Dawson hesitated, then tentatively reached out to shake Kate’s hand.
“Welcome to the Atlanta Police Department.”
For Billie, who started it all
(There’s a fearful point …)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Please keep in mind that Atlanta is not just one city—every experience is unique. While this novel is peppered with real-life details, it is still a work of fiction (which means I made stuff up).
For background on Atlanta during the 1970s, I’d like to thank Janice Blumberg, Dona Robertson, Vickye Prattes, and the lovely and handsome Dr. Chip Pendleton. Thanks to Ineke Lenting, my Dutch translator, for helping me with my Dutch (which is nonexistent except for the swear words I picked up from Marjolein). Iannis Goerlandt and Leen van den Broucke were particularly helpful with all of my questions about Flanders (and to my Flemish readers, whom I adore—my deepest apologies. You are the kindest, most joyful people I have ever met and I treasure the time I’ve spent with you). Melissa Van der Wagt pronounced some Dutch words for me (no, Melissa, they did not sound just like English). Nanda Brouwer took me to the Joods Historisch Museum in Amsterdam, where Mirjam Knotter very patiently answered my questions. I am particularly grateful to Linda Andriesse at the Hollandsche Schouwburg for her generosity and willingness to speak with me about her personal experiences. Barbara Reuten, thank you for facilitating both of these meetings. I would encourage anyone interested in the history of the Netherlands during the war to visit and support these vital organizations. Actually, I would encourage anyone to visit the Netherlands whenever possible (and especially Flanders!).
Apologies to railfans for the liberties I took with the Howell Yard Wye. Also, I should mention that Warren Zevon was recorded in 1975 but released in May of ’76.
David and Ellen Conford were my go-to Jews for all things Yiddish. If a reader finds I’m wrong: a glick hot dich getrofen! Laurent Bouzereau: thank you for your Rolodex. Susan Rebecca White: thank you for the Colonnade line. Kitty: thank you for proving that grown women in Buckhead still say “gosh.” Kat: thanks for you know what, mama. Gillian: this is what I was working on while you were crafting your awesome sweet potato joke. Charlaine and Lee: yes, that’s you guys. Mo Hayder: I am sorry so few people die horribly in this one. Next time.
To my editorial team, Jennifer Hershey and Kate Elton (BBF): thank you both so much for your diligence and patience. Writing a novel is like walking a tightrope, and I feel very glad to have y’all as my net. Thanks also to folks at Random House US and UK: Gina Centrello, Libby McGuire, Susan Sandon, Georgina Hawtrey-Woore, Jenny Geras, and Markus Dohle. Victoria Sanders, thank you for putting up with all my crap. Diane Dickensheid, thank you for listening to Victoria put up with my crap. Angela Cheng Caplan, you are a star. More crap to come.
My last thanks always goes to the two most important people in my life: Thank you to my daddy, who while I am in the throes of writing always brings me soup and cornbread and reminds me to comb my hair. To DA, my love—I don’t know what I did to deserve you, and I am pretty sure you’ve forgotten, too.
ALSO BY KARIN SLAUGHTER
Blindsighted
Kisscut
A Faint Cold Fear
Indelible
Like a Charm (Editor)
Faithless
Triptych
Beyond Reach
Fractured
Undone
Broken
Fallen
Criminal
Unseen
EBOOK ORIGINALS
Snatched
Thorn in My Side
Busted
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KARIN SLAUGHTER is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of Unseen, Criminal, Fallen, Broken, Undone, Fractured, Beyond Reach, Triptych, Faithless, Indelible, A Faint Cold Fear, Kisscut, and Blindsighted, as well as the e-book original novellas “Busted,” “Snatched,” and “Thorn in My Side”; she also contributed to and edited Like a Charm. To date, her books have been translated into more than thirty languages. She is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, where she currently lives and is working on her next novel.
www.karinslaughter.com
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