by Ann Rule
My sincere thanks to all of you:
Lois Duncan, a wonderful writer who maintains a web site for those who seek the truth about their loved one's fate: www.realcrimes.com, Dr. John Demakas, Dr. Michael Gruber, Rowdy Berry, Susan Berry, Richard and Donica Fletcher, Pete Erickson, Robert Bishop, and Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds,
"Smurf," Gila Hayes, Sarita McClellan, Jerry Johnston, Kathy Neu, Kurt Wetzold, Vernon Geberth, Raymond Pierce, Alan and Ella McDonnell, Robert Zielke, Sue Sampson, Juanita Vaughn, Tony and Belinda Rodriguez, Connie Riker, Darrell Prowze, Linda Eller, Larry and Judy Semanko, Julie Colbert, Claudia Self, and Danita Rakov.
Sharyn Decker, Ian Ith, Tracy Vedder, and Kiyomi Taguchi of KOMO-TV.
My gratitude goes to the Lewis County attentive jurors who made a unanimous decision in a difficult case: Angel, Debra, Pete, Denise, Nathan, Sandy, Opal, Elaine, Scott, Corina, Josie, and Don. Several shared their thoughts with me, following the judge's orders about what they could say after their verdict.
Lauren Sund, Pat Henning of Centralia, Kate Jewell, First Reader Gerry Hay, Rod Englert, David Bell, Freeman Thompson, Joanne Gonzales, Lee Shallat, Eric Roberts, Dan Pearson, Dave and Marion Nordquist, Donna Anders, Glade Austin, Gary Aschenbach, Rahma Starret, Abe Miller--Mr. Happy Computer, Betty May Settecase, the staff at Best Western in Chehalis, Kim Edmondson, Steve and Glenda Larson, Scott Albert, Dr. Michael Nevins, Dr. Nathan Green, and Dr. Diane Dozois of Group Health.
Special thanks to the International Association of Women Police (IAWP), and, of course, to Barb Thompson, Jerry Berry, Marty Hayes, Royce Ferguson, and Blair Connery.
To my family: Matt, Andy, Lindsey, Mike, Marie and Holland Rae Rule, Bruce, Machell, Olivia, Tyra, and Logan Sherles. Family includes my Michigan and Ohio cousins: Chris and Linda, Jim and Mary, Sara Jane, Bruce and Diane, Jan and Eby, Sherman, David, Lucetta May, and Glenna.
To Ronda's family: Freeman Thompson, Virginia Ramsey, William Ramsey, Don Hennings, Beverly Branom, Bill Clark and the support of hundreds of their friends too numerous to list.
To the thousands of ARF's--Ann Rule Fans--who visit my web site at www.annrules.com--to ask questions, give me tips on cases, comments, and, bless you, praise. You always lift me up when I get discouraged and have temporary writers' block!
And thank you once again to my literary agents of thirty-five years: Joan and Joe Foley, who have never let me down, and to my theatrical agent Ron Bernstein of International Creative Management, who magically turns books into movies!
And, as always, I appreciate my long association with Free Press, Pocket Books, and Simon & Schuster. I've been with them for more than two decades, and the team that helps me write, print, and publish my books is one any author would envy. My publisher Martha Levin, who stands solidly behind me, my editor Mitchell Ivers, whose critiques are incisive but tactful, his assistant Jessica Webb, who works with me to create the photo sections and handles a thousand other details and is always cheerful, my keen-eyed copyeditor Thomas Pitoniak, and copyediting supervisor Carol de Onis, managing editor Isabel Tewes, my attorneys Elisa Rivlin, Felice Javit, and Duane Bosworth, and my publicist Carisa Hays.
In the Still of the Night is probably one of the three most difficult books I have ever written. I could not possibly have done it without the help of so many people who cared.
--Ann Rule
Ann Rule is the author of thirty New York Times bestsellers, all of them still in print. A former Seattle police officer, she knows the crime scene firsthand. She is a certified instructor for police training seminars and lectures to law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and forensic science organizations, including the FBI. For more than three decades, she has been a powerful advocate for victims of violent crime. She has testified before U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittees on serial murder and victims' rights, and was a civilian adviser to the VI-CAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program). A graduate of the University of Washington, she holds a Ph.D. in Humane Letters from Willamette University. She lives near Seattle and can be contacted through her web page at www.annrules.com.
