ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As always, grateful thanks to our exceptional publisher at Bantam Dell, Irwyn Applebaum, and our insightful editor, Danielle Perez.

We owe too much to our agent and friend, Nancy Yost of Lowenstein-Yost Associates Inc., to express in a few words, but hey, thank you, you terrific woman.

We thank Dr. Ellen Taliaferro, co-founder of Physicians for a Violence-free Society, for related ideas. We consulted research on strangulation by Dean A. Hawley, MD, George E. McClane, MD, and Gael B. Strack, JD. (All errors are our own.) John Farrelly, cemetery coordinator at Cementario El Encinal, kindly shared his memories.

Pam would particularly like to thank the talented writers who taught, entertained, and kept her going during the writing of this book, all to be found at The Critical Poet’s Final Polishing site (http://pub8.ezboard.com/fthecriticalpoetsmessageboarfrm12): dmehl808 (Dave Mehler), Drgib, Ashersimeon, jaxmyth, posthumous, cyberwrite, antidora, arabianlady, kdkaboom, eliashoi, ameuc, and all the rest.

Kudos to the members of Windward Oahu AAUW, who help so many; and to the unique characters in the Ladera Book Club, who provide such amusing intellectual distraction.

Thanks and love to the family and friends who sustain us: Andrew, Ardyth, Nita, Elizabeth, Brad, June, Connor, Cory, Stephanie, Joan, Meg, Patrick, Sylvia, and Frank.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PERRI O’SHAUGHNESSY is the pen name for two sisters, Pamela and Mary O’Shaughnessy, who live in Hawaii and on Lake Tahoe, and in California and on Lake Tahoe, respectively. Pamela graduated from Harvard Law School and was a trial lawyer for sixteen years. Mary is a former editor and writer for multimedia projects. They are the authors of Motion to Suppress, Invasion of Privacy, Obstruction of Justice, Breach of Promise, Acts of Malice, Move to Strike, Writ of Execution, and Presumption of Death, coming in August from Delacorte Press. Readers can contact Perri O’Shaughnessy at [email protected].