As ever, I am extremely grateful to the readers and booksellers who make it possible for me to write fiction and to the many people who help me do a better job at it.
My gratitude extends to computer geniuses Gary Moore and David Joerg. What the two of you know about the ins and outs of the “black hats” on the Internet and the havoc they can wreak on the unsuspecting is terrifying. Hopefully I’ve done the material justice in the translation.
I continue to be blessed by the splendid support of Henry Holt, St. Martin’s Press, and Orion Publishing Group. I am especially thankful to Henry Holt’s former editor-in-chief, Jennifer Barth; its vice president of Sales and Marketing, Maggie Richards; and my agent, Philip Spitzer. Jennifer is a gutsy kindred spirit who always understands precisely what I am trying to accomplish and keeps pushing me until I get there. Maggie is a fierce insomniac who will not rest until the entire world has read this book. And in Philip I have found tremendous loyalty, friendship, and family. Being me, I rarely say it, but the three of you are very special (and yes, I mean the good kind of special, not the stop-eating-the-glue kind).