The Good Cop
Page 29
And I can’t tell you how happy I am to have the energy and passion of my publicist/secret weapon, Becky Kraemer, back with me after a brief hiatus. I missed you, Becky. Don’t have any more kids, okay?
Thanks are also due:
To all the library scientists who keep pushing my books, including Bess Haile of the Essex Public Library and her friends-group president, Hannah Overton (I will always be your Knight in Shining Armor).
To bookstore owners like Marilyn Thiele of Moonstone Mystery Books, who succeeds in this difficult modern bookselling environment the old-fashioned way: by offering first-rate customer service and great books.
To Tony Cicatiello, James Lum, Jorge Motoshige, Leslie Jennings, and all people who offer aid and comfort to me while I’m on tour.
To Lucinda Surber and Stan Ulrich, Toby and Bill Gottfried, Janet Rudolph and everyone else at Left Coast Crime who went along with this crazy idea to make me their 2014 Toastmaster.
To Lindsy Gardner, for all her help. (I’m going to stop there, mostly to keep her patrons guessing.)
To Miss Teresa, Miss Denise, Keshia, Zabrina, and everyone else at my local Hardees who make my favorite writing haunt—yes, I really write at a Hardees—feel like a second home.
To Kieran O’Brien Kern, who first suggested that an absinthe-sucking librarian could make a great character; to Janie, Allan, Zach, and Lexi Links, who know all about the inspiration for Uncle Bernie; and to all the other readers out there. Like I said, I have the best job in the world, but I am mindful that I’ll get fired if I can’t keep you entertained. So it’s my fervent hope you enjoy reading this stuff as much as I do writing it.
And, most important, to my family. I mentioned my parents, Marilyn and Bob, in the dedication, and I would say that means they’ve gotten enough ink for one book, except I know I can never thank them enough for all their sacrifices. I’m also grateful to my brother, Greg, who will be my first phone call if I ever get arrested; my in-laws, Joan and Allan Blakely, without whom so much would not be possible; and to my son and daughter, who brighten my daily existence with their joy and wonder.
Last, I need to thank the one person who, more than anyone else, enables this dream life of mine. I love you, Melissa. I know there are times when we feel like we can’t keep up. But the fact is, as long as we have each other, we’ll always be well ahead.
ALSO BY BRAD PARKS
The Girl Next Door
Eyes of the Innocent
Faces of the Gone
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brad Parks is the first author to win both the Shamus Award and the Nero Award for Best American Mystery for his debut novel, Faces of the Gone. A former reporter for The Washington Post and The [Newark] Star-Ledger, he lives in Virginia, and this is his fourth novel. Visit him online at www.BradParks.com.