have done it without them. This is especially true of Katie, my wife, to whom this book is dedicated. I love you, baby. Thanks for always being there.

The good people at Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press have also come to feel a bit like family. Special thanks to my editor, Pete Wolverton, a tireless advocate and collaborator. Katie Gilligan, another keen-eyed editor, also has my sincere gratitude. You two make a great team. There are others whom I have come to know, and whose support has been invaluable: Sally Richardson, Matthew Shear, Thomas Dunne, Andy Martin, Jennifer Enderlin, John Murphy, Lauren Manzella, Christina Harcar, Kerry Nordling, Matt Baldacci, Anne Marie Tallberg, and Ed Gabrielli. Thank you all. Thanks also to Sabrina Soares Roberts, who copyedited the manuscript, and to the people who worked so hard in producing the book: Amelie Littell, Cathy Turiano, Frances Sayers, and Kathie Parise. It takes a lot of people to bring a book to publication, and I know that I have not mentioned everyone. Nevertheless, you have all been fabulous.

I would also like to give a shout-out to the VHPS sales force, hard-working, dedicated professionals who do more to ensure a book’s success than most readers will ever know. Thanks for your energy and support.

My agent, Mickey Choate, deserves a special place on this page. Thanks, Mickey. You’ve been a good friend and adviser. Thanks, as well, to Jeff Sanford, my film agent, who is knowledgeable and sure and not scared to tell a good story.

The town of Salisbury also merits a special mention. Like my family, Salisbury does not deserve the darkness I have inflicted upon it. It’s a great town, and I am proud to have been raised there. I do encourage all readers to remember that while the town is real, the people I create are not: not the judges or police officers, not the sheriff or his deputies. I did, however, borrow three names from real people: Gray Wilson, my brother-in-law, Ken Miller, with whom I once worked, and Dolf Shepherd, whom I knew as a boy. Thanks to Gray and Ken, for lending their names, and to Dolf’s family, who gave me permission to use his.

Thanks to the following people, who tried to make magic happen: Brett and Angela Zion, Neal and Tessa Sansovich, Alex Patterson, and Barbara Sieg. You went beyond the call, all of you, and I won’t forget you.

Writing a book requires a lot of time in isolation. Thanks to the following friends, who have gone out of their way to keep me sane: Skipper Hunt, John Yoakum, Mark Witte, Jay Kirkpatrick, Sanders Cockman, Robert Ketner Erick Ellsweig, James Dewey, Andy Ambro, Clint Robins, and James Randolph, who also checked my law.

I would also like to thank Peter Hairston and the late Judge Hairston for allowing me the opportunity to spend some time with them at Cooleemee Plantation, a truly remarkable place.

Finally, a special thanks to Saylor and Sophie, my girls.

John Hart