After college, I traipsed over to Europe to take a break before going to medical school. I ended up spending three years on the continent, hiking the craggy peaks overlooking Salzburg, wandering the ancient cobbled streets of Rome, and traversing the seaside cliffs of the Cinque Terre. (One thing you should know about me: I like to be in motion.) I remember taking extensive mental notes at the time, convinced I would someday write a book in which these settings would become an integral part.
There’s only one more thing I wanted to say about this series, which is that writing the second instalment—which I can’t wait for you to read—has been less of an exercise in writing a book and more a way to spend time with people I have gotten to know and come to miss. Marco is never very far from my mind. Even when I am not writing, I find myself wondering if he would like a book I am reading or what his opinion would be about a piece I just watched on the news. I have enjoyed listening to his thoughts again, especially about the unworthiness and doubt he feels as keenly as being pricked by a needle. And I love the courage he always shows by forging ahead in spite of them.
I hope you enjoyed The Vatican Conspiracy; if you did, I would be very grateful if you could write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it makes such a difference helping new readers to discover one of my books for the first time. And don’t forget to tell your friends and family about the book. So many of my favorite books have come to me through good old-fashioned word of mouth.
I love hearing from my readers—you can get in touch on my Facebook page, as well as through Twitter, Goodreads, or my website. If you have a question, ask it; if you have a comment, make it; if you have a complaint, lodge it. Any author will tell you that you have to take the good with the bad. And oftentimes, there’s something to learn from the bad. (Though I like the good comments better.)
Thanks,
Peter
www.peterhogenkampbooks.com
Acknowledgments
As always, thanks to my wife, Lisa. To say that I couldn’t have succeeded without her is putting it mildly. And thanks to my children—Dan, Tom, Abby and Maria—for keeping me grounded and never letting me lose sight of what is important in life: my family. To Hermione, my feisty Cairn Terrier, I say thank you and promise another thousand walks. And thanks to my mother for imbuing me with her resilient nature—the best trait a writer could ever have—and to my late dad, who gifted me his love of writing and finding just the right word.
I am deeply indebted to Ruth Tross for helping me make this book into what it is. Thank you, Ruth, for your wonderful instincts and for your enthusiasm; what a pleasure and a privilege it is to work with you. And thanks to Jane Selley, the copy editor extraordinaire, for your clarity and succinctness. Many thanks also to Jon Appleton for the proofread. To the whole team at Bookouture, especially Peta Nightingale and Alexandra Holmes, I say you are simply brilliant, and I am forever thankful. To Kim Nash and Noelle Holten, the dynamic duo who helped bring The Vatican Conspiracy to the known world, thanks for your energy and your patience. The day I became a member of the Bookouture family will always be a landmark in my life.
There are many people who helped me deliver The Vatican Conspiracy into the world (and to the publisher prior to submission). In no particular order, thanks to: Thomas Cosgrove, Kirsten Klett, Liz Kracht, Tom Hogenkamp, Conrad Tuerk, Theresa Corsones, Becca Ramos, Beth Higgins, and the late Ed Callahan. To the late Betty Gralton, who gave me an old copy of Alistair MacLean’s Fear Is the Key when I was a boy, I wish you were alive to see what you started.
I reserve the biggest thanks for you, the reader. If it wasn’t for you, I would labor in vain. Nothing is more precious to an author than a reader who has enjoyed their book.
Published by Bookouture in 2020
An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Peter Hogenkamp, 2020
Peter Hogenkamp has asserted his right to be identified
as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-83888-842-8
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Vatican Conspiracy: A completely gripping action thriller (A Marco Venetti Thriller Book 1) Page 31
