When You See Me (Detective D.D. Warren #11)(114)

Of course, no book would be complete without some fun forensics. Thank you Dr. Lee Jantz, associate director of the Forensic Anthropology Center of the University of Tennessee (home of the Body Farm!), for educating me on the latest practices for determining time since death of skeletal remains. I also appreciate all the information on mass graves. Things I never knew and now can’t get out of my head. Remember all mistakes in this novel are mine and mine alone, because Dr. Jantz is clearly brilliant, not to mention very patient with overenthusiastic thriller writers.

Next up, Lt. Michael Santuccio from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Cold cases, current cases, this guy knows it all. Every time my taskforce got stuck, I’d call him for fresh investigative tactics, which he never failed to deliver. Oh the amount of data out there and the things a savvy detective can learn. Again, all mistakes are mine and mine alone. Thank you, Lt. Santuccio, for being D.D.’s brains and my savior.

My deepest admiration and appreciation to my editor, Mark Tavani, for the long phone calls and brainstorming sessions that finally brought my kernel of an idea to fruition. Then kept me on track till I got it done! Also, complete adoration to my agent, Meg Ruley. An author couldn’t have a better advocate on her side.

To my friends, thank you for keeping me sane. To my family, thank you for understanding when I’m insane. And to my amazing three dogs plus an entire mountain range, thank you for keeping me going. Nothing like a walk in the woods for figuring out where to hide more dead bodies.

Finally, what you’ve all been waiting for: the winners of the Kill a Friend, Maim a Buddy Sweepstakes. Stacey Kasmer must have some excellent friends on her side. With nearly sixty of them nominating her for death, Brandon Salemi came through with the win, and got Stacey her grand demise. Hope it was worth it, Stacey, and that all of you enjoy! On the international side, Hélène Tellier nominated herself for literary immortality. Enjoy the novel, and the thrill of your own fictional adventure! Everyone else, the contest is up and running again at LisaGardner.com. Don’t be shy!

Writing is a solitary business, but publishing is a team sport. Thank you to my amazing team in the United States and abroad. And a huge shout-out to my readers, who are almost as excited to see my characters again as I am.

This one’s for you.





ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Lisa Gardner is the number one New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one previous novels, including her most recent, Never Tell. Her Detective D. D. Warren novels include Find Her, Fear Nothing, Catch Me, Love You More, and The Neighbor, which won the International Thriller of the Year Award. She lives with her family in New England.