by Chris Lloyd
Below her, the Onyar winked a reflection of coloured lights at her, glittering on their way to the sea. The slow knell of the water gently running by whispered a lullaby, one that she’d taught her daughter so many years ago.
It was her baby buried in the foundations.
Leaning her head against the window frame, she looked out, her head dropping only slightly.
‘I’m back.’
Author’s Note
Before you go looking for an archaeological site at El Crit, I have to tell you now that I made that bit up. Everything else is really there. The little cove with the underwater rocks, the fishermen’s huts, the steps winding up from the beach and the headland and woods do exist and are among the most tranquil and beautiful spots you might find anywhere, but there is no dig there or any evidence of an Indiketa settlement that I know of.
If you are interested in the Indiketa, however, the extensive settlement at Ullastret and the dig on the Agulla de Castell headland do exist, as do the skulls with the spikes embedded in them in the museum at Ullastret. Both sites are fascinating pools of calm.
Acknowledgements
As always, there are so many people to thank for their help and support with this book. I’ve been bowled over by the generous response to the first story in the Elisenda Domènech series, and I’d like to thank all the wonderful readers and reviewers who have left such kind reviews and sent me such positive messages, including a number of readers from Girona, which was particularly gratifying.
I’d like to give a very belated thank you to my students at the Archaeology Service in Girona, to whom I taught English many years ago. That experience and the behind-the-scenes glimpses of digs and historic sites that they gave me fired a deep fascination with the history and archaeology of the region, which I have no doubt ultimately led to this book. Credit must also go once again to the lovely city of Girona and its beautiful surroundings, which are at all times inspiring.
I’m tremendously lucky to have a great publisher in Canelo and I’d like to thank everyone there once again for their vision and for their faith in Elisenda and in me: Michael Bhaskar, Iain Millar, Nick Barreto and Simon Collinson. A huge and heartfelt thanks also to Ana McLaughlin for all her hard work and skill in promoting City of Good Death, to Helen Francis for her masterful copy-editing, and to Chris Shamwana for the extraordinary and atmospheric cover designs for my books. And a hello and thank you to Maisie Lawrence, who I’m looking forward to working with.
My agent, the brilliant Ella Kahn, is officially a star and a trailblazer, to which I can wholeheartedly attest – they simply don’t come any better. Thank you as always for all the support, encouragement, patience and belief.
And finally, I want to thank my wonderful wife Liz for everything. And for keeping me in wine.
First published in the United Kingdom in 2016 by Canelo
Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
57 Shepherds Lane
Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 2DU
United Kingdom
Copyright © 2016 by Chris Lloyd
The moral right of Chris Lloyd to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781910859841
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events 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.
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